NationStates Jolt Archive

Tokyo

"Good evening. Our top story tonight: The so-called Divinity Commission under Yamamoto Hisoka have published their findings, stating that, in their professional opinion, the divine status of the Chrysanthemum Throne should be restored. They go on to say that since Shinseiki Tenno overthrew the superstition of the Ringist regime, he should be suitably recognised for 'bringing Amaterasu's light back to Japan'.

With me in the studio are Aikoku Toko leader Akira Shigi and SPJ spokesman Kato Daisuke; Shigi-san, what is your opinion on the findings?"

Akira Shigi smirked as he addressed the host. "Well, it's about time. We all know that Shinseiki Tenno has something of the divine about him; he liberated us from an oppressive regime with no outside help, as if it were destined. He deserves our appreciation for...."

"Appreciation maybe, but divinity? I fail to see what's so divine about him! Here's a man whose previous experience of statehood was as unquestioned ruler of a polyglot state which fell apart like a house of cards! Then he disappeared until re-emerging at the head of a 'liberating army'! He's used to the high life, so he set himself up as Emperor..."

Akira interrupted Kato with a loud cough. "More collaborationist rubbish! We all know that the SPJ wants to sell us to the likes of Spyr and Dra-pol! You're just sore because Shinseiki Tenno is ten times the man that Makube Kentaro is! Speaking of which, where is your illustrious party leader? Whining to his financiers in Sithin and Portmeirion I expect!"

Kato scowled. "Actually, he is meeting with Prime Minister Minase tonight, regarding an important issue."

"Of course he is! Probably asking if he can join the JRP!"

"You're not making any sense anymor...actually, you've never made sense."

"If that's true, then how are we the second-largest party in the Diet, while the SPJ shuffles in at fourth?"

The host cleared his throat. "That's all we have time for in this segment, thank you gentlemen. In other news...."

--------------------------------

Prime Minister Minase switched off the television and smiled at Makube Kentaro.

"Akira-san may be hotheaded and rash, but he does bring up some good points."

Makube shook his head. "What happened to you? During the Restoration you and I had a great understanding; what happened to it?"

"I matured. Something I suggest you learn to do. Shinseiki Tenno is here to stay, Kentaro; nothing you say or do will change it. You believed in him during the Restoration, but now you oppose him; why? I mean, if your rhetoric gets any worse then you could be arrested under the Anti-Terror Law for inciting treasonous acts."

"He's a sham. He inherited Marimaia, turned it near-fascist and it collapsed on him. Then it looks like he fooled around with the Yakuza and other organisations abroad before coming here; how can we have such a man as Emperor, let alone as a divine one?"

"He returned the misappropriated funds, admitted his guilt, led us in atonement for past sins....obviously not all of us are ready to let go of the past. You are as bad as Akira Shigi; he clings to the past as strongly as you do, but for different reasons. Akira would have us recommit the offenses of the past, while you would have us never stop paying for them."

Makube looked down as Minase continued.

"Regarding your purpose for being here....I refuse to even listen to your reasoning on the subject. We will not give up our territorial claims just to fit in with our neighbours. Where is your national pride? Karafuto and the Chishima Islands, the Senkaku-shoto, Japanese territory either disputed or illegally held by others.....we apologised for our actions in the Pacific War, but that does not mean that we are just going to sit back and allow others to squat on our land."

Kokyo Palace, Tokyo

"So you might soon be a god?"

"Well, they call it 'Arahitogami', a god who is a human being. I don't think it's to mean that I'm literally a god on Earth, even though I am, let's face it. It's more a symbolic thing because I banished the evils of Ringism."

Tian chuckled at Shinseiki. "So they finally see you as I do then. It's about time. My only concern is the source of all this....are you sure Aikoku Toko aren't using you for political gain? Akira Shigi is a crafty politician, appealing to national loyalty by enshrining the person who restored the nation could help him dramatically."

"True, but if he gets out of hand I'll slap him down myself. Tohma is the man I want running my Japan, he's served me well. Makube Kentaro, however....well, he's actually an asset. He keeps Akira busy, allowing Minase to run the country without trouble; as much as it pains me to say, it would be inconvenient without him."

(Tags away!)

Tag

Aikoku Toko Party HQ, Tokyo

"So once again we have the possbility of war? Excellent! It's time to prove to Asia that Japan is not as pacified as they hope we are! We will march across Asia, reclaiming our birthright!"

Yamamoto Hisoka shook his head. "Akira-san, we are not going to war with them, if we go to war it will be against the Holy League. We will be fulfilling part of our birthright by helping to drive the worst of the gaijin from Asia, and from what I've heard Minase is pushing for us to have a greater role in the Philippines. When you add the fact that he's come round to our way of thinking on our territorial disputes, Minase's not that bad a Prime Minister."

"I think that His Imperial Majesty may have had something to do with that. Speaking of which, when is the referendum taking place? We should grant him his divine status as soon as possible, it will help war morale if we're led by a god on Earth."

"Knowing His Imperial Majesty, it'll happen when it has the best chance of success. He may not officially have any political role, but his influence is pretty intense. Especially in regard to us."

Akira Shigi grinned. "Well, we've pushed for his divine status because it will be one step closer to returning Japan to the time when we were feared by all who knew us. His Imperial Majesty led us out of Ringist darkness while most of the world just stood back and bitched at him for his past; I'm certain he didn't do all that just to sit on the throne and hand out titles."

Tokyo

Defense Minister Tsuhima Heiji cleared his throat as the press took various photographs of his press conference.

"Thank you all for attending. As we all know, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the international arena at this time, and much of that instability could easily affect us here in the Home Islands. We want to reassure everyone that we are doing everything we can possibly do to ensure Japan's safety and survival in these trying times.

Prime Minister Minase and Foreign Minister Shimizu are currently in Washington D.C., attending a conference with Prime Minister Moerike of Quinntonia and other international dignitaries in an attempt to resolve the situation; Deputy Foreign Minister Honda is en route to Moscow for similar talks with Tsar Wingert.

For my part, I have invited Quinntonian Defense Minister Klages to attend high-level discussions here in Tokyo regarding matters pertaining to Japanese security and defense. I would like to thank Minister Klages for accepting my invitation, as these discussions will hopefully usher in a new era in Quinntonian-Japanese cooperation.

Thank you for your time."

The Quinntonian Defence Minister, Rebakah Klages arrived in Tokyo only days later, with little fanfare. She wasn’t here on a PR mission; she was here on serious business. The resurgent rumblings from Dra-pol and some of the disturbing images that had been snuck out by Men of Megiddo (Quinntonia’s super-secret intelligence service-it does not exist, just walk away) of body dumps and mass executions that some satellite imaging are placing in the millions could not have come at a worse time. With all the makings for a pan-global conflict, Quinntonia did not want to have to deal with their archenemies right now. But each Quinntonian was bombarded with the message for the last couple of decades that it was their sacred duty, to beat back this most evil of nations. PM Jesse Obed had worked almost his entire tenure on building better relations in Southeast Asia, and some of the fruit of that was the close trade and military alliance with Japan. Quinntonian engineers had been working for years very closely with their Japanese counterparts on putting into place the tens of billions of dollar missile network that the Japanese felt was vital, especially after Dra-pol had started testing their missile capabilities. Though the close distance made it far less effectual than the Quinntonian defence grid, against Dra-pol at least, Japan was the only other nation to have fully operational missile defence system in place. And, a sign of the extremely close relations was the full integration of the Japanese system into the massive Quinntonian satellite network.
This also is shown by the allowance by Japan to have a Quinntonian Naval base on their soil, though Quinntonia is quite careful to only base non-nuclear reactor Carriers there to not upset the Japanese public. This was continued in allowing Japan to have a Nimtz Class supercarrier and massive arms deals between Japan and Quinntonia.

Mrs. Klages was now here to continue in that vein of friendship and cooperation, especially given the focus of both nations on security from a future Dra-poel attack.


WWJD
Amen.

Japan was the only other nation to have fully operational missile defence system in place.

Ahem!

Though the close distance made it far less effectual than the Quinntonian defence grid, against Dra-pol at least

Hm. Real ABM systems deal more easily with shorter range threats. The possibility of defences in Quinntonian intercepting missiles from Asia... well, American technology has struggled until fairly recently to deal with short-range ballistic missiles, let alone intercontinental ones. I should think, anyway, that a system in Japan probably has a much better chance than one in the US. The US ones may have more time to react, but they're still highly likely to fail when compared to potential success rates for those in theatre, aren't they?

Sorry, right, back to worrying about Japan's birthright.

Sorry, right, back to worrying about Japan's birthright.

(OOC: Oh come on BG, that was a line from a nationalist. It's not like there's a storm coming or anything like that. Not from me, anyway.

Quinn, I'll launch into the talks since Klages is in place. Also, if it's okay, I feel that our defense ministers would probably be on first name terms by now.))

Minister Tsuhima ensured that Minister Klages was comfortable before beginning the talks; Prime Minister Minase had made his aspirations for the conference quite clear, leaving Tsuhima with the responsibility of raising a potentially thorny subject. Minase always referred to the Quinntonians as the closest friends that Japan possessed, and he hoped that Quinntonia would support Japan in their latest endeavours.

"Well, Rebekah...I appreciate you for coming all this way. To put it simply, we are concerned about Dra-pol, probably even more so than usual. Our intelligence is suggesting that Hotan might be in power again, and as we know he is the charmer who shot a missile over our heads not too long ago. Obviously he wouldn't get away with such a stunt these days, what with the assistance you've rendered, but if he is back then we have a problem. Prime Minister Minase thinks so, I think so, and Shinseiki Tenno thinks so.

The National Defense Council has discussed the issue, and we feel that the missile network we have is superb for intercepting any missiles sent from Dra-pol, but we don't want any missiles coming from them in the first place. We feel that we require a more....powerful deterrent. We've been discussing a nuclear program.

Not a massive arms race to see who can build the most, but an effective number of weapons which would act as a deterrent against states like Dra-pol which may see Japan as an easy target. We have seen how various nations like to show off their nuclear weapons as a show of power; Japan is one of the few nations in this region without nuclear weaponry, and as much faith as we have in the Quinntonian nuclear umbrella, we feel that having our own weapons would be beneficial in the long run.

We wanted to test the waters with you first before committing to such a decision. If Japan possessed a nuclear arsenal, then Quinntonia would be able to concentrate some more resources on the homeland rather than on us. Don't get me wrong, we appreciate everything you've done for us, but we feel it is time to rely on ourselves a bit more."

Miss Klages was happy to discuss the nuclear option. Japan would be given nuclear arms from the USQ, three multi kiloton ICBMs, as a deterrent and in the great tradition of cooperation that we have enjoyed since the sale of the Nimitz carriers, we will begin helping your technicians to enrich plutonium on their own, though we are quite surprised how far the Japanese people have come in their mistrust of the weapons, seeing as how we have not even docked nuclear Carriers in Japan to ease concerns, the sale of our Nimitz Class Carrier to you was seen as a huge leap forward.

I must say, I am concerned with public backlash, and would not like to see newspapers comparing this to a return of USQ nuclear weapons to Japan likened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

WWJD
Amen.

[OOC: Just a note...how detectable would such a nuclear transfer be? The Combine does not want a nuclear powered Japan around, with its close ties to the capitalist superpower USQ and hostility towards our North Korean ally.]

Minister Tsuhima thanked Minister Klages for the understanding of the USQ in this matter. He then explained that while nuclear weapons were distasteful, recent events in the world had convinced the JRP government that they were a necessary evil. The imperialist incursions into Asia had resulted in the nationalist Aikoku Toko claiming second place in the Diet, and that party had often spoken about Japan needing a nuclear option.

The recent concerns over possible war with France and Russia, both nuclear powers themselves, have only increased the debate. With the likely re-emergence of Dra-pol as a military threat, especially since Dra-pol thinks nothing of violating Japanese sovereignty, a pressing need has developed for Japan to acquire a deterrent. The possible rise of a socialist alliance which includes Dra-pol and has much of its membership within striking distance of Japanese soil is a situation which cannot be ignored.

(OOC: In short, Japan has a neighbour who thinks nothing of testing missiles over Japanese soil, said neighbour is about to gain an ally rich in oil and gas. Japan tried talking, got nowhere, and now the finite amount of patience has gone.

AC, are we to assume that the Combine will try to intercept or otherwise hamper the transfer? Japan has both Dra-pol and Spyr in the immediate vicinity; if you guys can prove that Dra-pol will never again threaten Japanese sovereignty, then there'll be no need for the nuclear option.)

[OOC: I'll place that as a clause within the renewed Sphere's charter. And yes, if need be, the Combine will try to halt the transfer. We're not a nuclear power, and are already nervous enough with Depkazia and BG having nukes.]

[OOC: I'll place that as a clause within the renewed Sphere's charter. And yes, if need be, the Combine will try to halt the transfer. We're not a nuclear power, and are already nervous enough with Depkazia and BG having nukes.]

(OOC: That's it? Sorry, but anything short of a public declaration from Dra-pol renouncing any intentions on Japan & South Korea, as well as opening a proper embassy and proving that the Banat have no agents whatsoever in Japanese territory won't cut it.

Japan would only be using nukes if attacked by Dra-pol anyway; it's a purely defensive move, but trying to stop the transfer could be construed as an act of war. Of course, your halting of it is very much dependant on finding out the route, method of transport, date of transport, etc.)

[OOC: While I can't get Dra-Pol to renounce claims on South Korea or to get rid of its agents in Japan, I'm fairly confident that with enough pressure I can get the Choson to publicly declare no intention of attack against the Japanese. In fact, I'd be willing to sign a treaty obligating the Combine to defend Japan in the case of Dra-Pol aggression.]

Ms. Klages was prepared to sign a tentative agreement that would see three ICBM multi-kiloton nuclear weapons and delivery systems to be added to the missile defence grid of the Japanese people within this or the next quarter.
Of course there would be some financial commitments that would have to taken on board by your government (i.e. payment) as well as some further trade concessions (furthering of existing trade deal in a mutually beneficial way- a secondary defensive measure, tie you more to us, and our downfall becomes yours, and vice-versa). Of course the brisk (*read: massive) trade in arms between our great nations will continue unabated and we will begin to instruct your technicians and scientist in the process to create your own nuclear weapons.

We do request that this all happen as publicly and transparently as possible, with the possible exception of the delivery date.

WWJD
Amen.

Minister Tsuhima was glad to hear that Ms. Klages was prepared to put pen to paper; he agreed with the Quinntonian stipulations as well, stating that they would have naturally come about on their own so the two governments were only giving them a helping hand.

Tsuhima also stated that the transfer would be officially announced in the Diet as soon as all the paperwork was complete. After the Diet was informed, the JRP government would issue a press release regarding the transfer. The only topics that would not receive mention would be the date, time, route and method of transport for the transfer itself, because announcing such information would undoubtedly attract all manner of unwelcome attention (terrorists, hostile agents, criminal organisations, that sort of thing).

The Quinntonian government is very happy to hear that and will be drawing up the papers with your team as soon as possible, in the interim few days, MS. Klages will be taking a long weekend and seeing the sights, as well as officially touring the Quinntonian Military/Naval Base and the Quinntonian Christian University and Bible Institutes.

WWJD
Amen.

Closer and closer ties between Japan and Quinntonia raise fears in the Combine about potential nuclear arms deals. Although unaware of the current deal in the works, the Combine is wary enough to send a quiet plea to the Quinntonian government.

"Our nation wishes to urge the leadership of Quinntonia to reconsider any potential ideas about arming the Japanese with nuclear weapons. We feel this would greatly destabilize the region, throwing the slowly opening up Dra-Poel regime back into a paranoid frenzy and potentially triggering an arms race. We are currently in talks to dismantle a significant part of the Choson nuclear arsenal, but the appearance of nuclear weapons in Japanese hands would ruin these prospects. In the interests of peace, we suggest that the Combine, Quinntonia, and Japan all focus on buying off Dra-Pol's nuclear arms and dismantling them, rather than seeking to build new weapons of mass destruction."