"It Was What Needed To Be Done": Japanese General Attacked his Own Naval Fleets

Minji Bu, Press Corps 10

Sadamu’s joyful thumbs-up following his attack on the Japanese troops.

NSA JAPAN, Non-Traditionals — On February 18, 1946, five hundred soldiers perished in a naval ambush while docked in Java, Indonesia. However, one survivor’s testimony and an admission of guilt reveal that the soldiers were not killed at the hand of enemy battleships, but that of their very own leader. Last night, Japanese Army Minister and government official Sadamu Shimomura led an attack on his country’s naval fleets, citing his government’s lack of military action as justification for his treachery.

Sadamu’s symbol, a lightning bolt surrounded by the letters of his name, was found at approximately 10:56 P.M. painted on the buildings destroyed in the attack. An estimated twenty-six ships were lost, leaving behind only one confirmed survivor from the entire Japanese fleet in Java.

The ships that perpetrated the ambush have been identified as French navy battleships. A proud ally of France, Sadamu often references his control and authority over the French navy, which he uses to garner support for military action against Japan’s enemies.

“I’m the French military ataché, and close friends with the French president,” Sadamu told the NAIMUN Daily. 

Despite Sadamu’s public admission of his French affiliations, the Japanese government remains largely unaware of his involvement in the attack. Sadamu is a prominent advocate for Japanese military intervention and emphasizes the importance of having an armed presence in Indonesian waters. 

The surviving soldier remains the only witness to the ambush. The soldier, who requested that he be referred to as Soldier Li, spoke to the NAIMUN Daily about his recollection of the event. 

“Last night, [Japanese ships] were stationed in Java. We were about to be evacuated to our home islands after serving a long tour in Indonesia,” stated Solder Li. “But these French forces attacked us without provocation and started burning down houses. We were just in shock because we didn’t know how to respond.”

He tells about the unnamed Japanese officers he witnessed aboard the French ships, who were assisting in their attack on his fellow soldiers. He also provided an illustration of Sadamu’s symbol, which he witnessed the Japanese officers painting on the hulls of targeted ships, along with other buildings destroyed within the port.

“Yeah, it seemed odd that these French forces would just attack us. I spotted a few Japanese officers on the ships, I’m not sure if they were behind this attack,” said Solder Li. “They were leaving these strange logos around that stated ‘Sadamu’.”