[War] Japan: "The Long Night Before Inaguration pt. 1"

[Ian Martell]

"The Long Night Before Inaguration pt. 1"
Prime Minister Shunichi Sato
Japan
July 24th 2006

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

(Tokyo, Japan 00:45 local time 15:45 (Sunday 23rd) UTC)

“Ruv me tender, ruv me true,” sung Sato and Koizumi arms over each others 
shoulders as they both sung into the mic on the stage before both the 
incoming and outgoing cabinets. The official party held for the incoming 
Cabinet had ended over an hour ago nd the private party had begun. There 
away from their wives (and in a very few cases husbands) they could toss of 
their suit jackets, loosen their ties (and in more than a few cases tie them 
around their heads) and be human for a few hours and not the Confucian 
ideals of statesmen that all of them tried to be when ‘on duty’. It was a 
much needed catharsis for everyone.

“Arru my dreams fufirru” they continued to the enjoyment of the assembled 
crowd. Even those Sato would have called ‘wooden faced old men’ were 
cheering loudly like they were back in their University days exams complete.

The song went on, Sato singing from the screen in front of him Koizumi by 
heart, until the end of the song came and Sato relinquished the mic for the 
big finish. Koizumi struck his best Elvis pose and said into the mic.

“Sankyu, Sankyu very much.”

The assembled ministers laughed out loud and applauded. Sato bowed 
dramatically and made his way off stage adjusting the tie he had around his 
forehead in imitation of a ‘banzai bandanna’ as he did.

It was then he noticed Kantei Director (CoS of the Prime Minister’s office) 
Keiichi Mura and Kento Kumazaki the chief of the Kantei Guard enter the 
room. Both looked grim. Sato clapped a few shoulders and waved off an offer 
of more sake as he made his way over. Only noticing when he had about 
reached them that Koizumi had followed him, seeing them enter as well.

“Old habits,” the out-going Prime Minister said.

Sato nodded and they both joined the men by the door. Mura opened it and the 
four stepped outside in the corridor. Sato was surprised to see a team of 
six guardsmen spreading out to secure the entrances and exits to this part 
of the Kantei.

“Mura, what’s going on?” Sato asked.

“President Bush has been shot,” Mura replied.

“Uso!” Koizumi breathed. “Not Bush-san! How did it happen?”

“We’re not sure yet,” replied Mura. “All we know was that he was hit on the 
way to religious services in Germany.”

Sato nodded. “Very well,” he had never met George W. Bush and he suspected 
he now, never would, so the effect was less personal than it was for his 
predecessor and more situational.

“My family?”

“Your wife and younger sons are in the residence, we’ve sent a car for Ayame 
and Ichiro to be taken from Ishida’s home to here,” Kumazaki explained.

“Good,” Sato said with a nod of genuine appreciation and turned to Mura. 
“What preparations are under way?”

“I’ve summoned the Branch Chiefs as well as the heads of our intelligence 
services.”

Sato nodded then as his tie slipped down he untied it and held it in his 
hands. “Kumazaki please get Ministers Inoue and Watanabe to the Crisis 
Management Center, I’ll inform the rest of the Ministers of the situation.”

Koizumi shook his head. “I’ll do it,” he said to Sato. “Go to the CMC I will 
assemble the Minister’s in the Annex in case they are needed.”

Sato nodded and they set about their duties, Kumazaki dispatching Haruka and 
Yamagata from the security staff to escort them to the Kantei Annex where 
the CMC was located. They four of them were silent as they descended to the 
underground passage that connected the two buildings.

“How could this happen?” Sato asked putting on his tie as he walked along 
the corridor, just so he could be doing *something*.

Mura was without an answer. “I suppose it was bound to happen,” he said 
eventually. “At least an attempt on the President’s life after all that he 
has done in the Middle East.”

Sato nodded. “We are assuming this is an act of terror?”

“Who else?” asked Mura.

Sato shrugged. “It wasn’t the Cubans who shot Kennedy.”

Mura nodded not knowing what to say to that and having no real answer he did 
the Japanese thing an stayed silent instead of venturing to disagree with 
his boss.

They walked into the CMC proceeded by Yamagata, those already assembled 
stood up.  Sato recognized only one of them, Yoshida from his not so 
distance days as Justice Minister, Yoshida was one of the senior men in the 
domestic intelligence.

“Tsuyoshi,” Sato greeted Yoshida.
A colonel in the uniform of the GSDF stepped forward. “Sir, I am Lt. Colonel 
Satsumoto, I am the night supervisor for the Crisis Management Center and 
this is Genji Niigata night supervisor for the Intelligence Gathering 
Center,” he said indicating the bookish young man who was looking nervously 
at Sato. “And I suppose you know Yoshida.”

Sato nodded. “Yes Colonel I do,” he said sitting down. “What do we know at 
this time?”

Satsumoto turned to Niigata as Mura came to stand behind the Prime Minister.

“We only just heard from the NHK and Asahi Shimbun both had reporters in 
Germany covering the President,” explained the young man from the Cabinet’s 
intelligence service Naicho.

“What did they say?”

Niigata stood and brought Sato a print out.

“They forwarded us their messages from their people on the ground, it is 
only the request to hold page space for the morning editions and news 
broadcasts, stating the President has been shot.”

Sato could see that clearly. “Are there more details coming?”

“Yes sir,” Niigata said. “We’re currently monitoring all major news services 
for more information and we have a representative at both the NHK studios 
and the Asahi Shimbun news room.”

“With their blessing of course?” Sato asked as he handed back the print out.

“Of course.”

Sato nodded just as the door opened and a civilian aid entered and gave 
Colonel Satsumoto a printed message.

“Sir, we’ve received an official message from General Wright,” he said. “He 
is informing us that per US policy he is putting his forces to DEFCON 3"

Sato breathed out loudly. This was going to be an interesting night.


Actions: None really, just having fun with the whole President is shot 
crisis happening on the night before Cabinet innaguration and introducing 
the defence personnel in a fun way. Oh and also wanted to have some fun with 
Koizumi's thing for Elvis before he's out of the political picture.

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