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Another Senkaku crisis. July 2024. Hypothetical Scenario.
A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Western Pacific WesPac Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.
This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Japanese side or from the Red/Chinese side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.
Image: JS Shimokita LST-4002, sistership of the JS Osumi LST-4001 depicted on this scenario, and JS Izakuchi DD-107, of the Murusame class, predecessor and very similar to the Japanese destroyers of this scenario. Undated photo, probably near March 2002 when Shimokita was commissioned. Took from Wikipedia Commons and licensed under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use (Version 2.0). These terms of use are compatible with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, and the image is referenced as: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:LST-4002_%E3%81%97%E3%82%82%E3%81%8D%E3%81%9F_(1).jpg
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An apparently simple scenario based on The Naval SITREP 70 issue (April 2026) article “You Say Diaoyu, We Say Senkaku”, by Martyn Kelly, and played with Harpoon paper rules at Historicon 2024.
Basically the Chinese are defending the recent occupied islands, and the Japanese are trying to recovery the inhabited territory.
Both sides concurring with very limited theatre forces, to avoid an escalade.
In consequence not too easy for any side.
Enrique Mas, April 18, 2026.