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Uesugi, seemingly convinced by the massive defeat Khabarovsk, begins to give speeches in the Diet advocating for an adoption of a pacifistic government.
 

The men had advanced briskly; in a matter of days, the Russian forces had been compelled to withdraw from their entrenched position near Vladivostok – since then, only skirmishes had been had, a fighting withdraw by the Russians as they made their way to the Amur river, where they could hope to again entrench and hold out. General Kusanagi suggested continuing the advance, and the Marshal Prince agreed – the Russians had been compelled to flee Vladivostok, but they had done so in good order, and their forces were still a potent threat. They needed to break the Army of Siberia before they could secure peace, he reckoned, and all the same, leaving the bulk of the Imperial Army in Chosen merely exposed the Home Islands to another potential attack by the British.

So they advanced; General Kusanagi, as always, led the vanguard with precision, his Third Corps blazing northwards in a bid to deny the Russians what Prince Date supposed would be their most likely crossing point, the town of Khabarovsk.

We arrived there first, by good fortune, and General Kusanagi began setting up a defensive position; the Russians would have to fight here, in the most favourable ground available to them – to flee further north would exhaust their men completely and would lead them right into the arms of the expedition army. They would attack here.

And attack they did.

They struck hard, and the Third Corps buckled until Marquis Asano, overall commander of the Southern General Army now, reinforced the line. The Army of Chosen then advanced, and attacked the Russian flank near Druzhba; the fighting there was fierce, his lieutenants told him, but the Russians were being driven back. Now it was time for the Northern General Army to strike, to wheel around and attack the rear, from Anastasyevka. The First Corps advanced first, the grandest force of the entire Imperial Army and Date’s pride – they charged with ferocity, and very nearly broke the Russian line then and there – yet the Russians sent their reserves and the line held firm, compelling the Prince to send the Second Corps into the fray, the Third and Fourth still in reserve. Date himself advanced into the town itself to better coordinate the advance.

A lieutenant notified him of troops from behind the Imperial lines – likely elements of the Russian reserve line that had engaged partially the expedition force; he had anticipated their arrival and ordered the Third Corps to be deployed. They formed just north of the town in quick order, as expected from his men. Yet the Russians attacked brazenly, with a force never before seen from them; he had to deploy the Fourth Corps. The line would hold, he expected, but he intended to review the conduct of the fight himself, and perhaps coordinate a flanking manoeuvre from the extreme right (if he could link up with the expedition force, the entangled Russian army would surely collapse!).

He rode out, ahead of his retinue and cadre of guards, and met with the commander of the far right brigade, and instructed him to send elements of his forces into the treeline in the near distance, and begin firing upon the Russian flank there; with luck, they could pin down the enemy long enough for the dragoons to sweep around and fully encircle this pocket of troops.

Just then, reports of Russian cavalry charging into the centre reached him; he ordered some of cuirassiers make haste there, whilst he rode hard to oversee the redeploying of the infantry slightly further back.

Prince Date reached the line in time to see the Russians forced back by the Imperial heavy horse, joined by a reinvigorated infantry; the cannon further back roared like thunder, and the thick grey clouds of powder filled the air. He turned on his horse, and looked at the Imperial lines in their dark blue uniforms obscured by the smoke.

He grimaced, and raised his hand to his stomach; his white glove stained red. A surge of pain shot through him, and his horse’s sudden jump threw him. His aides, having just arrived, quickly took him from the field of battle; before he closed his eyes, the old Marshal saw the volley of the rifles, and a final salvo from the cannon.

Within the hour, Prince Date Munenari was dead.


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PRINCE MUNENARI DATE DEAD!

The vaunted and feared Napoleon of the East, the most perfidious and obstinate foe of Britain in the East, Munenari Date – Prince, Prime Minister, and Chief of Armies of Japan – was slain in battle with our Russian, Serbian, and Persian allies, as well as contingent of our boys, north of the port of Vladivostok. In the brutal battle, in which a confirmed 200,000 were slain – amongst the bloodiest battles in history, the Japanese armies were met with fierce resistance from the Russians and compelled to withdraw.

Munenari Date, considered by the Secretary of War, as well as many other leading officers within the British army, to be the finest field commander since Napoleon I, initially led the Japanese attack with great spirit before being struck and killed early on in the battle; the Japanese forces, rendered leaderless, continued to fight disjointedly for several days longer, conducting a fighting withdraw, but sustained immensely high casualties…


TSAR CALLS FOR PEACE!

In the wake of the crushing victory at Khabarovsk, where 225,000 were killed in battle, including the legendary Japanese General Munenari Date, the Russian Empire has entered into negotiations for peace, which – to the shock this writer – seem to leading towards a white peace. The Prime Minister has to announce his intention to join in the treaty discussions, but it is believed that should the Russians make plain their desire to leave the war at once, he will be compelled to follow suit.


Titles, Awards, and Commendations given to Prince Date Munenari

Lord of Uwajima: 1836-1862
War Advisor to the Tairo and Shogun: 1851-1856
Commander in Chief of the Imperial Armies: 1861-1862
Chancellor of the Realm: 1861-1864
Governor of the Ehime Prefecture: 1862-1866
Chief of the Army and Navy General Staffs: 1862-1893
President of the Privy Council: 1864-1893
Minister of War for the Empire of Japan: 1864-1873
Governor-General of Chosen: 1875-1877
Regent of Chosen: 1876-1877
Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan: 1877-1893

Japan

Collar and Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum: 1877
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers: 1877
Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class: 1877
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st Class: 1877
Order of the Precious Crown, 1st Class: 1877
Medals of Honour: Red and Yellow Ribbons: 1877, 1878, 1881, 1882, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1891, 1892, 1893

Germany

Iron Cross: 1890
Pour le Merite: 1890
Order of the Black Eagle: 1888
Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle: 1885
Order of the Crown: 1884

United Kingdom

Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Military Order of Bath: 1889
Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George: 1887

Italy

Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Italy: 1888
Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation: 1886

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Name: Count Date Munehiro, Captain of the Fuso and representative of Prince Date Takemaru

Date and Place of Birth: 13 April 1867, Edo, Japan

Class: Militarist

Biography: Grandson of Marshal Prince Date Munenari and son of Count (elevated to Prince upon the death of his father) Date Takemaru, Munehiro was upon birth expected to be an officer and a leading political figure; his childhood was dedicated to tutoring and practicing – he was given the finest education that could be provided. He attended the University of Munich along with several of his cousins and the children of his father and grandfather’s associates, of which he was always amongst the most highly ranked. Upon his return to Japan, in 1887, he then enrolled into the Imperial Officer Academy in Edo, where again he was a leading student (though some of his classmates said it was due to his name than to his actual talent); nonetheless, he graduated in 1890 first in his class and immediately was commissioned to take command of the latest ironclad launched, the Fuso. It was also shortly following his graduation that he wed Princess Ayako, daughter of His Imperial Highness Marshal Kuni Akihito, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army and Navy.

During the Russo-Japanese War, he commanded his ship with skill and panache, as expected from the grandson of the “Napoleon of the East.” When word reached him of his grandfather’s death, he had the immediate inclination to break from the fleet and bombard a Russian town in revenge; his rational side prevailed, and he merely took a leave of absence, returning to Edo shortly before the peace was finalised. Upon meeting his father, who conferred upon him the title of Count, and asked him to be his representative on the Privy Council when he was away on business (being a notable member of the Kusaribe zaibatsu, a peer, and an occasional liaison for the government, he felt he was rarely in Kyoto enough to make his thoughts known); his son humbly accepted. In a Japan void of his grandfather's towering visage, what would happen now?

 
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The Marquis Uesugi stands to make a speech to the Diet.

"The death of the honoured Date, Marshal of the Japanese Army and Shogun in all but name, should be the death knell of our aggression. Our path, paved in the death of our youth, has been forged since the Boshin War when Edo burned. Since then, we have been at war with barbarians, be they the Koreans, the Americans, the Russians, or the English. Our path has led us to see death, the death of commoners, the death of nobles, of Marshals.

We need to stop this. Stop the death of Japanese to the lesser races. Stop the death of Japanese to other Japanese. We need to see the reach of Shinigami [Shinto god of death] removed from the reins of this nation. No more can we allow such irresponsible action to define our youth, our nation, and our politics. Let us end this, let us have peace and growth and reform. No more war, let us have schools! No more war, let us have railroads! No more war, let us have banks!

We must not have our nation be like the late honoured Date, rise to the height of heights based on acts of violence until ripped apart by united forces seeking to tear them down. Let us create a new Japan, and create a new world, one that our children can have children in safety."
 
In response to the Marquis Uesugi, Count Kusaribe makes an opposing speech.

In a world where men are not equal, Prince Date was a man blessed by heaven. Head and shoulders above his peers, his iron will and steady hand kept the land stable, his courage and discipline swept enemies before him, his diligence shaped the nation we see today. Is it any wonder then that such a man should rise to lead us?

Likewise nations are not equal, the strong and capable rise to the top, the weak and passive shall be cast into the oblivion of history. Do we want Nippon to be a forgotten island dominated by some barbaric nanban power? We must grasp our place in the world! For I guarantee you, it will not be bestowed by another.

Nippon is prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect her own. The Marshal and his heroic soldiers proved that with their deaths. With those very same deaths Nippon evolves towards her future, her spirit, resolve and unity stronger and more full of purpose than ever before. Men of Japan! Honour your Marshal and fight! Fight for your future! Fight for the Memory of Prince Date!
 
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Count Tanabe Shinzou, His Imperial Majesty's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, being the chief representative of the Empire of Japan in London during peace negotiations, was one of the first outside Japan to be informed of Prince Date Munenari's death and quickly stalled the spread of information that both the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff had died in battle, leaving the Imperial Japanese Army effictively headless. Due to that lack of knowledge on the side of the Imperialists, Czar Alexander III, knowing that the Imperial Russian Armed Forces were in no way able to continue the fight against the Japanese forces pressed his ally, Lord Salisbury, to join him in continuing negotiations in good faith with the Tanabe Delegation, however, negotiatons continued fruitlessly until Lord Salisbury and his Conservative Government were defeated in the 1892 General Election by the anti-war Gladstone and the Liberal Party, signalling that the British Public did not wish to continue an Imperialist war far from home and far from bloodless, as Salisbury had promised. It was not until Lord Shinzou signed the treaty Ketsuo-Romanov-Wesley Treaty in London on Febuary 23rd 1893 that the Japanese Transitional Government allowed the death of Prince Date Munenari to become public knowledge. Three weeks later he stood before the Imperial Diet:

Honourable Members of the Diet,

The deaths of our Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, Prince Date Munenari, and our Foreign Minister and Deputy Chief of Staff, Marquess Asano Hisanori, undoubtedly shocked us all, Since we last met, the Diet has suffered a very grievous loss in the death of one of its most distinguished Members, and of a statesman, commanders of our Armed Forces and public servant who, during more than three decades of loyal and honourable service, left a mark on the Japanese Countryside equalled by none in this present time.


The fierce and bitter controversies which hung around him in recent times were hushed by the news of his vialliant efforts at the front and are silenced by his honourable death. In paying a tribute of respect and of regard to an eminent man who has been taken from us, no one is obliged to alter the opinions which he has formed or expressed upon issues which have become a part of history; but at the
Sanzu River, we may all pass our own conduct and our own judgments under a searching review. What is the worth of all this? The only guide to a man is his conscience; the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield, however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honour.

It fell to Prince Date Munenari to lead this nation, one for which no one held a love equal to his, through crises none could have handled with such care and honour as Prince Date Munerai. His faith in and hopes for this nation, which he, as first among equal that were the great statesmen the Heavens gifted our nation, modernized and lead, were equalled by none and thus, with his never ending confidence in the ability of his beloved people, he lead us through these crises, even willling to pay the final sacrifice.
Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous crises, we can be sure that Prince Date Munenari acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save Japan from the awful, devastating exploitation of Imperialism. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned.

After he left Edo for the battle grounds of Korea he refused all honours as he left. He would march like he had marched to war in the Boshin War. As one of his adjudants later stated to me and I quote: "Prince Marshall Date lead his men in the assault of Khabarovsk with a serenity and strength which inspired us, even in the most dire moments of that battle. Even in his final moments, having been informed of the death of his second-in-command, Marquess General Asano Hisanori, the serenity spread tranquility to his officers and all gathered. He met the approach of death with a steady eye. If he grieved at all, it was that he could not be a spectator of our final victory in this war; but I think he died with the comfort of knowing that his country had, at least, turned the corner."

I do think that I will be joined by the Diet in passing our thoughts to the family of the Late Prince, who have shared his days of triumph and adversity with a courage and quality equal to that of his one. May he be forever remembered as the man who brought Japan into the light and brought it greatness unforseen by many of his contemporaries, going above and beyond the call of duty to deliver Japan a better future and paying the final sacrifice to protect that future from our greatest enemy, the imperialists.
 
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Date is dead, unbelievable. He and I were the last of the pre-Boshin War Generation, last of the founding NLP members, and now I am alone.
 
*glares at Michaelangelo*

((Don't be jealous of my mad assassination skills. I can't help it that Ito Katashi was practically a ninja that will never be surpassed when it comes to the mass murder of Privy Council members and Nanban-stuffing. :D))

((And his name is Date Munenari))

((Blasphemy! The Emperor is clearly the god here and Date is his most loyal and humble servant. He's more like a demi-god.))
 
With the death of Prince Date and the up-coming elections the NLP must chose a new party leader. I hereby open the nomination period for the next 24 hours ((10AM GMT)).
 
Count Yamagata Michitsura had been held up in Kamchatka alongside General Kusenagi when news of the Prince Marshal's death had reached him. It was a shock that had hit not only him but most of the officers and soldiers particularly hard: their guiding commander, a man Yamagata had known and been friends with since the Boshin War, was dead. The man had died but the legend had only just begun. He had mourned privately in his own time but kept a strong face for his men to set an example. Upon the conclusion of the 'Ketsuo-Romanov-Wesley Treaty' he returned to his stationing in Korea, de facto the highest ranking officer in the peninsula, and addressed the gathered officers and their units in Seoul.

"Sons of Japan,

This war against our enemies has cost us dearly: thousands and thousands of our brave brothers have perished defending the honor of Japan and the Emperor, most notably our beloved Prince Marshal Date. He was the brightest son of Japan and the most devoted servant of the Emperor, a man we can only look to as inspiration and as a guiding spirit in how we should carry ourselves. We mourn his death but we must also celebrate his life and his achievements: he gave everything to the Emperor, even his dying breath...and for it his legacy will survive the ages and our children's children will tell their own children of the story of the Prince Marshal, and in that he will continue to inspire for centuries to come.

In my own tribute to my beloved Prince, and to my other fallen brothers, I pledge before you all to honor their legacies and to stand in the defense of all that they stood for. They fought for a strong Japan, a Japan that guided its Asian brothers and sought to make its mark on the world, as it rightfully should. Let not their deaths be in vain, let us strive for a strong Japan, a great Japan."
 
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General Asano Hisanori stood firm, as a dance of cannonballs and bullets raged around him. In a simple field uniform, only golden linings on the epaulets demonstrating his ranks of a full General, he looked at the lines with a fierce gaze. Only fifty-two years old, he already managed to make his name glorious - more than any of his Daymio ancestors, frankly speaking. And it seemed that today he may receive the final glory of death.

- Father, you are too valuable for the country and the army! Maybe you could delegate to me and... ! - Asano Yoshinaga, Viscount of Hiroshima, the eldest son to Hisanori, addressed his father, concern in his voice. The commander of the Southern Army looked at his child grimly. - You insult me just by suggesting it, son. never say such a thing again. The young Colonel shrugged and returned to his troops. Marquis Asano continued to issue commands, moving the units from one side of the front to the other - and yet they did not have enough men to break the Persian-British encircling. The enemy artillery was continuing to send its deathly greetings to Japanese regiments - and yet their General did not surrender, for not surrendering what the Emperor and Date have given him was more important than saving his life. Much more important.

- Sir. their cavalry is near the command post! - young Captain Zatochi Ito, aide-de-campe to Marquis Asano, pointed at a platoon of British hussars that haы somehow managed to break through. - Not for long. - Hisanori fired his pistol, slaughtering the red-cheeked Cornet leading the assault - and soon the riftles of the infantry men guarding the headquarters dealt with them. But it was clear that their defences were weakening Asano Hisanori spurred his stallion, as he saw several units starting to retreat under the artillery assault. - Men, what are you doing? Have you forgotten about the Japanese honor, about your duties? - he roared in a booming voice, oblivious of the danger. A bullet scratched his cheek, leaving a long red scar - but the General did not react to it, for his soul was preoccupied with the battle. One of the retreating officers, a burly major in a pincnet, bowed, as he made his excuses. - Your Excellency, I dont want to die! Asano Hisanori looked at him, deep shock in his gaze. - You do not want to die for the Son of Amaterasu? Do you want to live forever, scoundrel? Asano wanted to add something else - but then he felt a strange sensation. He was lifted into the air, losing his hearing, sight and then conscience. And when he has woken up, Hisanori was in a tent, his left hand replaced by a helpless stump.

His aide-de-campe Zatochi, his son and a doctor were looking at him, pity in their eyes. - I need to return and command... Help me to stand up... - the Marquis whispered. The doctor shrugged, while Asano Yoshinaga bit his lips. Then the medician dared to answer. - My General, I cannot even stop the bleeding. You probably have twenty minutes left. Staying silent for a few moments, Asano told his son. - I always loved you, Yoshinaga. Go and take command - and my blessing. They kissed each other - and then his heir left. He learned to put duty above everything else - his father educated him that way - Say, Ito... Did I really see Japanese soldiers running? Running like Nanban scum? - asked Hisanori in a hoarse voice, as his aide-de-campe helped him to drink some water. Zatochi Ito made a grimace, as he did not want to answer - but then spoke up. - Some of them, sir, vast majority fought and died like men... Asano Hisanori shook his head. - I would have preferred to go blind rather than see it.... An old-school soldier, he believed, like all true Samurai, than even becoming a prisoner of war was dishonorable. Fight or die - that were the only choices. - Some of them did become quite modern - though not as much as the womanly pacifists in Tokyo, besmirching us while we fight... He looked at his aide-de-camp. He was not a simple junior officer . Zatochi belonged to a minor noble family from Hiroshima, owning a small manor and serving the Asano clan as retainers for hundreds of years. Therefore he was a perfect candidate. - Ito, I want to go the way my ancestors would. And I want you to be my kaishakunin. Would you do it for me? Ito tried to argue - but then, seeing the eyes of his master, simply nodded. The final grace. The final help. He could not refuse it to his lord. - Fine. Then bring the tools.

In a few moments Zatochi returned with a Tanto dagger, sharp, with a hilt of ivory. With a long Katana sword that belonged to Asano family for ages, its blade decorated with silver flowers. Helped his master change into a white kimono. And then the ritual began. After a short prayer, Asano smiled - and plunged the Tanto knife into his guts. His body struggled in the agony - but he stopped Ito from immediately giving him the final mercy, speaking up. - When you are done, bring my sword to my son, together with hatred for Nanban... And cut the bloody kimono into two parts... Bring one to the Emperor and the second to Date - and tell them... That if I lived a hundred lifes, I would give each of them to His Majesty, the Prince and eternal Nippon... He took a gulp of air, pain now becoming immense. - Old friend Date... Soon we would drink sake together with the Kami...Now, do the thing! Tears glistening in his eyes, Zatochi lowered the blade, making a kaishaku - the last strike. As he slashed, he cut the throat of Asano - and in a moment his head was attached to his body only by a slight band of flesh. The great general and longtime Foreign Minister has died with honor - and according to tradition.

Receiving the bloody Katana, Asano Yoshinaga continued to lead the remaining troops until the new commander-in-chief ordered them to leave the lines. Together with the blade he now carried grim memories - and dedication to prove himself worthy of his House and the legacy of his parent.

Ito Zatochi committed suicide soon when he reached Japan. As the servants of old, he did not want to live - when his master was gone.
 
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Private - National Liberal Party

Members of the National Liberal Party,

Although the passing of our former leader and Prime Minister, Prince Date Munenari, has left many of us in mourning, we must, in light of the upcoming General Election, elect a new Party Leader. Although I hold Kishiwada Yukio in high esteem, I motion that we, the National Liberal Party, should work to continue the legacy of Prince Date with his successor.

To this end I do nominate Count Yamagata Michitsura, a true proponent of Japanese Democracy and Datism, and one of the most honourable and best commanders of the Imperial Armed Forces during the Great Asian Wars, who time and time again has shown his ability to lead both as military commander in Korea and as civil servant as close advisor of Prince Date and His Imperial Majesty's Government. Thus I hold no doubt whether Count Yamagata Michitsura can lead and rebuilt Japan after the failed Imperialists invasions.

I hope this Congress will join me in electing Count Yamagata Michitsura as Party Leader, for Japan needs a National Liberal Party which is united against Imperialism and Radicalism and which continues to promote the Datist policies of modernization and economic expansion, which time and time again were proven to work.

The Rgt. Hon. Lord Tanabe Shinzou MP PC,
Leader of the New Moderates and Second Count of Wayakama,
His Imperial Majesty's Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
 
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Name: Colonel Asano Yoshinaga, second Marquess of Hiroshima
Date and Place of Birth: 5 January 1860, Hiroshima, Japan

Class: Militarist

Biography: A son to Asano Hisanori, longtime NLP grandee and warlord, Lord Yoshinaga was from his birth expected to continue his legacy of a soldier and a public servant. Graduating from the Imperial Officer Academy in Edo, he became an infantry officer, participating in all major battles of the Great Asian War, including the conquest of Phillipines and the batte of Pyonguayng. During the Jacobin rebellion in 1886-1887, Major Asano was commanding a battalion against the insurgents and, under martial law, temporary executing the duties of the Praefect of Tottoti. It gave him the first experience of administrative work and severe distrust of all lawless demonstrations. After the conclusion of all hostilities, both external and internal, Asano moved to diplomatic work - which was quite logical knowing that his father was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Having a gift for languages, Asano was seen as one of the more educated army officer - and became a military attache at the German embassy, where he has served until 1890. Then he received his last political appointment as the Ambassador to Italy - which he had to exchange for another army commission when the next war started. While being a Colonel in the Imperial Guard, he temporary commanded an infantry regiment, was wounded twice and witnessed the end of his father under Khabarovsk. Now, having returned to Japan, Asano Hisanori intends to continue the path of Marquess Hisanori - and bring glory to Japan.
 
I will contest the National Liberal Party's leadership. It is necessary that no man echo Date's unanimity within this party, that his legacy be completely and totally his own. With that in mind, there are realities that this party must come to terms with, and I believe that they should constitute a mild change in direction. While I am by no means a pacifist, as my family has never truly been, I am a proponent of utilizing a diplomatic solution in conjunction with a military policy. It would better serve our nation's military to focus on its development and expansion prior to another attempt to wage a direct war with the Europeans. Additionally, in the interests of expanding the economy, it is necessary that we move towards an economic policy that will involve government intervention. Let us see Lord Date's passing as a sign- that it is now time to reflect upon our philosophy.

Dr. Satake Hiroshi

{Free Trade/Interventionism/Pro-Military/Pluralism/Residency}
 
History of the National Liberal Party

Political Platform:
Free Trade/Interventionism/Jingoism/Pluralism/Limited Citizenship

Political Ideology:
National Liberalism, Japanese Liberalism, Nationalism, Datism (since 1893)

Position on the Polticial Spectrum:
Centre-Left (1864-1877), Centre-Right (since 1877)

Chairmen:
Marquess Oshiro Kazuki
MD PC (1864-1877)
Prince Date Munenari
MD PC (1877-1893)
Count Yamagata Michitsura
MD PC (since 1893)

Founding Members:
Marquess Ōshiro Kazuki
MD PC (1809-1884), Prime Minister of Japan (1864-1877), Centre-Left of the Party
Prince Date Munenari
MD PC (1818-1893), Prime Minister of Japan (1877-1893), Minister of War (1864-1873), Chief of Staff (1862-1893), Centre-Right of the Party
Count Hosokawa Mitsuhide
MD PC (1815-1884), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1864-1879), Centre-Left to Left of the Party
Count Tanabe Shinzou
MD (1806-1873), Minister of Finance and Commerce (1864-1868), Minister of Commerce (1868-1873), Centre to Centre-Right of the Party


Electoral History:
Japanese General Election of 1864: 263 / 463 (57%), NLP Majority Government, Prime Minister: Marquess Oshiro Kazuki
MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1868: 283 / 463 (61%), up 20 seats, NLP Majority Government, Prime Minister: Marquess Oshiro Kazuki MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1873: 225 / 475 (47%), down 58 seats, NLP-KAP Coalition Governemnt, Prime Minister: Marquess Oshiro Kazuki MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1877: 236 / 475 (49,7%), up 11 seats, NLP-KAP Coalition Government, Prime Minister: Prince Date Munenari MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1882: 152 / 475 (32%), down 85 seats, NLP-KAP Coalition Government, Prime Minister: Prince Date Munenari MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1887: 212 / 475 (45%), up 60 seats, NLP-KAP Coalition Government, Prime Minister: Prince Date Munenari MD PC
Japanese General Election of 1891: 162 / 475 (35%), down 50 seats, widespread electoral fraud, extraparliamentry Transitional Government, Interim Prime Minister: Prince Date Munenari MD PC
Japanese Generel Election of 1893: 340 / 475 (71,6%), up 178 seats, NLP-KAP Coalition Government, Prime Minister: Count Yamagata Michitsura MD PC
Next Japanese General Election will be held in 1897 or earlier

The Kokuminjiyūtō (En: National Liberal Party) is the oldest political party in Japan, having been founded by the pro-Modernization Imperialists in the wake of the Imperial Victory in the Boshin War. The Party, which is closely associated with Japanese Imperialism, has been the largest and leading political party since Prince Date Munenari (later Prime Minister and NLP Party Leader) officially ended martial law by swearing loyalty to the Emperor before the newly-elected Imperial Diet and House of Peers. Although many political commentators state that the National Liberal Party moved to the right after electing Prince Date Munenari as Party Leader in 1877, the core message remained much the same since its 1864 founding; the National Liberal Party is a pro-business, pro-industrialization, and pro-military party.

The National Liberal Party has not espoused a well-defined, unified ideology or political philosophy, due to its long term regimes. Its members hold a variety of positions that could be broadly defined as being to the right of the opposition parties. The National Liberal Party traditionally identified itself with a number of general goals: rapid economic growth and industralization; a strong Japanese apperance on the international stage; and the maintaining of a strong Imperial Armed Forces. A business-inspired commitment to free enterprise was tempered by the insistence of important small business and agricultural constituencies on some form of protectionism and subsidies. When the party has a parliamentary majority, the party president is the prime minister. The choice of party chairman is formally that of a party convention composed of Diet members and local NLP figures, but in most cases, they merely approved the joint decision of the most powerful party leaders.

The National Liberal Party relies, like many other contemporary political parties, both in Europe and Japan, on a complex network of patron-client relationships on both national and local levels. Nationally, a system of factions in both the House of Representatives and the House of Peers ties individual Diet members to powerful party leaders. Locally, Diet members maintain support groups to keep in touch with public opinion and gain votes and financial backing. The importance and pervasiveness of personal ties between Diet members and faction leaders and between citizens and Diet members gives the party a pragmatic "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" character. Its success depends less on generalized mass appeal than on the so-called sanban (three "ban"): jiban (a strong, well-organized constituency), kaban (a briefcase full of money), and kanban (prestigious appointment, particularly on the cabinet level).

The National Liberal Party consists of three main factions, all having been founded by strong party bosses:
The New Moderates (健派新穏) - Centre-Right - Lord Tanabe Shinzou
MD PC - 172 MDs
The New Moderates is the largest faction in the National Liberal Party. The Centre-Right faction, lead by Lord Tanabe Shinzou
MP PC, was founded in 1879 uniting pro-Date MDs to resist the dominant centre-left Reform Association, lead by Foreign Minister Marquess Hosowaka Mitsuhide during the fateful motion to declare war on Spain (which promted Hosowaka, the main opponent of the war with Spain, to resign his cabinet post and leave the party), which moved the Party to the right. The New Moderates pride themselves as the main proponents of Datism and Nationalism in the Party, although some political commentators have alligated that the New Moderates favour a more authocratic form of Democracy. They are generally against reform and fiercely nationalistic.

The Reform Association (改革協会) - Centre to Centre-Left - Dr. Satake Hiroshi
MD - 92 MDs
The Reform Association is the second largest faction in the National Liberal Association. The Centre-Left faction, lead by Dr. Satake Hiroshi
MD, was founded by Foreign Minister Hosowaka Mitsuhide in 1864, to unite the Centre-Left elements in the party, which the dominant force in the National Liberal Party for the first decade of its existance, although it was significantly weakened when it failed to defeat the motion to declare war on Spain in 1879 and the subsequent resignation of its leader, Foreign Minister Marquess Hosowaka Mitsuhide. The Association was left leaderless and very much divided until 1892, when the former Consitutional Democratic Party MP Dr. Satake Hiroshi, joined the National Liberal ranks. With his election as faction leader, the Reform Association has moved more to the Centre-Left of the party, although the Association continued to support the National Liberal policies during the war and is far from anti-Datist. The Reform Association see themselves as the most anti-war and pragmatic of the party, although some political commentators have alligated that some parts of the Reform Association have become too leftist in recents years, advising them to return to more centrist views on national policy.

The Order Faction (注文派) - Right Wing - None - 68 MDs
The Order Faction is the smallest faction in the National Liberal Party. The right wing faction, which officially stated it had no leadership, rather chosing to support issues by internal vote, was founded by a group of former officers which had been elected Members of Diet in 1870, after the Military White Paper of 1870 was released. Although neither the Imperial Japanese Army nor the Imperial Japanese Navy were in dire state, the White Paper stated that further funding should be diverted to both branches of the Armed Forces to continue modernization, thus they formed a faction to secure the interests of the Armed Forces in the Diet. The Order Faction closely associates itself with Nationalism and Japanese Imperialism, although it wishes to maintain complete neutrality on all votes not concerning military matters, rather letting its members decide on their own. Many political commentators have alligated that the Order Faction has become a more right wing branch of the New Moderates in recent years, joining the New Moderate faction line in many important votes, although this has been declined by the most important members of the faction.

((This is, of course, all fluff, I wanted to add more depth to the NLP and make it resemble other contemporary Japanese Political Parties, I do hope the other parties will join me in adding further details to their parties))
 
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