Nihonkoku Shoukan - Vol. 1 Ch. 2 - The Delegation

[LysandersTreason]

@greenpeon Maybe that's why Japan seems obsessed with isekais. When the west re-established trade with the Japanese in the 1800s they weren't much different from being a fantasy world themselves that suddenly had visitors from an advanced civilization

 

[RhoninFire]

@LysandersTreason - Isekai are popular because it's the current trend. After isekai'ing so many other things, someone should eventually have the idea of making a story to isekai their whole country. Don't make it sounds like some national Freudian inferiority complex. It's just the current "meme" (as in ideas bouncing between heads, not internet jokes).

@Greenperson - I'm not enjoying the nationalist wanking either, but despite our similar reaction, I have to say it's a bit different from your reason. For tech developed in the last 70 years, Japan has done its fair share. And most of the tech they were showing are more recent tech. That said, its foundation has does trace to the west. Though I wouldn't say it was "gifted" either.

 

[RhoninFire]

@Waifuhunter101 The whole country got Isekai'ed. So I do guess all the infrastructure went with it. They probably got enough stuff for everything to feel the same as depicted in this chapter. But after delegation leaves and maybe a week or so... well let's just say the gas station refueling that taxi will run out of gas soon.

 

[Garrett]

@Greenpeon
Sounds like you don't even know what you are talking about.
Japan technology has surpassed the western one dacades ago, and we have been effectively borrowing theirs since then.
Just for reference, the entire current "Lean" production paradigm was developed in Japan, and American industries have only recently started to catch up. Europe fares better in that regard, but is still behind.
Also China is growing at a frightening speed.

But sure, keep thinking your country is more advanced just because it dropped a couple of atomic bombs a century ago.

 

[korvas]

This is fun but I hope we get a realistic look at the chaos that can unfold after an entire country is cut off from the world. Everything in this chapter is essentially 'staged' as a diplomatic and political move. But a good portion of white collar workers are probably screwed given how internationally dependent a lot of companies are. Also anything that is 'non-essential' and risks losing demand, ex. some forms of entertainment.

I like the premise but I hope this isn't just a 'isn't Japan's technology and culture amazing' isekei.

 

[libbies]

what happens when they run out of jet fuel?

 

[Ekdeep]

@libbies, new world, new resources; they can just make more.

 

[GweAnakJakarta]

@libbies one of the 2 countries Japan made a trade with (forgot the name) has tons of oil

 

[DanYHKim]

@korvas has a realistic view on this. A nation like Japan depends heavily on imports of fuel. I know that they can restart their nuclear plants, and increase their output for a time, before the fuel is expended, but their situation is pretty dire.

I can easily imagine that a few 'showcase' cities would be set up with priority access to resources, in order to make a show of power, while much of the country is reduced to a war-footing, or worse.

I also wonder what catastrophic effect the sudden appearance of Japan in the ocean will have on the weather patterns of this world. Ocean currents will have to suddenly adjust to the obstruction, directing cold and warm waters in new pathways. This, in turn, could also change the balance of salinity that drives the vertical movement of masses of water, radically changing surface temperatures. I'd expect unusual typhoons to show up soon.

This story can get grim pretty soon. I expect, though, that it will not go this route.

 

[Guspaz]

@Kaiser92 I’ve read both those books (and a bunch of other Flint novels in the 1632 series), but those both take place in different times in our world. In this story, it’s an isekai. I can’t remember if it was addressed in the manga, but in the novel version it was specifically mentioned that the country they’re negotiating with is basically the breadbasket of this world, with a ton of super productive land that normally produces large surpluses of food for export. IIRC there was also another nearby country that was quite rich in mineral resources, but neither the manga nor the translated novels have done anything with that yet.

 

[Kaiser92]

@DanYHKim Excellent points my dude
@Guspaz I see you are a man of culture as well ? Have not read the novel yet. Still, feeding 100+m Japanese is still kinda... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . Like feeding another continent of ppl. And I guess that those surplus ain't gonna be use to feed the other nations now and food price gonna skyrocket. Short term is going to be like DanYHKim said, ration and stuff.
Regarding industry, well you know how hard it is to get it to uptimer precision and standards, but I guess that could all be solve by magic so meh, no point arguing there.

 

[Point]

@Guspaz Does the US military presence on the island ever come up?

 

[CountryMage]

@DanYHKim no tsunami here, IIRC there was already an archipelago in that area, that is presumably now on Earth, complete with the people the locals on Quatoyne considered primitive.

 

[Homelander]

1 more chapter of nice vibes and then the gore, rape and torture starts.

 

[Guspaz]

@Point I don't recall it having been addressed, but I'd like to stress that very little of the novel has been translated, as Yukkuri has released slightly less than three chapters over a 13 month period. Now, they're admittedly quite long chapters, but there are regularly 2, 3, 4 month gaps between releases of even parts of chapters. So novel readers are not very far into the story.

 

[Hiex91]

@Kaiser92: Maybe but I won't doubt their recovery though. Once their population goes down to a certain threshold, they will definitely able to sustain themselves though trading and farming. I'm wondering what kind of goods Japan will trade with these fantasy Middle Ages countries.

 

[Kaiser92]

@ Hiex91
Welp if 2nd Sengoku period. Also no mention of mind magic yet so risks are high. Unless they choose complete isolation, I don't see anything holding back a mass migration to the continent in search of food. Future is grim, again unless miracle.
Regarding trade, probably trivial tech like stove, matchstick, marble, ceramics at first. Maybe some artisanal tech (gem faceting/natural+synthetic dye/silk?/printing press) and other low tech high profit short term scheme. Expect lots of nefarious get rich quick scheme from civi unless access is restricted. Also depend on Japan stance on fighting germ/virus with antibiotic e.g. penicillin.

 

[definitionofinsanity]

@Waifuhunter101

How the hell does the economy still intact? Stock market, export and import. How the hell do people work in this time? I know it's fantasy but they make it to be more realistic. Maybe that's why they go for the trade of food to keep food circulation to stable.

Spoiler

The entire country of Japan was removed and transported to another world. The economy would likely fall under whatever the Japanese version of wartime emergency powers/martial law was. Export and import are why they are meeting the locals to begin with, to secure the things that they will be in dire need of - like food. Stock market could, ironically, still be functioning due to the Japanese having their own, the Nikkei 225/Nikkei Index, although it WON'T be. Considering how much trading is done internationally and how suddenly Japan loses all and any contact with every single other thing on the globe, they stock market will likely shut down like how America did with theirs in the aftermath of 9/11. Almost all large stock indexes like the NYSE, the Nikkei, ect. have "circuit breaker" rules where if the market plunges too quickly, they are tripped and all trading stops dead cold for a certain period of time to prevent panic and make sure no fraud or cyberattacks or the like are occurring.

As for power, Japan has a shitload of nuclear power plants. Power isn't a big issue. Lots of people will just continue about their jobs because... that's just how the Japanese are. Considering that it's an island nation that is, outside of a few staples like food, mostly self-sufficient, them suddenly being cut off wouldn't be disastrous right away. Almost 130 million hungry people, however... That is something that needs to be addressed before it becomes an issue.

@seekermoc

There's no way they'd be able to produce new aircraft anyway without being able to import components (or fuel for that matter). I'm also somewhat curious how all their power plants, cars, trains, etc are still running over a week after being cut-off from the modern world. Japan is utterly dependent on trade and the open global economy.

Spoiler

...What are you talking about? There aren't large extension cords running from Japan to the rest of the world for power. Japan has a LOT of nuclear power plants. They'll last awhile. New fuel is an issue, but... biofuel/synthetic fuel is a long-term option. BTW, most trains in Japan run on electrified lines. Meaning that as long as you can reroute and power to them, you can keep them running. Also, Japan does not need to be able to import components to produce new aircraft. Japan produces multiple aircraft models entirely in-country with no importing and do so either indigenously or through licensing.

I'll grant you that the Japanese aerospace industry for combat aircraft isn't the most impressive one, but for a country the size and of the limitations (regarding their Constitution) of Japan, it's nothing to scoff at. And it has improved drastically over the last few decades and even things like the engines are being built entirely in Japan through licensed subcontractors. So long as Japan can find the raw materials anywhere, they could keep cranking out F-15Js and SH-60s all day long (under Mitsubishi). Kawasaki also has a firm grip on the rotary wing industry in Japan and can make OH-1 Ninjas, CH-47s, MD500s, T-4 trainer jets, C-1/C-2 transport aircraft and more entirely in Japan.

@Greenpeon

I always groan when a manga has Japan showing off its amazing technology... technology gifted to them by the west.

Spoiler

Well... Let's be frank here, America has also highly benefited off of Japanese technology that they themselves developed. It has been a two-way street ...Usually. Sometimes the Japanese drop the ball (lol, Japan, WTF are you doing selling advanced machine tools to the Soviets for making acoustically optimized propeller blades for submarines when that's restricted technology) and sometimes the west does fleece them. We really screwed over Japan with the "co-development" of the F-2 and got the Japanese cutting edge AESA radar in exchange while making the Japanese foot the majority of the development costs for a glorified enlarged F-16 upgrade that costs on par with an F-22A.

But this does bring up an interesting point: United States Forces Japan. There's about 60,000 American service at various bases all through-out Japan as part of our defensive agreements with Japan. And, one very well known secret is that during the Cold War the United States did at some point keep armed nuclear weapons at American bases there and still might. It's a very touchy and controversial subject that both Japan and America would rather be kept a "secret," even if everyone already knows or expects it. In either case, that's a hell of a lot of Americans and a hell of a lot of military assets there.

 

[definitionofinsanity]

@Kaiser92
Keep in mind that while Japan's farming industry is quaint compared to other countries that excel in industrialized large scale farming (like America), Japan still has access to that technology and knowledge (many farm machines are built in Japan, after all). And if said country can't meet the demands on the Japanese population, Japan could easily just set up a technology exchange and farming co-op with said country with advisors and personnel. Considering Japan needs the food, the country they are entering into negotiations with does this as an export business and the fact that farming instruments and technology is relatively peaceful and harmless and has little chance of compromising technology by having a few combines and tractors and irrigation systems... It's definitely do-able. But the Japanese government WOULD need to react quickly and get food coming in. Which they seem to be trying to do.

 

[seekermoc]

@definitionofinsanity

I'm not sure why you'd revive a 2 month old discussion, or why I even care enough to respond, but you're seriously mistaken on many points.

Are you aware that even before the Fukushima meltdown, nuclear power plants only provided around 30% of Japan's electricity? After the meltdown, all but a few of their plants have been shut down, and currently provide only about 5% of Japan's electricity.

And that's just electricity. When talking overall energy consumption (electricity, fuel for vehicles, fuel for heating, etc), 84% of Japan's energy consumption was from imported oil, which in this situation would be cut off. And again, these stats are all from before they shut down nearly all of their nuclear power generation, it's probably over 90% right now.

While they could theoretically restart some of their nuclear reactors in this situation, they also rely entirely on imported uranium to fuel them, and restarting dormant reactors isn't a simple process.

If you think that Japan (or any modern country that isn't energy and food independent) could be picked out of the world and placed somewhere else without falling apart, you'd be seriously mistaken.

The damage that would occur in the first few days would be catastrophic. Just the panic in the major cities would kill a significant portion of the population. Can you imagine millions of people without electricity, food, or fuel trying to escape the major metropolitan centers once public services shut down? It'd be like something out of an post-apocalypse move.