[War] Japan: "The Long Night Before Inaguration pt. 2"

[Ian Martell]

“The Long Night Before Inauguration pt. 2”
Prime Minister Shunichi Sato
Japan
July 24th 2006

(Tokyo, Japan, 01:30 JST – Monday, 16:30 UTC – Sunday)

Watching CMC’s main screen with rapt attention with those heads of the 
defence and intelligence services as could be assembled Sato was stunned 
into silence by what he saw reported on the BBC not sure what he was 
supposed to make of it.

“…At our last report, the shooter was a German police sergeant who seemed to 
spontaneously open fire as the President approached. As yet there has been 
no report to how many times the President was hit, or what his condition is, 
but we know that a German police officer safely removed the first lady from 
harms way and that the shooter was himself shot by both American and US 
security personnel at the scene…”

The program cut back to the studio and Sato saw Kumazaki enter the room, 
he’d already delivered Minister Inoue and Vice Minister Watanabe of the 
Defence Ministery and had gone to see to the rest of the Kantei’s security 
arrangements.

Kumazaki bent close to Sato and said. “Sir, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police 
have deployed their cordon of SAT personnel personnel and we are secure.”

“And the Imperial Palace?” asked Sato.

“Also secure.”

Sato nodded. “Thank you Kumazaki-san,” he said with heartfelt gratitude.

Kumazaki nodded. “Also Miss Ayame and her husband as well as your son Akira 
have arrived and have been escorted to the residence.”

Sato nodded. “Give Akira and Hiroshi clearance to leave the residence to 
come here and join us.”

Kumazaki nodded and took his leave and Sato turned his attention back to his 
staff.

“Security precautions have been completed,” he announced. “I think it’s 
about time we got to the heart of things,” he said.

The men nodded in agreement and Sato continued. “We need to decide on our 
course of action during this crisis and do so immediately.”

Again there were nods all around but no forthcoming suggestions on the shape 
of that course of action.

“Considering what we know how do we rate the threat to Japan?” he asked. 
“Ishida?” he prompted the Naicho Chief.

“At this time I’d rate the risk as low,” replied Ishida.

“I disagree,” Admiral Takayama said. “I think we cannot be certain that this 
is only the action of the German policeman not with it happening so close to 
the death of the Saudi King and the bombings in Mumbai.”

“Isolated incidents,” countered Ishida. “There has been no proven common 
link in these events. While you’re at it why not include the situation in 
Lebanon and North Korea’s missile launches as part of this great terrorist 
conspiracy?”

“There is a proven connection to those nations and terror organizations. But 
what I am trying to say is that we cannot be too hasty in making decisions 
about the safety of the nation.”

Sato raised his voice. “*Gentlemen*,” he said loudly before returning his 
voice to its normal volume. “Thank you, but I must concur with Admiral 
Takayama it is still too soon to say one way or another about how this will 
go without evidence. That said I also agree with Ishida and think it’s 
unlikely these events are related.”

An aide entered and handed a note to Foreign Affairs Minister Takezo.

“That was the Washington Embassy,” he said. “Vice President Cheney has had a 
heart attack.”

“Namu Amida Butsu,” said Vice Minister Watanabe in the same way a Catholic 
would cross himself and ask for god’s protection.

“Who is running the country?” asked General Tanaka of the GSDF.

“The Constitution of the United States specifies the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives as next in the line of succession is that not correct?” Sato 
asked the Foreign Minister.

Takezo nodded. “Correct Mr. Prime Minister.”

“Who is the current Speaker?” asked Vice Minister Watanabe.

“Congressman John Williams, from New Jersey.”

“Who?” Takayama asked.

“He was just recently elevated to the position,” explained Takezo. “One of 
the few I understand believed to be untouched by the Abramoff scandal.”

They all nodded such things like scandals they could grasp on to easily.

The Air Branch Chief entered and bowed to the Prime Minister. “I apologize 
there was road work in my way.”

Sato waved off the apology. “I understand please sit. Admiral can you bring 
the General up to date on our current situation.”

Takayama did just that meanwhile Sato sat waiting feeling a little lost in 
all of this. It was irregular for the Japanese government to have to deal 
with security crisis’ of this nature and if there was one thing he had to 
admit the Japanese people handled poorly it was irregular situations. And 
few got more irregular than this. He had no real precedents to work from, no 
guidelines and worse still the Self Defence Forces had no clear rules of 
engagement. It was becoming all to quickly clear to Sato he would have to be 
the one to develop them on the spot if nessisary.

His train of thought however was interrupted by Akira and Hiroshi entering 
the room. Despite him not really needing his Political Affairs advisor or 
Special Counsel, he felt bolstered by their presence none the less.

“Turn on CNN,” Akira said. “They’re making an announcement.”

The aide by the television switched the channel to the American news channel 
and everyone watched as the Archbishop of Washington announced the tragedy 
that had befallen the world’s foremost nation.

“Which one is Williams?” asked Watanabe quietly.

“Is he the one on the right? There! The camera just looked his way,” said 
Takayama.

“No,” said Takezo. “That’s Teddy Kennedy.”

There were a few amused smiles at the Admiral’s expense.

“That’s likely him,” Takezo said as the camera expanded its view of the 
inside of the cathedral to capture both the speaking Archbishop and those 
assembled to hear him. The man Takezo was pointing to was sitting close to a 
woman Sato took to be his wife and was looking straight ahead seemingly 
unaware of the attention of the camera. Though what struck Sato most was how 
young and alone he looked.

“That’s the new President?” asked Tanaka incredulously.

“Acting President,” clarified Takezo. “We don’t know President Bush’s 
condition.”

“Still,” said Tanaka. “He’s so young. How old is he?”

“Thirty-six, a year older than Akira here,” he said indicating the Prime 
Minister’s eldest son.

Shimada chuckled. “Maybe Sato should resign and let Akira be Prime Minister 
so President Williams has someone his own age to talk to.”

That got a good natured chuckle from everyone; it was needed in the wake of 
all the uncertainty. Well everyone but Akira who being deemed too young for 
his post was sensitive about his age.

“He looks scared,” Akira said in an attempt to deflect the conversation.

“That makes two of us,” Sato said to the chuckles of his staff and turned to 
the aide by the TV. “Mute please,” then turned back to table. “Ministers 
Inoue and Watanabe, Generals, Admiral, we need to act,” Sato said. “I want 
all branches of the Self Defence Force to join the American forces in going 
to a state of alert equivalent to DEFCON 3. I believe all of you are 
familiar enough with American procedure to determine what that will entail?”

They nodded. “Yes sir.”

“Very good, Minister Inoue, I would also like you to call General Wright to 
inform him of our current status and that our forces stand ready to assist 
the Americans in any way we can. Minister Takezo, please have your Ministry 
draft an official letter from the Cabinet and Prime Minister of Japan to be 
delivered by our Ambassador in Washington to express our deepest regrets and 
sympathies as well as apprising them of our current defence situation and 
our willingness to assist in whatever way we can. I’ll see to it the Cabinet 
signs it.”

“Yes sir, should I also contact the Imperial Household Agency to see if the 
Imperial Family would also like to send its own letter and see that the 
Emperor has been informed of the situation.”

“Please do.”

“As for the intelligence side of things, all of you have contacts in the 
CIA, FBI and Secret Service, I’d like to know more than CNN before the next 
development in this story. Also see if NHK will part with their copy of the 
live feed from their cameras I think we will need to see the attack for 
ourselves if we are to draw any sort of conclusion about the true nature of 
the situation,” he said to the Chief’s of Naicho and the other branches of 
the Japanese intelligence community.

They nodded and one by one gave their yes sir’s.

Sato nodded. “Excellent, I’ll give you all one hour to get things in motion 
then we’ll reconvene here to consider how we will continue to react.”

With that they all set about their business and went to it quickly. Sato 
stood up and turned to his son and son-in-law.

“Have they woken up Yurika?” he asked Akira.

“Yes, she’s downstairs organizing the Kantei staff to provide coffee and tea 
for the Ministers most of them are still pretty drunk.”

Sato nodded and tried to forget that only an hour or so ago he had been 
wearing his tie around his head and singing bad karaoke. “Yes I can 
imagine,” he said diplomatically. “Well I need some of that coffee myself 
then I had best brief the Cabinet on the current situation.”

They nodded.

“Then after that I will have to go to the residence if there’s time.”

“What for?” asked Akira as they left the room. “Mother and the others are 
fine.”

“I need to speak with your grandfather.”


TBC

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