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Under the Rising Sun, a Japan Interactive AAR

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((Private))

Before Ryoma could even reach the doorknob, Sakamoto said, "WHAT IS IT NOW?!"
From outside the study, Ryoma shuddered. This was a bad time to tell him. But he had to.
"Uh, the election...it...uh, I think, it, um..."
"SPIT IT OUT! I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME LEFT! YOU KNOW I'M AN OLD MAN!"
"We lost."
There was silence from behind the door. Then Ryoma heard things being thrown around and slamming into the ground, walls, and windows with such force for a whole minute he was convinced his father was much younger than ninety. His father didn't even scream through any of that. Such was his rage.
"DDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Never mind.
 
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...A hooded man walked through the new quarter of Kyoto. He creaked with age as he walked along the brick streets. There was still visible damage from protests, with a number of storefronts being damaged. Despite this, order and calm had returned to the city, and all was as it was previously. The sky was gentle and, if only for a moment, all order seemed to have returned to this one street in Japan, with the soft waft of sakura gently blowing down from the nearby hills and mountains. It hearkened back to an old, now-forgotten era.

The dark figure, however, was too deep in thought, and had not realized that he was on course to collide with a fiery young man.

"Where do you think you are walking, old man?" The teenager shouted, "You must be a fool to walk these streets and not pay any attention!"

"A fool?" The old man scrunched his eyebrow. "I believe that there was a saying, child, that one's wisdom shalt blossom with his age." The old man smiled at the rude teenager.

"And like the sakura, those blossoms shall someday fall."

"Child, mayhaps this sakura has been torn down, but like a cherry seed, it has now grown a mighty tree." The old man said, "Now, I have no fear of thieves. No, I am my blade- a relic that has not yet been destroyed." The old man gestured to the wakizashi he kept hidden within his cloak. "And if I could honor my fathers more, I would soon again bear the stolen treasure of my family."

"You are not afraid of violating the swords ordinance? And to carry such an antiquated weapon?" The young man probed.

"They would never attempt to harm an old, defenseless man, child." The old man said, readjusting his cloak. "I believe that, should Raijin bring forth great storm, we may once again meet- and you might, then, know thine place." He chuckled. "Although, perhaps, the storm inside you may find itself in a higher stature than a simple meeting with an old man like myself."

The cloaked man then continued on his way, leaving the youth in slight confusion. What an odd dialect of Japanese. The youth had resolved to continue going about his day, but was stopped by an old shopkeeper acquaintance, who leaned over and made a brief mention in the youth's ear. The young man's face turned pale.

The Tairō had returned.
. . .

PCmP4pL.jpg

Satake Yoshihiro, 10th Lord of Kubota​
 
Lord Uesugi itched his nose. Would he go back to the Privy Council to vote on a Prime Minister?

No, not today.
 
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Hiroshima, 1887

Hidetoshi was not a happy man.

All of his campaigning had been effectively for naught. The Freedom Party got thrashed and couldn't keep a handle on its own leadership. Lord Satake's grudge against Raizo had prevented him from using his considerable influence to campaign for the party, all because of his selfish claim to the leadership. His assassination at the hands of an unknown element - the press was blaming anarchists - didn't help either. All that money spent, and the Date oligarchy stayed in place and was stronger than ever.

Damn them all, he thought. Damn Satake for refusing to accept his defeat with honor, and damn him for getting himself killed. Damn Raizo for resigning. Damn that Radical Progressive agitator who insisted that the party campaign outside of its stronghold. That was good money he spent on all that vote-wrangling, after all. It was a sizable portion of his fortune. And for what? A complete thrashing in an election that should have been handed to them on a silver platter.

"Well," he said to himself as he straightened out a large stack of paperwork, "some heads are going to roll in the advertising and outreach department for this one, but other than that I'm not really sure what to do about it..." His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a bell. It was time for lunch, and a dull roar could be heard outside the office as the various lower-ranked managers and bureaucrats in the headquarters went to the cafeteria. Hidetoshi, preferring to eat in his office, would have his tea and bento brought to him privately. It was good to be the boss sometimes.

Presently, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

"Your lunch, shacho," said the cook, presenting Hidetoshi with a simple wooden bento. Ebi tempura, it smelled like.

"Thank you, Yuu-chan," said Hidetoshi, taking the handkerchief she offered him.

"Will there be anything else?"

"No, that's quite all right. That's enough," he responded. Yuu excused herself, leaving the boss alone with his lunch. He opened his bento to find a hastily-written note on the lid.

Hide-kun,

All is well here. Ishikawa-san is taking care of Jun while you are at work, as usual, so I am able to relax. I had my first naginata-jutsu lesson today, and it went very well. Ozawa-sensei is a very good teacher. I could tell she was holding back at first because I could easily block her blows, but when she started trying, I couldn't do anything. I'm going to need to work harder at this. I like it very much, though. It was money well spent.

I know that it is a woman's weapon, but I would be honored if you would spar with me, Hide-kun. It's been a long time since we've done something like that. Perhaps this weekend? I hope you're prepared to lose, because I'll give it my all!

Love always,
Ai

Hidetoshi smiled and folded the letter up in his coat pocket. At least something was going well.
 
((Private - Privy Council))

We are a private advisory organ...
 
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[Insert Imperial Seal Here]​

It is in our power to once again appoint Date Munenari as Prime Minister of Japan.

-Emperor Meiji

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

Player Actions Needed: Riccardo you know what to do. You have two days to get a government going and a budget created.
 
I am proud that the people of Nippon once again have expressed their faith in the patriotic course of the National Liberal Party and the policies of great Date Munenari. By giving our coalition with KAP a comfortable majority within the legislature the subjects of His Majesty have said "no" to the division of the Empire, as proposed by some of our honorable colleagues, and "yes" to the continuation of the just and pragmatic methods of strengthening and development as envisioned by the Prince.

(( Privy Council - Private))

I am pleased that our wise Emperor has once again decided to grant the reigns of Prime Ministry to Prince Date Munenari who has, over time, proved his great experience and ability. I also want to suggest a certain measure to the Privy Council. While Prince Date currently holds the military rank of Marshall, it is clear that his great marital services to the country are beyond even this high dignity. The man who has de-facto created the modern Imperial army, under whose command it has won wars with multiple Nanban great powers and reinstated the authority of the Emperor, is worth to be honored with an exceptional award, one that would be associated with his name in the years to come. This is why I recommend to hold a vote on advising His Majesty to promote our Chief of General Staff to the rank of Generalissimo. I also want to remind the Privy Council that we now are sadly lacking the Chief Justice of the Empire.

- General Asano Hisanori, Count of Hiroshima
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Chief of General Staff and Governor-General of Korea
 
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((Generalissimo? An unnecessary foreign word. We Japanese already have our own term term for a supreme military dictator; Shogun.

-- Ghost of Hosokawa-dono.))
 
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This is an important day, not only for the National Liberal Party and the Kamikaze Party, but for the Japanese Empire as a whole, for after the turbulence of the past years, in which foreign imperialists, lead by the Russian Tsar, in their never ending quest to subjugate the proud and honourable Japanese people, threathened the borders of our Great Empire and in which Japanese radicals, from both extremes of the spectrum, in their never ending quest to thieve the power from the Imperial Diet, our Prime Minister and the Divine Emperor, murdered without mercy the honourable and true men of Japan, were united in their effort to destabilise the Japanese Empire. This day shows all who sought to oppose the Japanese Empire, the Tsar and his French lackeys, the Anarchists and Rebels, will not stand against the united might of the honourable and true men of Japan, lead by His Imperial Majesty and His Most Loyal Servant, Marshal Prince Date Munerai. Thus I can say I am truthfully honoured to have been granted the ability to support the Date Government and lead Japan, this ancient and honourable nation, that has welcomed, without breaking or fearing, the winds of progress.

However, to say that the Empire will have no problems in and oustide her borders, after the Great Asian War and the National Order Period, is a grave mistake and to say that the problems the Japanese will face will be easily solvable is plain hubris. The Empire of Japan still has scars of war, has become diplomatically isolated and many Asian Peoples, our allies and friends, still suffer under ignorance and exploitation by those not destined to lead Asia to greatness. There is still much to be done, there are still many challanges ahead, thus I ask you, Members of the Imperial Diet and future Ministers of the Japanese Empire, do not give in to the hubris of the Russians or the radicals, for, as we have seen, that will only lead to our downfall, remain honourable and true, like the Japanese People, and the Empire of Japan and its people may finally fulfill their duties as leaders of the Asian world.

Lord Tanabe Shinzou,
Second Count of Wayakama, MP for Wayakama,
Leader of the New Moderates
 
Nozu_Michitsura.jpg

Name: 山縣 道貫 | Gensui Yamagata Michitsura, 1st Prince of Hagi
Born: 15 May, 1820 (78)
Titles:
Sōsai of the National Liberal Party (1893-1898)
Prime Minister of the Empire of Japan (1893-1898)
Minister of the Imperial Household (1893-1898)
Chief of the Army General Staff (1893-1898)
Chief of the Navy General Staff (1893-1898)
President of the Privy Council (1895-1898)
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (1898)
Chairman of the Supreme War Council (1898)
Party Affiliation: National Liberal Party
Class: Militarist

Bio:

Born to a lower ranked samurai family from Hagi, then capital of the feudal domain of Chōshū, the young Michitsura attended Shokasonjuku: a school run by Yoshida Shōin where dislike for the Tokugawa Shogunate was instilled in him. With such teachings he spent his early years as a commander in Chōshū's Kiheitai where he quietly, and later openly, encouraged his counterparts to defy the Shogunate.

By the late 1850's Michitsura had risen up the ranks of the Kiheitai to become one of its chief commanders and with the outbreak of the Boshin War in 1861 he encouraged the Daimyo to declare for the Emperor and when, to his frustration and anger, the Daimyo instead opted for neutrality he resigned from the Kiheitai and ventured to serve in the Imperial Army under Lord Date and his retainer, Sakamoto Naotari. Serving in a variety of roles and with notable distinction in the Siege of Edo by the end of the war later in the year he had risen to be a Rikugun-Tai-i (Captain) in the Imperial Army. In between the time of the end of the Boshin War and the Convention of 1864 he served in Chōshū helping to oversee the dismantling of the Han System as per Supreme Commander Date's orders.

Three years following the end of the Convention his duties in the newly created prefecture ended and he was promoted to Rikugun-Shōsa (Major) for his services and called to the capital to serve in the General Staff. Most of his duties for next seven years involved organization and operation planning and although menial and meticulous it earned him further promotion to Rikugun-Chūsa (Lieutenant Colonel) in 1871. The outbreak of the invasion of Korea however saw him see direct combat once again, being in command of a division in one of the initial landings and oversight over the occupation of Pusan. Following the conclusion in 1876 he would stay on to ensure stability in the southern coastline, remaining until his return to the General Staff in 1880. With the 'Great Asian War' he once again returned to Korea and was a participant in Date's triumphant victory in the Battle of Kaesong, which earned him another promotion to Rikugun-Taisa (Colonel).

A bureaucrat at heart (he had spent most of his army career in oversight of something) he once again returned to duties in the General Staff and continued his work within, building further his growing and long standing friendship with the Marshal Prime Minister, Prince Date. His next few years were quiet, barring his jubilation at promotion to Rikugun-Shōshō (Major General) in 1883, until the critical decision taken on the 7th of January 1886: martial law was declared by the Emperor. The chaotic year saw a number of insurrections and battles waged across the Empire and Michitsura spent most of it organizing deployments and planning contingencies should any issues arise.

With the victory of the National Liberal Party, and triumph of his friend Prince Marshal Date, once again, Michitsura decided to actively involve himself in politics instead of simply toeing the party line. Such a move quickly proved fruitful as he received further promotion to Rikugun-Chūjō (Lieutenant General) and a prestigious posting as Commander of the XX Corps I. of the Army of Korea, stationed in Pyongyang, where he earned praise for stamping out the last remnants of a rebel insurgency.

Peace would not last long however with the outbreak of war with the Russian Empire and Britain in 1890. Originally serving in Korea, where he repelled the Russian forces with the aid of General Yamamoto, Michitsura was later transferred to command an expeditionary force alongside General Kusenagi which landed in Kamchatka; both of the generals proved able to their task and most of Kamchatka was occupied, Michitsura receiving much praise for his efforts from the General Staff and his own officers, such victories were however soon overshadowed by Japan's greatest defeat...

The Battle of Khabarovsk was a disaster for the Empire of Japan: 150,000 men were killed including the Marshal Prince and his second-in-command, General Asano. In the ensuing weeks a white peace was secured but Japan's government, military and the dominant National Liberal Party were without leadership. Although mourning the loss of his close friend, Michitsura was approached by a number of Date's former confidants who implored to him the need for him to step up (he was already seen as the most senior commander in the army) and claim the leadership of the party, and with it, the Empire. Acquiescing to their pleas he placed his name on the leadership ballot and was soundly elected as Sōsai (President) of the National Liberal Party. Shortly following that the National Liberal Party won the elections with a historic result, winning more than 80% of the chamber.

The next five years would be trials and tribulations for Yamagata and his government, with opposition to his increasingly autocratic policies becoming more and more verbal. With laws rigged in its favor the National Liberal Party was handed another crushing victory. In spite of this the Armed Forces launched a coup ostensibly in support of the Emperor; nonetheless upon achieving victory, and being elevated to Prince and named Supreme Commander, Yamagata acted more in line with the Shogunate of old than as an interim ruler. This would in the end be his downfall as a counter coup plotted by Imperial fanatics, who controlled the Tokkei, succeeded and saw his overthrow and imprisonment.
 
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Marshal Prince Date announces his latest cabinet.

Prime Minister: Date Munenari (Riccardo93)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Asano Hisanori (Marschalk)
Ambassador to Germany: Tanabe Shinzou (TJDS)
*Other Ambassadors to be filled out Count Asano’s discretion*​
Minister of War: Nobunage Tadakaka (Dreumel)
Chief of the Army/Navy General Staff: Date Munenari (Riccardo93)
Deputy Chief of the Army/Navy General Staff: Asano Hisanori (Marcshalk)
Minister of Finance: Nishimura Masaru (EmperorBasilius)
Minister of the Interior: Kusaribe Kinzo (Keinwyn)
Minister of Justice: Ito Masaki (Michaelangelo)
Minister of Education: Kishiwada Yukio (mrlifeless)
Minister of Commerce: Yamamoto Hirakuni (Davout)
Governor-General of Chosen: Asano Hisanori (Marschalk)
Governor-General of the Philippines: Iroh Hirotaka (DutchGuy)
 
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Ministry of Education Technological Plan 1887
1.Study of Phenomenology & Hermeneutics.
2.Develop Interchangable Parts.
3.Import High & Low Pressure Steam Engines.
4.Study Functionalism.
 
((You have just made a total vic2 noob minister of war :confused: This will be fun.))
 
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