Much like its European namesake, the Paris of the West is a city humiliated by the Second World War. Though most of the metropolitan area remains in the USA, the port facilities in western Oakland have been held by Japan since 1945. One of the farthest flung territories of the Japanese Empire, the port of San Francisco Bay is a major asset to the sphere.

The tiny sliver of Japanese territory, along with its southern counterpart in Los Angeles, are constant sources of tension between two of the world's superpowers, but as long as the Japanese retain their ability to immediately threaten the entire west coast, they're happy to pay that price.

While some demand the United States take action and reclaim it, their pleas fall deaf, for now. Perhaps one day, a President bold enough may take back the ports, or possibly even more.