[War] Japan: "Action This Day"

[Ian Martell]

"Action This Day"
Prime Minister Shunichi Sato
Japan
October 10th 2006

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“In some ways the timing is perfect,” Takezo commented as they left the 
Cabinet room in the Diet building, the press had been cleared from this part 
of the building so they could talk freely before decending to their 
respective Houses of the Diet for the extraordinary and closed session to 
take place today. “Everyone is in town for the debate on Article 9.”

Sato nodded. “That’s true,” he admitted. “Though I’d hate to expend too much 
political capital before that debate, but that might be what is needed to 
make this resolution pass.”

Takezo nodded. “You especially,” he admitted. “The split in the House of 
Counsellors is too close to call right now if the vote goes down party lines 
and the DPJ and Socialists oppose us. We need that two-thirds of the House 
of the Representatives and then what the House of Counsellors decides is 
moot.”

Sato nodded. “Well if Ishikawa can hold his people together on this issue or 
we can woo some of the rebels to vote with us, it’s possible.”

But still not a sure thing. He found it ironic, this resolution of the Diet 
was holding up the process that would make such resolutions obsolete.

“Good luck,” he said as they reached the staircases which would take them to 
their respective houses.

“You too,” Takezo said and they went their separate ways.

Sato descended to the first floor where the rest of his cabinet members from 
this house waited for him, he took the lead and then pushed his way through 
the doors to enter late into a full house of a secret and extraordinary 
session of the Diet.

He sought out the faction leaders in his own party with his eyes gauging 
their support by their expressions, few showed much at all but he was fairly 
sure that most would follow him, the Hashimoto were part of the Cabinet, the 
Mori were ideologically in favour of this sort of proposal and the others 
were in no position to actively oppose their party. He sat satisfied of his 
own party’s support, which gave him a strong chance of reaching the 
two-third mark with his party holding 296 seats out of the 480, if Ishikawa 
and some of the New Komeito voted for the resolution, and he could win over 
support from one of the smaller parties, it could be possible to win the 
two-thirds and prevent the much closer vote in the House of Counsellors.

The speaker brought the session to order.

“We begin this session with a report from the Prime Minister who shall speak 
on the situation in North Korea and propose the resolution to be debated by 
this House and voted on.”

Sato rose and re-buttoned his suit jacket before making his careful progress 
up to the raised podium at the front of the room where he set down his notes 
and took in the assembled legislators again letting his eyes fall on the 
major players to judge their expressions, most were quietly intent on what 
he was going to say.

“Thank you,” Sato said inclining his head to the Speaker before turning once 
more to his audience. “At --- yesterday morning Kim Jong-Il’s nuclear forces 
test detonated a nuclear device in an abandoned coal mine in the 
north-eastern part of his country. At the same time, he ordered elements of 
the 9th KPA Armoured Infantry to go into the rural portions of that nation 
and begin a campaign of what he called ‘reprisal’ attacks against his own 
citizens. The bomb tested was either very small or a larger device that did 
not produce the expected results and the raids have so far killed over 
two-hundred of the poorest North Koreans in hopes of blunting support for 
democratic movement in that unfortunate country.

“However that is not all that I have to report on either matter. Firstly, 
the North Korean nuclear program is much larger than we suspected it to be. 
Sources from within North Korea have furnished us with information that Kim 
Jong-Il is in possession of not one or two bombs as many reports have 
suggested but nine and has the capacity to make three more per year a 
capacity which will only see increase if a secret facility under the 
existing site at Yongbyon becomes functional, which can not only produce 
more material for bombs but refine it to a quality hitherto unknown by that 
nation.”

The news caused ripples of nervous voices to be heard throughout the room 
Sato paused a moment and then carried on through their voices.

“This is not all, it has been suggested by our intelligence services that if 
the North Korean nuclear program has created more weapons than anticipated 
it could be more advanced in other aspects of that perverted science and 
could be capable of making a device small and light enough to be deployed by 
missile. If that is the case, then even now, Osaka…” he sought out a few 
prominent members from that city with his eyes. “Kyoto,” again he looked for 
members, “Nagoya, Sapporo, and even,” he glanced upwards suggesting an 
impending fall of a missile. “Tokyo could be even now in the sights of Kim 
Jong-Il’s nuclear forces. And if they are not then they surely sit under the 
sword of their chemical and biological arsenal.

“However, not all news from that nation is as grim, Japan does have friends 
there in the democratic movement, friends who have supplied us with this 
intelligence and will provide us with more in the future however they need 
our help. Kim Jong-Il has decided that he cannot abide this movement in his 
country and has sent his forces to slaughter them where they can be found 
and if they cannot then they will slaughter innocent North Koreans in their 
stead.

“Which brings me the cabinet’s proposed resolution, we are proposing that 
Japan does not simply sit on the sidelines of this dark event but instead 
work with our friends to overthrow the regime of Kim Jong-Il.”

There were murmurs of surprise from the assembled members of the Diet.
“To do this… well it is best if it is read from the text of the resolution 
now being handed out to you. ‘We the Diet, supreme legislative body of the 
Japanese people, recognizing a regional state of emergency set aside Article 
9 and the Three Principles and authorize the arming of the Korea 
Revolutionary Force and the deployment of necessary troops to support such 
an action and ensure the success and survival of democracy in North Korea. 
We hereby ask the Cabinet and the Prime Minister to carry out this action 
with the utmost speed as their judgment allows and make weekly reports to 
the state of the North Korean situation and the effectiveness of these 
actions.

“This is what we ask of you today, to have the courage to overcome your 
fears so deeply ingrained in us by the twin horrors of Hiroshima and 
Nagasaki and stand tall and fearlessly in the face of a ruthless enemy 
today. Because if not today, if not this moment, the price becomes steeper, 
and that price will be paid in blood both ours and that of Korean cousins 
across the sea. The honour and future of Japan is in your hands, please 
judge this matter wisely and swiftly.”

He stepped away from the podium and bowed deeply in supplication before the 
Diet, a supreme show of the humility of his request befitting the first 
servant of the Japanese people.

Then he decended in the quiet that followed to his seat in the government’s 
box, then the debate began.

Actions:

1> Ask the Diet to allow the cabinet to arm the KRF and send whatever troops 
it feels are needed to help them (implied to use those weapons).


Reference:

The Three Principles on Arms Export
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/disarmament/policy/index.html

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