Tyrandis
05-01-2006, 03:13
Royal-National Diet Building
[2010]
"The Constitution cannot stand unchanged in these dark times!" Councilor Takahashi Kayako of the Liberal Democratic Party waggled his finger angrily at his Democratic Party of Japan counterpart as he drove home his arguments for amending the MacArthur Constitution. "Everywhere around the world, the forces of established convention are being shaken to their cores. The disorder and chaos threatens to reach our own shores in this age of globalization. Do you wish to see our homeland crushed under the hammer and sickle of the communists or the jackboot of the Fascist? In any case, the argument is moot. The new American President has withdrawn his forces from our bases in order to fight a war with his neighbors, and now we are totally defenseless! Who can we depend on now for our external security? The United Nations? Do not make me laugh, Motona-chan. Japan must repudiate Article 9 in light of the gaijin's withdrawal for sake of our nation's survival!"
"Be that as it may," retorted Abe Motona, the target of Kayako's tirade, "the spirit of the clause must be upheld at any cost. It has already been proven that we may obey the abdication of our right to belligerency while ensuring our own security with the establishment of our esteemed Self-Defense Forces -"
"You must be kidding!" spat Kayako as he got out of his chair to stand. "The SDF may be perhaps one of the more powerful forces in our region, but they have been trained to ensure our internal security, not fight a war with any one of our numerous potential enemies. I do not wish to disparage our fine men and women enrolled in the ranks, but they would last perhaps a few weeks should one of the more aggressive powers of the day strike at our homeland. Were the gaijin honoring their treaties in ensuring our territorial integrity, I would not be calling for such a drastic measure. But to simply expand on our existing force structure is not enough. As the Romans put it, should a people wish for peace, they must prepare for war. Now that we do not have the eagle's wings to shield us, Japan must take up arms, and this cannot be done without the repeal of Article 9."
A third voice joined the debate, a member of the small New Komeito Party. "Kayako-san, while what you say is certainly accurate, we must consider the consequences that repudiating the No War clause will have for our foreign relations. Our Chinese and Asiatic neighbors will certainly be displeased. I also fear the wrath of the United States, and indeed the entire Western world should we follow this road. The last time Japan chose to remilitarize, we flirted with nuclear annihilation. Do we truly wish to damage our international relations to such a level?"
"Perhaps we shall become pariahs in the eyes of the world, but would you prefer the possibility of becoming a slave state to a gaijin power? Our Constitution has always had at its heart the belief that the United States of America would take care of Japan. Now that they have left our soil, we may either change a minor part of our government's foundation that has already proven flexible, or see the entire thing collapse around our ears. This discussion has gone on long enough; the amendment has already been approved in the House of Representatives months ago, and only the filibustering of certain individuals has kept it from becoming law. Prime Minister Koizumi-san, I respectfully request that the vote be forced now."
A sullen Junichiro Koizumi gave his assent to the action with a nod of his head. The gigantic projection screen in front of the assembly hall then lit up, with the results of the vote:
LDP (Liberal Democratic Party):
Pro - 113
Con - 1
NKP (New Komeito Party):
Pro - 20
Con - 4
DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan):
Pro - 39
Con - 40
SDP (Social Democratic Party):
Pro - 2
Con - 6
JCP (Japanese Communist Party):
Pro - 0
Con - 8
Amendment Passes W/ Quorum of 174, needed 165
The rearmament began, in gentle stages. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and a number of other zaibatsu-owned corporations received huge contracts from the government to build the military machine needed in order to compensate for the loss of American protection. After Junichiro Koizumi's term ran out, Takahashi Kayako became the new Prime Minister of Japan in a tight election run. Under his leadership, Japan mobilized its vast economic resources in its goal to become completely secure from external threats; eventually, this would turn into a preponderance of military power. A new sun was rising in the east...
[2010]
"The Constitution cannot stand unchanged in these dark times!" Councilor Takahashi Kayako of the Liberal Democratic Party waggled his finger angrily at his Democratic Party of Japan counterpart as he drove home his arguments for amending the MacArthur Constitution. "Everywhere around the world, the forces of established convention are being shaken to their cores. The disorder and chaos threatens to reach our own shores in this age of globalization. Do you wish to see our homeland crushed under the hammer and sickle of the communists or the jackboot of the Fascist? In any case, the argument is moot. The new American President has withdrawn his forces from our bases in order to fight a war with his neighbors, and now we are totally defenseless! Who can we depend on now for our external security? The United Nations? Do not make me laugh, Motona-chan. Japan must repudiate Article 9 in light of the gaijin's withdrawal for sake of our nation's survival!"
"Be that as it may," retorted Abe Motona, the target of Kayako's tirade, "the spirit of the clause must be upheld at any cost. It has already been proven that we may obey the abdication of our right to belligerency while ensuring our own security with the establishment of our esteemed Self-Defense Forces -"
"You must be kidding!" spat Kayako as he got out of his chair to stand. "The SDF may be perhaps one of the more powerful forces in our region, but they have been trained to ensure our internal security, not fight a war with any one of our numerous potential enemies. I do not wish to disparage our fine men and women enrolled in the ranks, but they would last perhaps a few weeks should one of the more aggressive powers of the day strike at our homeland. Were the gaijin honoring their treaties in ensuring our territorial integrity, I would not be calling for such a drastic measure. But to simply expand on our existing force structure is not enough. As the Romans put it, should a people wish for peace, they must prepare for war. Now that we do not have the eagle's wings to shield us, Japan must take up arms, and this cannot be done without the repeal of Article 9."
A third voice joined the debate, a member of the small New Komeito Party. "Kayako-san, while what you say is certainly accurate, we must consider the consequences that repudiating the No War clause will have for our foreign relations. Our Chinese and Asiatic neighbors will certainly be displeased. I also fear the wrath of the United States, and indeed the entire Western world should we follow this road. The last time Japan chose to remilitarize, we flirted with nuclear annihilation. Do we truly wish to damage our international relations to such a level?"
"Perhaps we shall become pariahs in the eyes of the world, but would you prefer the possibility of becoming a slave state to a gaijin power? Our Constitution has always had at its heart the belief that the United States of America would take care of Japan. Now that they have left our soil, we may either change a minor part of our government's foundation that has already proven flexible, or see the entire thing collapse around our ears. This discussion has gone on long enough; the amendment has already been approved in the House of Representatives months ago, and only the filibustering of certain individuals has kept it from becoming law. Prime Minister Koizumi-san, I respectfully request that the vote be forced now."
A sullen Junichiro Koizumi gave his assent to the action with a nod of his head. The gigantic projection screen in front of the assembly hall then lit up, with the results of the vote:
LDP (Liberal Democratic Party):
Pro - 113
Con - 1
NKP (New Komeito Party):
Pro - 20
Con - 4
DPJ (Democratic Party of Japan):
Pro - 39
Con - 40
SDP (Social Democratic Party):
Pro - 2
Con - 6
JCP (Japanese Communist Party):
Pro - 0
Con - 8
Amendment Passes W/ Quorum of 174, needed 165
The rearmament began, in gentle stages. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and a number of other zaibatsu-owned corporations received huge contracts from the government to build the military machine needed in order to compensate for the loss of American protection. After Junichiro Koizumi's term ran out, Takahashi Kayako became the new Prime Minister of Japan in a tight election run. Under his leadership, Japan mobilized its vast economic resources in its goal to become completely secure from external threats; eventually, this would turn into a preponderance of military power. A new sun was rising in the east...