Evangeline Anovilis

Confidential Second destroyer of the Shirayuki-class Fubuki has been taken by the Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) for testing of a new naval gun system. Instead of the older Type 4 127 mm/62 caliber gun, the ship has been equipped with a two-gun turret of the experimental Type 18 100 mm/62 caliber naval gun. The gun has been proposed as a future option for light destroyers, as an intermediate design between heavier 127 mm guns and lighter 76 mm guns, bringing together the usefulness of a heavier caliber in the anti-surface role with the versatility of the lighter rapid-firing guns in air defense. The gun is designed to fire 90 rpm and include ammunition technology of the Type 10 76 mm/62 caliber gun, which could potentially give it quite decent anti-air capabilities, while still posessing a more devastating firepower against ships. Fubuki is to be used as test vessel, given that it was deemed easier to accommodate the new gun system in a light destroyer designed for the heavier 127 mm gun. The ship is to be thoroughly tested in ani-air warfare exercises, to evaluate the value of this new system for future designs or midlife updates of existing designs.

Akasaka-Panina looked most perturbed as she listened to the Tianxian demands. "May I ask what reason there is for an increased investment into the Russian Pacific Fleet? I think that the current strengths of the navies in the Pacific is more than adequate and that bringing the Russian Pacific Fleet to the level of the Imperial fleet would not help the overall stability of the region. For what purpose would Russia need to invest into its Pacific capacities? I'm pessimistic as to what other countries in the Pacific may think of such a surge in spending and capabilities."

Confidential In line with the new approach of the Akiyama cabinet regarding North America, the Japanese Army was to ferry over 200,000 additional soldiers across the Pacific to enhance the security in the protectorate and establish a proper security force that could act as more than just a better police. Together with this, additional aircraft would be transferred to establish a greater presence in the protectorate with several hundred F-2s and F-3s. The Japanese Navy meanwhile kept back, given it already had a decent presence and its assets were required still for the Spring Fleet Review. Once that was concluded, a presence of several destroyer squadrons in North America could be discussed.

An ambassador was sent to Oregon. Kuroda Issei was one of the newer members in the diplomatic corps. His first mission was to tell the government of Oregon that Prime Minister Akiyama was hoping to talk to them, not in a minor part because of the security implications its existence at the West Coast has and thus a need for cooperation.

Given the first meeting went seemingly nowhere, multilateralism was obviously not going to work and bilateralism was the new approach. Thus, Nosuke Shinji requested a meeting with the Confederate States, so as to establish proper relations. OOC: You can make a thread if you accept.

Tanaka Shiro, Japanese Ambassador to Washington, had already handed the Americans many communiques from Tokyo. It had been his responsibility to transmit the declaration of war, but also to hand the new government an invitation to Tokyo. His post had been for a long time one of great importance, as it carried in the past the connotation of being the diplomatic lifeline of relations with a nemesis, then it carried the hope for a new start... but what did the communique in his hands carry now, as he handed in a document from Tokyo for President Coolidge? As the Prime Minister had heard that the Americans loved putting large seals on every communique, as if compensating for something, she tried that too and put the Paulownia Seal on the letter. Not that Japan needed that (certainly not on this front), but one was after all willing to show some respect of foreign cultures and be less rude than practically every American diplomat to ever talk to representatives of the Empire since it came into existence.

Onee-sama ga Miteru... It had been about a year since the Commonwealth succumbed to the Japanese determination and righteous spirit, but while the Empire had hoped to establish a new order in North America by allowing new states that cared for themselves, strengthened themselves and would be cooperative, such seemed unlikely to happen, at least for now. The new states were hardly more energetic than the old systems, which brought the Japanese government to the conclusion that this sadly was a weakness inherent to the system and thinking of the continent. In contrast to the successes in Korea, where the newly founded Republic was maybe a bit weaker than the other regional actors, but was quite capable of arranging itself and Korean-Japanese relations were good, the Prime Minister found the relations with the Americas to be an almost complete waste of time, effort and Japanese ressources, as long as it was aimed at early emancipation. But leaving the continent to its own devices was hardly acceptable, both due to the ressources it had cost to overthrow the old system, but also because it'd just be a matter of time until others would move in, and profit from the weakness of the Americans. In the end, Akiyama thought, it was in the best interest of both the Japanese Empire, but also the Americas, to establish a more long-term scheme towards American emancipation, with a more active role of Japan. The North American Coordination Office was set up as agency to replace the protectorate administration. Instead of the narrow responsibilities of the former administration, restricted to upholding law and order, as well as military security, the new NACO was to coordinate economic policy, security policy and even partly social policy within the protectorate holdings, to forment a more conductive foundation for future states, which were of better quality than the American Commonwealth. But this also was to serve in restructuring the North American economy, in ways to fit into a future vision of the Trans-Pacific relations, crushing old elites and heavy industry for a more stable environment. But naturally, the North American Coordination Office was not the sole axis around which future Japanese policies regarding the Americas developed. There also was a new emphasis on bilateralism with the established nations, which hopefully at some point would lead to a multilateral system under the caring guidance of Kagami-nee-sama.

As spring arrived in Japan, bringing with it mild warmth and blossoming flowers and trees, not all was well in the nation. Shaken by ongoing recession, increasing international turmoil and uncertainty over the nation's future, the greater part of the Japanese public was more pessimistic about what the future may hold. Japanese elites, organised in their own networks and factions with varying interests and views, were no less worried. Prime Minister Akiyama needed not to look for a new job, her position was rather secure, for the moment. But unlike the masses, the Prime Minister was fully aware of the diplomatic relations with the neighbours, with the Americas, the fragile position Japan was in and the negative attention it had attracted. Imperial warnings had mostly been kept from the public, as it was to noone's benefit to have any public worries or even worse any resentments there. But nevertheless, among the Japanese elites, it was known and it was cause for concern. Still, Akiyama Kagami was far from panicking, even though her term had up to now seen the largest decline in the Japanese economy in decades and a notable friction with neighbours. To the Prime Minister, this wasn't the fault of her policies, or if it was, then it was a necessary and fully acceptable price to be paid. Though even for Akiyama, nothing could be left unadressed, as even if the population widely supported her and the recent Upper House elections strengthened the national conservative majority, social stability was key to remaining in office and keeping the nation strong. And while she was far from a Prime Minister of the People, being notoriously detached and aloft, to Akiyama, it was the duty of the betters to look out for the less well-off, a view she adopted more and more as the system she had tried to establish in her first few years fell apart. And in her public address, given her reappearance in public at Hanami, the Prime Minister announced in her usual way of being round-about, yet ignoring the limits of her role... "The economic strive we are experiencing is a tragedy and is causing much grief to the Japanese people, but we are working tirelessly on stabilising the situation and returning prosperity to our nation. It has been factors largely outside our control, which have caused this economic slump, which is worrying and might cause concern that we might not be able to get it under control, however I can reassure you, we in the cabinet are quite prepared and have plans to restore order and stability. To this end, the coming months will see several changes, as we will have to enact measures to protect our nation, even if they may seem harsh. If we can be blamed for this whole mess, then it is due the fact that Japan has been relying on others too much and not been acting in its own best interests when it should have. This course will need to change. There is a need for reforms and for a stronger policy of Japan, in regards to trade and foreign policy, to guarantee that our people will not suffer and a national way of life is secure and not threatened by any international woes. Japan needs to strengthen itself, which we will do economically, by providing economic stimulus, increasing government intervention and assisting our weakest members of society to be cared for, but also this will require reforms of the government administration, to establish a more efficient system that can respond to the needs of the Japanese people. Political reforms have been a tricky issue for quite some time, being linked to our national identity and our idea of what Japan should be. The Japanese Empire, as it stands, is a remnant of a personal union with Tianxia, organised in a manner that was befitting a situation that was established two decades ago. Japan now is an independent state, with full sovereignity over its affairs and our politics need to reflect this. The Japanese Empire needs to focus more on Japan, not the Empire, and it has to be a state of and for the Japanese nation, in accordance with Japanese spirit, establishing a new Japanese national structure that befits our nation. Modern Japan, new Japan, will have to be a nation that can acknowledge the issues of the past, be affirmative of its present and form its own future. The Japanese Empire cannot, must not chase after unreflected ideals of the past, or it will revert to outdated structures, but it can also not simply defer all responsibility to outward actors, or it will be just like a child, unable to speak and act for itself, not taken serious by anyone, a joke of a nation. The Japanese nation needs to mature, find its own destiny, its democracy and national order and establish a lasting foundation that can be basis for a future Empire. In this sense, we will also do away with this era. The Genkai era saw 18 years. But is this really still the Genkai era? How come that despite all changes, we still refer to this as the same old era name? I think that we need to overcome the idea of Genkai, to arrive at the idea of a new Japan. Let this be known as a new era... Let this be the Hōfuku era!" While the people present were quite a bit puzzled, as of the quite radical calls from the Prime Minister, not to mention the implications, of which they still weren't sure, some started to whisper to the ones standing next to them and a murmuring broke loose. "Hōfuku?", one reporter asked carefully. "Yes, Hōfuku.", Akiyama responded with a smile. "It may not be such now, but let us create an era of prosperity, abundance and happiness for our people. That is what it stands for. Hōfuku [豊福]!" Slowly the crowd seemed to become a bit more cheerful, though a few questions still came in. "Is Tianxia going to stand for this?" "What changes will this 'new Japan' mean?" "Has this already been sanctioned by the Diet and the Regent?" As could be expected, the speech triggered a hail of questions other than these, but Akiyama merely smiled and stated. "I think that even if Tianxia may find it worrying at first, all elder siblings will need to concede their younger ones some freedom of individual development and a distinct Japanese identity should not threaten the regional order, nor revolutionise it. I think that the major changes towards a Japan that cares for its people and takes a more proactive approach in its internal and foreign affairs will not be a problem in the long term. It certainly can be accommodated. And as far as how far this matter has been passed... You can consider it done." With these words and an ominous smile, Akiyama walked on, now surrounded by her security, as she headed for the Kantei. The gears had been set in motion, the machinery was to be put to work, to set the stage for a new era.

Confidential Public Just as the Spring Fleet Review is upon us, the Nihon Kaigun unveils its new heavy destroyers and the last patch of destroyer escorts. While the twelve added Asagao-class destroyer escorts are nothing out of the ordinary and mostly just a strengthening of the Navy's surface strength and ASW capabilities, it is the new heavy destroyers the public looked forward to most. The Kitakami-class of heavy destroyers is a ship of almost 20,000 tons displacement and the heaviest destroyer in Japanese service. The class was designed as a counter to the American Commonwealth Navy's destroyers, which however has already ceased to exist. Nevertheless, the new ships are seen as fine and welcome additions to the Japanese fleet, adding much to the surface strength of what many consider the most important line of national defense, once diplomacy failed. The new class of six vessels is reasonably fast and has enough range to be used in combination with other Japanese destroyers. Similar to earlier heavy destroyers, the role of the Kitakamis is most likely going to be one as centre of destroyer squadrons, adding valuable heavy firepower and long range naval gunfire support, as well as escorting and support of more powerful surface assets in the battle fleet. For these tasks, the new class is equipped with the newly-designed 203 mm/62 caliber 2nd year type naval rifle, the heaviest gun armament on any Japanese destroyer. These guns, which it carries in two dual-gun turrets, are similar to earlier 155 mm guns installed on other heavy destroyers and fire a similar range of ammunition of guided and unguided shells, for use both in conventional ship to ship gunfire salvos or for attacking land-based assets from stand-off range. For this task, the Propelled Range-Enhanced Munition (PREM) has a range of over 200 km and the guns can be elevated for up to +70° to accomplish this feat. In addition, the new heavy destroyers are equipped with a variety of missiles and anti-submarine torpedos, as well as with a fair number of ASW helicopters or reconnaissance UAVs to assist the fleet in guarding against subsurface and airborne threats and allow greater situational awareness. The six ships of the Kitakami-class are named Kitakami, Ōi, Kuma, Tama, Kikuchi and Ishikari. The twelve ships of the Asagao-class are named Tochi, Hishi, Sakaki, Susuki, Odake, Nire, Nashi, Shii, Shiragiku, Chigusa, Hagi and Aoi. Confidential While the new destroyer escorts are formed into an added district force for the Sasebo Naval District, the six new heavy destroyers are to be combined with several light destroyers to form a revamped rooster of destroyer squadrons to be tested during the Watanuki exercises. The Kitakami-class is the last scheduled class of "heavy destroyers", with the following Korean-built class being reclassified as destroyers, due to greater similarities with lighter vessels. While the Ministry of the Navy has no budget for additional naval construction beyond existing plans, design work has been scheduled to improve on existing designs and develop ships for possible future construction programs, once funding for new ships is approved.

Recession prognosed to continue Despite post-war hopes for a recovery, the Japanese economy has now been prognosed to shrink this year by a whole two percent, with even worse performance feared for the coming year. The consequences of the economic down-turn also are increasingly felt by the common citizens, as increasing consumer prices rise and unemployment is on the rise. Economic experts of the METI explain this return into recession as a consequence of the rather sluggish development of the Americas, compounding with other factors, such as the Southeast Asian Crisis and the Athenian Civil War. These circumstances have over the years steadily eroded potential markets for Japanese goods, which are in low demand, causing many industries to lay off workers. In addition, the increased ressource prices and food prices drive up prices for most consumer goods, including such staple foodstuffs as rice. C ombined with increased competition by Tianxia and Korea, Japanese businesses are under a lot of pressure. Official numbers only state a recession in the dimension of two percent overall, but many are worried that this will not be felt the same way by the Japanese middle and lower classes. "These numbers may look bad, but they still include profits made by ''Japanese companies investing abroad. Investments that are not employing people at home and wealth that will hardly trickle down to the ones who are out on the street", Minister Amahara states. According to the Minister, the earlier State Intervention Act has not failed to work, but it was too small in scope and got countered by the unexpected or underestimated instability of the global market. Minister Amahara has stated that the matter is being debated and a new policy will be worked out together with Prime Minister Akiyama. The Prime Minister is hoping that the cabinet can work together and present an encompassing action plan to deal with the recession and accompanying societal issues.

"Well, as it cannot be avoided, a tunnel further North may have to be considered. It may be more costly, but should still be a feasable option within economic considerations." Akasaka-Panina commented on the issue of the Sakhalin tunnel. "Certainly compared to a Karafuto-Hokkaido tunnel, which would be in excess of 40 kilometres length."

The Emperor would be greeted at Narita airport by the Prime Minister, as well as the Nihon Konoe Shidan, the Japanese Guard Division. Flying both the Blue Sky, White Sun and a Wholly Red Earth flag, as well as the Nisshōki, to honour the high guest, the guard's salute was pretty much in line with the general foreign policy of the Japanese Empire from showing respect to the great Empire of Tianxia, while however also showing the sovereignity of the Japanese nation. A position that included not in minor part a more proactive foreign and security policy. Akiyama Kagami, while not personally present at the meetings in Nanjing or Marscuria, naturally had not failed to read reports from the diplomats, which already gave her an idea of diplomatic developments. She already had met the Emperor of Tianxia once. Back then, the situation was a bit different, as the young Emperor seemed to only have just ascended and Akiyama was busy bringing the volatile forces of military and state security under control, after they had embarrassed Japan in the past. While Akiyama had remained as Prime Minister, the challenges to the nation changed and so did her policies. Given the special occassion of the meeting, which officially was for Hanami, the traditional cherry blossom viewing, the Prime Minister was dressed in a crimson furisode, with white and red hydrangea patterns. As her stone grey eyes followed the taxiing aircraft, Akiyama went over the scenarios for the meeting in her head for a last time, her hands fiddling with an ornate fan, which she had more as an accessory to go with her traditional attire, than for the modest temperature of late March. But as the plane came to a halt and the Emperor finally arrived, she quickly had the fan vanish up her sleeve and with a friendly smile and polite bow, Akiyama Kagami greeted the young Emperor. "I welcome you to Japan, your Imperial Highness. Your visit honours our humble nation. Hopefully you had a comfortable journey and we shall do our utmost to make this a comfortable stay too." She then reproduced the fan from her sleeve and subtly gestured along the red carpet towards the terminal, so as to guide Yuan Shizi towards the vehicles prepared to take them to their destination.

Akechi raised an eyebrow, wondering how capable the Arabian fleet was. Among the world's navies, there weren't that many great navies. Tianxia and Russia were at the top, Athens next, then Japan. At least as far as numbers were concerned. There had been the Commonwealth fleet, but that one was no more. Their ships were now being broken up in Japan for scrap metal, just as the Commonwealth itself had been broken up into scraps by Japan. On the other hand, there were lots of smaller powers with little to no naval capabilities, mostly being brown-water... at best green-water. Arabia undoubtedly was larger than most of the smaller nations, but was it actually capable of protecting sealanes all over the Indian Ocean? Well, in the end, there was also Tianxia, which most likely did its part to secure the seas. It was a pity that Japan could only ever send an occassional fleet into the Indian to show some presence, but never a lasting one. But god knows how that would go with Tianxia... "Well, I'll trust your word. How would you like to go about our trade agreement?"

As the 25th of March approached, and the Sakura zensen approached the capital, preparations were made in the Imperial Palace for the impending festivities. While most citizens celebrated with their families and friends in private, the Prime Minister did plan to appreciate the cherry blossoms also herself, for which several people had been invited, among them the Emperor of Tianxia. Especially this visit, which would be the first visit of the Emperor in his rule was deemed important to cement the friendship of the two neighbouring nations over sake, dango and other foodstuff and to show appreciation for culture and the more refined aspects of life. But over the coming days, the Prime Minister also had scheduled meetings with others, given that certain domestic affairs needed to be adressed. Many Japanese looked forward to these days not only due to Hanami, but also because the scheduled meeting could also be the first public appearance of Prime Minister Akiyama in two weeks time, after she had mysteriously vanished and cancelled several other scheduled meetings. What exactly it was that had prevented these earlier events was not known, but many hoped that it'd finally be cleared on the 25th, for the Prime Minister's office had not cancelled the meeting and visible preparations were made around the palace, ranging from the cleaning and restoring of greenery after the winter months to an increase of police and palace guards, to prevent against crime and public disorder.

Confidential With the dissolution of the Columbian Pacific District, the stationed forces are reassigned back to the Ōminato Naval District. The duties of the dissolved district are split up on the Northeast Pacific District and the Central East Pacific District. To this end, the naval base in Ventura County will be expanded, while a seperate submarine base is to be established in Anchorage. These bases will be established under the assumption of serving as permanent bases for the Japanese Navy and will draw heavily on the former Japanese naval base of Vitoria. Lessons learned from these constructions may be applied to future naval infrastructure projects.

Confidential A special convoy would depart from San Diego, California towards Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Escorted by the two battlecruisers Myōkō and Chōkai and the destroyers Kiso, Natori and Agano, twelve large cargo ships guarded by Japanese Naval Infantry were sent to deliver the People's Imperial Army the nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles of the Commonwealth. additionally, the convey would hand over all weapons-grade fissile material of the Commonwealth and documentation both of the Commonwealth, as well as the Japanese protectorate authorities, to show that all warheads were accounted for and had been included in the shipment. Due to the highly sensitive nature, the handover would not be announced publicly, though naturally the PIA and the Imperial government would be informed beforehand. Once the convoy arrived, escorting vessels were to return to Yokosuka Naval Base, cargo ships following once the systems were unloaded and the transfer acknowledged.

"So... may I ask why I'm here?" Marie Loriot asked with little hint of surprise. She had kind of guessed what the matter was, when two agents intercepted her in front of the hotel to escort her to a meeting with their superior. It required little guesswork who it was she'd be meeting and indeed, she was confirmed when a familiar person entered the interrogation chamber. "I merely have a few questions, Madame Loriot.", Tsukino answered, as she took a seat opposite of Loriot. "You left us quite suddenly, so there were a few things left unclear." Loriot raised an eyebrow. "And that wasn't possible in a more amicable setting? It has been a bit of time since I was escorted by people in black... say, is this not maybe abuse of authority?" Tsukino did not answer the question, but simply started her own inquiries. Loriot could kind of guess that some constitutional limitations existed solely on paper here. "Please explain in detail what you know about the red-eyed people." Loriot shrugged upon hearing Tsukino's question. "As said, I never met them personally, so I'm not knowledgeable on the topic." "Anything suffices." Loriot thought for a moment as to how to respond. "The sole thing I know is that they are creations of an art that is beyond modern understanding and died out. You are wasting your time hunting the ghosts of the past." The answer was obviously not what Tsukino had hoped to receive, but the Director of the CIRA just followed up. "So all you have to base that on is what?" Loriot kept silent. "Madame Loriot, I'd be very grateful if you'd show more cooperation." The physician however just looked annoyed. "Cooperation? I told you already what you need to know, now you are arresting me. Tell me about cooperation." Tsukino sighed. "Well, this is a matter of utmost importance for the nation. I will need all the knowledge you posess." Loriot shook her head. "Well, given the nature of what we are talking about... as well as the nature of these very talks, what guarantees me that I'm not going to just be disposed off once you are finished?" Another sigh followed. "Well, Madame Loriot, what prevents me from hanging you up in Aokigahara or throwing you into Tokyo Bay? If you don't give me a reply, the sole thing you are is a liability to the security of our state, given you do posess knowledge still. But there exists one compelling reason for me not to tell my subordinates to get rid of you... which is that you are useful to our country. Sadly... your usefulness will depend on your willingness to cooperate. In return, we will make sure you will be treated well. wouldn't that be much better for both of us?" Loriot frowned. She hadn't escaped from the Lys-noir just to be now held by the Japanese secret service. But it wasn't something she could now change. And maybe it provided for something. "Well, I guess it was never going to be easy.", she muttered, as she resigned. "As I hinted to in my earlier talks already, I have concluded various experiments to replicate the old arts, though with limited success. I was the physician of one who was affected by this and one who was created through the old arts, so I have some idea of what it is like.", Loriot explained. Tsukino listened attentively. "In what regard were your experiments failures?" Loriot leaned back and sighed, as she remembered. "Well, I do not know how it works for the original, but I know that attempts to replicate the effects do not always work. My serum did not have the desired effect always... a good few didn't make it, some became soulless like human vegetables... those who responded best mostly were plagued still by psychological and emotional instability. You could say, it was a lottery of misery. A Russian roulette with no blanks." Tsukino raised an eyebrow. The tone with which Loriot recalled these events didn't really match the content. It was as if she recalled her days at school, yet the nature of her work seemed far far more dreadful. "And the motivation for this?" Loriot shrugged. "Well, I guess our Master was hoping to utilise the old arts for whatever plans she had. Most of us were quite unsure as to what exactly she wanted, but it seemed like some kind of revenge. For this, our Master was willing to sacrifice quite a bit. As for me... I found it quite interesting." Tsukino looked at Loriot, slightly disgusted. "Interesting, huh..." "Well, if you'd see what a being is like that has taken the original serum and survived... you'd be intrigued. Accounts are as if they are a force of nature. And our Master mostly seemed like one. Maybe like hatred incarnate, but I tell you... her presence was enough to tell you that this was something beyond mere humanity." "Then, why did you part from your organisation?" Tsukino asked, given the way Loriot spoke of her 'Master' didn't seem like running off was that easy. "Well, the Master died. And I took the chance to make my escape. I'd rather not get entangled in the struggles after Master's death... but I heard, they fell apart quite fast. Guess I was not the sole one." "And why did you contact us?" Somehow, Tsukino couldn't quite make sense of Loriot's words and behaviour. Already back when they talked in Akiyama's office. But also now. It just didn't add up. "For a person that wants to be done with it, wouldn't it be better to just stay quiet? Why would you point us there? And why would you hand us this?" Tsukino produced the flask from earlier and put it on the table between the two. "What does this even do?" For a moment Loriot was silent, thinking about how to respond... "I guess if you have sacrificed enough for something, you won't just give up on it. This flask there is up to now, the best shot at a replica I managed to create. It is pretty much the epidom of my research... and I can't throw it away. Maybe you can. Maybe it'd be for the better if you did. But I know the misery that went into making this serum, there's no way I could waste it. I guess I'm just attached to my work." "And why did you entrust us with it?" "Well, how many people would be interested in this knowledge and not have me killed?" Tsukino nodded. It still was flimsy, but seemed to make at least a bit more sense. "And this serum works?" Loriot leaned back. "Well, it's the most promising one. It may still cripple you, but there haven't yet occurred any deaths with it. Officially, it's a failure. It does not reach the strength of the original. I made this serum as an experiment. Most of the more potent serums would give greater power, but also would wreck the user. Either outright killing them, or driving them mad. We made some studies even whether age matters in using this, but all we found is, the younger, the less likely to die, but the more likely to have serious mental defects. This serum has been produced as a less potent but also less aggressive variant of the serum which created our sole artificial red-eyed monstrosity." Tsukino looked surprised. "Red-eyed monstrosity?" "Yes, monstrosity. She was the sole test subject to respond very well and developed actual red eyes, however, if you'd ask me, she was another case of insanity. Not stupid, but incredibly violent, destructive and sadistic, I wanted to write her off, but Master kept her as her right hand and I guess she was the sole one to control that bundle of calamity. But seeing the effects, I made this version, which should show less effect. Users usually develop less physical strength and aren't as capable as with the other serum, but the strain on the body and mind seems to be also less. At least people did not seem to die from it. We still had those though which were devoid of any sentience." Tsukino was astonished by what she heard. This was quite something, even if it did not lead to the Souvereign, it was a major discovery. "Are there any other flasks of this?" Loriot shook her head. "It was made as a new approach, to first induce this lighter serum to reinforce the test subject, then follow up with a heavier serum to achieve the actual effect. Plans for greater quantities were drawn up thus, but were shelved when Master died. I took the samples with me, as well as most data." "So you could produce more?" "Provided I have the necessary equipment and materials, yes." Tsukino pondered for a moment. "Well, this research will have to stay hidden, but I offer you work with our organisation." Loriot frowned slightly. "What will you be using my research for?" "Well, I'd like to have you assist our American section, so as to find what we are looking for. And your serum research... continue it, but please keep the number of corpses down. I don't really like the thought of it, but who knows when it might not be useful." Tsukino then took the flask with the serum and left the room. This discovery... she wondered how to report it best to Akiyama. And how was it best to be used. So many questions arose, so many things seemed unclear. Only one matter Tsukino knew for sure. The Americas had to be examined more closely. Maybe there was the key to all these mysteries.

What's making this really amusing to read is that the significance of the event is pretty low. The reasonable assumption, that should be backed up by GM ruling would be that Byelorussian equipment was found, but the extent to which technical intelligence can be found from it is limited to pretty much a few working small arms (just cause the soldier dies doesn't mean his rifle gets destroyed too) and a few crappy tanks. Because either the tank was taken out directly, in which case it suffered severe damage, or it got merely immobilised, in which case the crew normally would, in case they give up the vehicle, try to prevent it from being usable. Now, the amount of information that can be derrived is pretty small, because the tecnical intelligence is pretty much on what kind of small arms and tanks Belarus works with. Which I assume to be old Soviet stock. Finding like some AK variant, a Makarov and a killed T-72 or T-80 (or even T-90) is most likely giving you info about exactly one thing useful, which is the armour profile of the enemy tanks. Which has limited tactical value. The rifle... I mean, what do you want of small arms? Even if you'd know now how horridly inaccurate or accurate they can be, it isn't really anything that should change considerations, because the capabilities of the assault rifle were kind of known before and a pistol is a pistol. The tank too isn't some technological wonder weapon and pretty much no capability will come as a surprise, nor will you be able to greatly manufacture special counter-systems (even if it wasn't no custom tech). And a tank radio? That'd carry value if your people were unable to produce radios of Soviet quality. It's not like you captured a Byelorussian submarine with Mr Director's equivalent of the Enigma. Overall, Mr Director shouldn't claim to have just left nothing behind and Markus shouldn't pretent he found some treasure trove of information. The greatest value of a captured AK rifle is that you can give it a soldier who can now use it. You people are too hung up on systems which aren't sophisticated enough to be of that great importance. This isn't WWII where you care a lot about captured tanks (and even WWII was decided by other factors). Come back when you capture something like a F-22 or an enemy AEGIS destroyer.

Public As Spring had started, Yokousuka Naval Base seemed to have come to new life, as it was busier than ever. While the base already was the largest installation of the fleet, serving as home port for most capital ships of the fleet and thus being crowded with sailors, preparations for the Spring Fleet Review and the so-called Watanuki Exercises thereafter kept thousands of sailors and supporting staff busy to ensure that no incidents would bring shame and dishonour to the fleet during these great spectacles that were to showcase the fleet, ensure the public that they were well-protected and afterwards train to make sure that in case of armed conflict, the fleet was actually prepared. For this reason, the Watanuki exercises had been ordered, which, unlike the preceeding set of exercises that centered around the colder climate of Northern Japan, was to focus on the warmer climate of Kyushu and Shikoku.

The Japanese envoy thought a bit on the proposal, before responding. "While Russo-Chinese matters I leave to my Chinese colleagues, I think for the trade with Japan, it could be of greater value if either the Transsiberian railway be extented to Tianxian seaports in the Sea of Japan, or Russia works on connections over Sakhalin, while Japan increases its infrastructure between our part of the island and the rest of our country. The Sea of Ochotsk does have hardly any ports of Russia that are open year-round, so expanding ports that will be frozen for half the year is a bit of a waste. On the other hand, establishing connections between Russian holdings North of the Amur and Russian Sakhalin might be a bit costly, if one was to dig beneath the Sea, but it'd be useful for the entire year and would strengthen the Russian regional economy overall. Sealanese from our part to the rest of Japan are considerably more accessible, though in the long run, our government did entertain the idea of constructing a tunnel to connect Karafuto Prefecture with Hokkaido, which would allow an almost continuous connection from Moscow to Tokyo, except for the transition from Russian Wide Gauge to our Narrow Gauge. If considerable amounts of material are to be transported, this may be quite worthwhile. As to what would be traded, we are open to loosen most restrictions for imported goods, though we do insist on imported goods, especially food, to comply with our standards. Given I doubt there'll be much of an issue though for most ressources, I'm quite confident that such won't pose an issue."

Confidential While the Korean President had stated that all was under control, the Japanese government was quite a bit worried over the stability of Korea. However, there was not much Japan could do, as long as it's assistence had not been requested and any action would most likely just lend more credit to the communist camp. Still, for the time being, on the Prime Minister's orders, the Korean Development Agency was to cooperate behind the scenes with the Central Intelligence and Research Agency and the Naval Intelligence Bureau. Agents would be dispatched as part of the groups of industrial experts, managers and foremen that came from Japan to work on the development of Northern mining and heavy industry, to keep an eye on the situation and watch popular opinion, so as to give a second source of information besides the word of the Korean government. Additionally, the heavy detroyers Suzuya, Kumano, Mogami and Mikuma were transferred to Maizuru Naval Base to take turns in patrolling the Sea of Japan. If assistence was ever requested, the Suzuya-class with its stand-off artillery and missile armament and their heavy UAV load were deemed most appropriate for the mission.

As it seemed the honesties had been exchanged and more or less been received by all participants, Akasaka-Panina returned to the point originally being discussed. "So, what would Russia like to propose in terms of free trade?" The Japanese envoy sighed internally, hoping to finish the matter as soon as possible, given that the report to the central government already shaped up to be a royal pain.

As Nakamichi was guided through the building, the Minister of Foreign Affairs wondered about the make-up of the political institutions of the Rist Confederation. In all his years as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as Prime Minister, he had visited a lot of places and no two seemed to ever be alike. states had the most peculiar ways of organising themselves, sometimes even just through informal means outside institutions. For Japan, such mattered little though. Overall, Akiyama was probably the first Prime Minister up to now to care as much about the internal affairs of other states, and even there, the main issue to her were to contain communism and anti-Japanese sentiment, two things that were seen as threatening to the Japanese state. But Nakamichi's thought were coming to a halt, as he was introduced to Stuart and Smith, whom he politely greeted. "Thanks. As stated, I'm Minoru Nakamichi, in charge of our Empire's foreign affairs. I'm honoured to have been received by you and hope there'll be good relations between our countries. I already talked with Mister Armstrong on the way here and I am very optimistic."

Confidential Public Despite considerable delays during the construction, the Japanese Navy finally commissions after over two years of construction the Amatsukaze-class light destroyers, a successor in design to the earlier Shiokaze-class. The Amatsukaze in its design is like the Shiokaze supposed to be a fast light destroyer intented for intercepting vessels and submarines close to the homeland. For this purpose, the Amatsukaze-class is among the fastest Japanese Navy ships, able to reach speeds in excess of 35 knots, though at the expense of endurance. The special high-power propulsion system, which is an improved version of the Shiokaze's, has been the main reason for the delay, as it repeatedly broke down during testing and had to be reworked to fix reliability issues. Otherwise, the Amatsukaze is an elongated version of the Shiokaze, displacing now a bit over 7,000 tons. The added space is taken up by the improved propulsion sysem, but also by a new anti-ship missile armament, something the Shiokaze lacks, and a second gun turret. In terms of naval artillery, the Amatsukaze is not armed with a standard 127 mm single gun turret, as is the case in most light surface combatant classes, but it carries two turrets of the dual-gun version of the 127 mm/62-caliber dual purpose gun, used on capital surface combattants for their secondary battery. While the turret has reduced armour for the Amatsukaze (in order to save weight), the ship still carries an impressive load of 4 guns. The Amatsukaze also features an improved anti-missile decoy and chaff system, which is to be installed also on older destroyers. While the original run for the amatsukaze has been 6 ships, the Naval Staff has decided to order two additional ships, following the cancellation of plans for an added class of 12 light destroyers. The two added Amatsukaze-class ships and the 12 Korean-manufactured light destroyers to be commissioned later this year are thus for now the last light destroyers of the Japanese Navy to be commissioned, given the Diet's decision to cut spending on ships in light of the decreased threat posture towards the Japanese Empire. After much debate, the National Diet has cut the Naval Spending for the coming years and has limited the naval construction efforts substantially, citing the current international situation and the country's need for financial recovery. Thus, in contrast to earlier Naval Construction Plans, the Eight Naval Construction Plan merely includes 2 light destroyers and 20 conventional submarines, with the rest of the budget being solely for research and development in order to keep older ships useful and retain the Japanese Navy's strength. Ships in class are Amatsukaze, Minekaze, Harukaze, Asakaze, Yūkaze and Kamikaze. Confidential After reviewing the inventory, the Naval Staff has struck the follow-on-class of general purpose destroyers and has concluded that there is a grave need to instead utilise the budget for qualitative improvements of the existing fleet. Additionally, the Navy has decided to focus less on developments concerning high-end products, such as the ASSM-3 or Type 6 HWT, but rather to invest into systems of greater defensive value. To this end, the Naval Staff has decided to invest much of its R&D budget into four projects: The Advanced Anti-Submarine Defense (AASD), the Improved Surface Combattant Reconnaissance (ISCR), the Affordable Surface Combat Program (ASCP) and, in cooperation with the Army, the Advanced Surface-to-Surface Strike (AS3). The Japanese Naval staff has concluded that these projects serve best the needs of the Japanese nation, by focusing more on defensive systems to protect the Japanese maritime territories against surface and subsurface threats and improve the capabilities of routine patrols to thwart any small-scale threats from piracy and less-capable naval forces.

"Huh? Ah, do not mind me. Take your time working on the issue, as long as it is moving forward it's all fine. If you feel the need to first work on this matter at home, the meeting can be finished, but well... in that case I'd hope the matter will be adressed as soon as possible.", the Prime Minister stated, somewhat surprised to have been spoken to.