Tokyo Detective

Chapter 431 The Turbulent State of the Nation
11 month 25 number

America at the White House in Washington.

Today is the day that Japanese Prime Minister Takashi Kitahara visits America.

Originally, visiting America seemed like a good arrangement to Kitahara Takashi, but things were different now, and the timing was wrong.

Less than two weeks after the Yokosuka Port and CIA incident, one can imagine how dissatisfied America's top brass must have felt; he felt like a fish on a hot plate.

Presidential Office

As this was a public visit, in addition to Takashi Kitahara and President America, Vice President Robert David Jones, considered a representative of the hardline faction of the MagA, was also present in the hall.

In addition, there is an employee of a major pro-ruling television station, America, who will broadcast the interview.

King Ying smiled at the camera and spoke in his own unique, official tone.

“Thank you very much. It is an honor to be with Prime Minister Kitahara. He is one of the most respected people in Japan and has done a great deal of work for Japan. He is wonderful and outstanding. It is an honor for me that he could visit the White House. This is also the second time I have entered the Oval Office. There are many American honors hanging here. I believe Prime Minister Kitahara will also like it here. It is a great honor to have you here.”

As King Ying finished speaking, he extended his hand to shake hands with the other person, and Kitahara Takashi, though feeling uneasy, smiled and shook hands with him.

In fact, Winner spoke too fast for him to fully understand, and he needed to wait for the translator next to him to repeat it in neon before he could speak. He also needed the translator's help to speak in neon.

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency, for inviting me to the White House. I was honored by your hospitality during my last visit. On behalf of Japan, I thank President Win for everything he has done for the world."

Kitahara Shō and King Yō exchanged a glance, and he could see a hint of amusement in the other's eyes.

Damn it, today's visit was planned two weeks ago, but things have changed so suddenly.

After a few minutes of rambling, they finally got to the point.

King Ying suddenly changed the subject.

"President Kitahara, are you very dissatisfied with our new tariff policy for America?"

Kitahara Takashi took a deep breath; he was prepared for this accusation.

"No, it's just that we feel the two sides need to talk more deeply. The friendship between Japan and America will never change."

"Is that so? But I haven't seen any friendship from the Japanese in the past month. The Yokosuka Port incident, and the CIA massacre that happened a few days ago, I think Prime Minister Kitahara can explain to America and even the world why there is so much hostility towards America in Japan. We are friends, we are brothers, and America has protected the Japanese brothers for decades."

"."

Kitahara Takashi was almost speechless, but thankfully King Ying didn't mention their father-son relationship.

"The incident in Japan was perpetrated by an extremist organization called the Youth Salvation Association, and we are very sorry about that."

At this point, Robert David Jones spoke up.

"Aren't they just Japanese? As a developed country, can't Japan even maintain domestic stability? It seems that you need America to provide more protection and more bases, all you need to do is pay a little more money."

Good guy, good guy.

Kitahara Takama wanted to tear this obviously inexperienced vice president apart. Was it appropriate to say such things in front of the cameras? Would embarrassing him be beneficial to this visit?
He's not some famous figure like Ze Sheng.

Kitahara Takashi took another deep breath. Since that was the case, he didn't care about dragging Amelie down with him to embarrass himself.

"No, we are still not sure if the so-called Youth Salvation Association is a local Japanese organization. Even the CIA can't find any clues about it, let alone that it has power armor. I only saw America have one in a video."

"."

Robert immediately became furious upon hearing this.

"The fact that the CIA couldn't find a single clue clearly indicates the cooperation of high-ranking Japanese officials. I..."

Just then, King Win patted Robert's thigh to stop him from saying anything inappropriate. The Vice President, though loyal and good at flattery, was indeed lacking in political acumen.

"We are very willing to cooperate with Japan in combating terrorist organizations. I wonder if Prime Minister Kitahara would welcome America's help."

Kitahara Takashi dared not agree rashly; what if America demanded more protection money?

"I also agree that both sides should share information."

"Indeed, we fully support the fight against terrorists."
.
After a brief discussion, the two sides officially entered a closed-door negotiation phase. The subsequent content was beyond the media's control, but perhaps a high-ranking official would anonymously tell reporters afterward, since this wasn't the first or second time.

In the room with only a few people, King Ying's expression was not so polite.

"Prime Minister Kitahara, I need an explanation. In just one month, America has paid the price of hundreds of lives and a destroyer in Japan. This is an unprecedented loss."

Yes, with nearly 400 dead and injured, if Ying Wang doesn't handle it well, it will also have a significant impact.

What can Kitahara Takashi do when faced with accusations?

“I can accept America continuing to send agents to help investigate the YMCA.”

"No, we will not send any new agents, at least not openly. I think we should also establish an America garrison in Tokyo."

Kitahara Takashi was immediately taken aback. Although he understood that the other party was creating a bargaining chip out of thin air, like the tariff policy, he was genuinely shocked by the outlandish proposal. Japan hadn't agreed to station troops in Tokyo after its defeat in World War II, let alone now. "Impossible."

Even the victorious king wasn't in a hurry.

"I heard that Japan has maintained a year-long rice price increase, so why don't they open up a quota for America every year?"

"President Win, you must be joking. We Japanese are self-sufficient; we're just facing a minor problem."

After two hours of discussion, the two sides came out and made few decisions.

Given the precedent of the Plaza Accord 30 years ago, Kitahara Takashi could never agree to America's tariff agreement, even though some of them were already agreed to by other countries, such as Vietnam, which agreed to a 0:20 tariff.

There was no easing on the issue of food. Kitahara Takashi, who had previously served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, knew very well that the country's fragile agriculture could not withstand America's impact, which would make it easier for America to control Japan.

Ultimately, they relented on security, increasing the annual protection fee by 20%, reaching a staggering 9300 billion Japanese yen, which is close to 70% of the expenditure of the US military stationed in Japan.

America can then use this money to strengthen the capabilities of the Marine Corps stationed in Japan, and may even purchase three new warships.

Of course, that's not all. Although America will not send a large number of agents to Japan again and will recall more than 100 people from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the plan proposed by Kitahara Takashi was also accepted by King Win.

The plan is simple: organize a team in Japan to investigate the Youth Salvation Association. America can send high-ranking officials to assist, and the money and personnel will be provided by the Japanese side. America only needs to send a few dozen high-ranking officials, so she won't lose out at all.

When Kitahara Takashi rushed back to Japan, he happened to encounter a cabinet meeting requested by the new Minister of Defense.

The meeting was still chaired by the current Chief Cabinet Secretary, Takamori Shoda.

"This old man, who could be the father of most of the people present, said calmly."

"Prime Minister, colleagues, I believe you are well aware that Japan is now in a very dangerous situation. Some people internationally claim that our country is a breeding ground for terrorist organizations."

"."

Kitahara Takashi frowned upon hearing this.

He needs a mature and capable person to serve as defense minister, but it's not good to put it so bluntly.

"Minister Gao Gang, do you have any good suggestions?"

Takaoka Shoji's voice rose a few notches.

"To improve public security, we must increase the cost of maintaining it."

Finance Minister Kyoko Naozawa, the only female minister in the cabinet, was very unhappy when she heard people asking for money.

“Minister Takaoka, you can’t just ask for money as soon as you take office. Our Ministry of Finance has increased the annual expenditure on the National Police Agency from 3500 billion to 5000 billion. See how it goes. Major incidents happen every year.”

Takaoka Shoji flashed a disdainful look; women are just short-sighted.

"Indeed, the amount has increased by 150 billion in the past few years, and the results are very obvious. Three years ago, the number of crimes per year was as high as 2 million, and after three years of governance, it has been reduced to 1.2 million, which is a great progress, but..."

Takaoka Shoji paused here, his sharp gaze sweeping over the younger generation of politicians present.

"However, ordinary police officers are indeed unable to effectively stop particularly heinous criminals, whether in terms of their skills or weapons. Therefore, I propose that the National Police Agency establish a special unit to deal with major crimes, with a minimum of 500 personnel."

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Ryota Morinaga asked the question.

"Or should we just mobilize the army directly?"

The high-ranking officials present immediately rejected the suggestion, stating that stationing troops and police in the city are two different things, and unless there was a real possibility of the country being destroyed, no one present wanted the army to be stationed in the city.

So if we agree to Takaoka Shosuke's suggestion, then we need to expand the special attack force?

After discussing the matter for a while, Kitahara Takakazu and his senior executives made a decision immediately.

"Gao Gangzhangjie, submit the new plan as soon as possible."

"Yes, but there is one issue that should be decided here: who will be in charge of Tokyo's new counter-terrorism unit, the National Police Agency or the Metropolitan Police Department?"

The affiliation of Tokyo's counter-terrorism unit is a serious issue.

Kitahara Takashi naturally wanted to place the new anti-terrorism unit in the National Police Agency, since the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency was "one of their own," while the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department was not.

However, it would be troublesome to give the National Police Agency complete control of the heavily armed counter-terrorism forces. There were only a few special strike units nationwide, totaling less than 500 people, and the units in Tokyo were under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department.

If the National Police Agency were to completely control the new counter-terrorism force, just imagine a counter-terrorism force of at least a thousand people who can travel all over the country in the hands of the Commissioner of the National Police Agency—it would instantly make some high-ranking officials feel like they have a thorn in their side; the power is simply too great.

After all, South Korea has a president under martial law, so who knows if Japan is thinking of purging its corrupt officials?

Kitahara Takashi could only offer this consolation: Uemura Koichi would retire in a little over a year, at which point the position of Metropolitan Police Department Commissioner would fall into the hands of one of his own.

"Let's follow the division of special strike units. The Metropolitan Police Department will still be responsible for Tokyo, while the National Police Agency will be responsible for other regions."

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)