Yes, Prime Minister of Japan

"Japan's excellent culture has been abandoned!"

Compared to the Korean Wave, which is more evident in movies, TV dramas, stages, magazines, and media centers, the unique style of the Chinese-language system is that it has little centralized characteristics. Almost all the core figures can become outdated in just a few months, while new people who can express everyone's ideas are pushed into the spotlight. It's like the heat wave burning when a trembling musical note jumps, with wave after wave of floating and sinking, and then rising again and again.

Therefore, students prefer to sway with the waves rather than stick to the rules.

"There's a big screen on the bus!"

Ai Azuma and Taiho Niizawa belatedly discovered that Hirai had changed cars.

This is a high-end SUV from a joint venture between Toyota and BYD, equipped with two large screens so the girls can watch TV directly.

The television program was an interview with the famous director and entertainment industry heavyweight Takeshi Kitano by NHK.

"At least these young people are no longer cutting their arms, doing drugs, or spreading STDs at Dongheng Square."

Takeshi Kitano didn't dislike the flower-waving hands; instead, he steered the conversation towards a deeper cultural reflection:

"Our urban life used to be American-style. Because we are an agricultural civilization, the imprints of our ancient urban life have been replaced by Western popular culture. We watch television, we imitate hippies, we admire English, Italian restaurants, and the British aristocratic lifestyle. These are all urban symbols that the United States has spread to the world through television. It is an illusion of global control that the United States has created invisibly. As long as you are still in the city, you are a prisoner of the urban civilization created by the Americans."

In the process of imitating the modern urban civilization created by the United States, Japan has already reached a near-peak level, and has even stolen many symbols of Western civilization, such as the 'detectives' in mystery dramas and Disney-style mascots.

However, this still cannot solve a core problem: the nature of Japanese civilization is vastly different from that of the United States, and Japan is a colony of the United States in many ways, unable to fully save itself under the influence of American civilization.

"Does learning from the United States and Britain mean being advanced, while imitating China means being backward? What kind of logic is this? It shows that our people and cultural circles have been captured by the United States for a long time."

Takeshi Kitano pulled out his phone and praised TikTok:

"Through a small mobile phone, an app called 'Shaking Note,' or 'Onomatopoeia,' or 'Red Book,' we see the joys and sorrows of another world that is so close to us Japanese but that we have never known before. They are also being invaded by American symbols of civilization, but for some reason, they show no signs of being defeated. That sense of rural life, like wildflowers growing by a roadside after being run over by trucks, that vibrant feeling of burning with free charm, is very captivating."

The NHK reporter asked a rather tactless question:

"So you mean this trend sweeping through the student population is a positive one?"

Takeshi Kitano closed his eyes and sighed:

"We are so close, yet we instinctively feel more familiar with the United States, which is thousands of miles away. Observing China only from the perspective of the media is a terrifying fact that we are unaware of, isn't it?"

This seemingly normal yet thought-provoking rhetorical question became the closing remark of Takeshi Kitano's interview.

This question is left for everyone watching.

After stepping off the stage, Takeshi Kitano wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The old man sighed deeply, remarking on how difficult it was to navigate the political seesaw. He had to articulate the evolution of the city's core culture while simultaneously drawing conclusions favoring Li Xinghe's reforms. His political stance was now firmly established; he didn't need to come again.

……

Cultural figures are required to make political statements; this is an unspoken rule that the public is unaware of, but the media must portray.

Unlike Okinawan actresses who can easily use their ID cards to seek their fortune in Shanghai, Japanese actresses are scrambling to delete past tweets and try to distance themselves from conservatives. Actresses who have visited the Yasukuni Shrine or appeared at shrines dedicated to World War II victims have instantly fallen from top stars to street-side jobless individuals, scrambling to salvage their careers.

In an interview, Takeshi Kitano said he was happy to see the Chinese trend, so female celebrities simply waved their hands in short videos to get political approval.

In Northeast Asia, Li Xinghe's political statements have displeased China.

In response to the re-alignment of the US, Japan, and South Korea, China has made a statement by deploying two aircraft carriers in the waters off Okinawa for a large-scale naval military offensive and defensive exercise.

A certain war zone directly issued a sensational poster:

"Let's demand an explanation!"

The arrows on the poster point directly to Kyushu Island and Jeju Island.

This is someone looking for trouble with Li Xinghe.

You keep saying 'no war in Northeast Asia' all day long, but why does South Korea build ships for the US military while Japan has to repair US aircraft carriers?

Chinese netizens sharply criticize Li Xinghe:

"Pure scum of humanity!"

"Whoever feeds you is your mother! Whoever feeds you, you call them your mother!"

Everyone was very unhappy with him.

Although it seemed like a tense standoff was brewing, even ordinary Japanese people felt only a gentle breeze.

Li Xinghe could even handle attacks by US fighter jets with ease, so dealing with China's accusations should be a piece of cake.

With this confidence, Japan held its first formal parliamentary debate session after the chaotic local council elections this year.

Ayako Aso sat in the main seat, while Li Xinghe and Hua Yingmei Lu Yuchi each sat on one side, receiving the message from the 465 councilors.

In reality, most of them are Lee Sing-ho's own people, either members of public councils or members of various pan-left political parties. This year's election has led to the rise of the left wing, with constituencies in major cities turning red.

When questioned by China, Li Xinghe stood up and spoke with ease:

"Japan will be importing a large amount of goods produced in China. Japan's trade deficit with China fluctuates between 4 and 6 trillion yen annually. We believe there is still room for easing this deficit. We plan to issue 3 trillion yen in special import approvals, allowing products such as solar panels, whose domestic production capacity is gradually becoming outdated, to enter Japan with zero tariffs after establishing joint ventures to share technology."

In reality, Japan's photovoltaic industry is not bad, but although its technology is good, it has long been unable to be commercialized, and has been overtaken by its neighbor China.

Similar situations have occurred in many Japanese companies, including those in high-end agriculture, photovoltaics, and semiconductors—departments that heavily rely on laboratory research but struggle to commercialize.

So now Li Xinghe is trying a new approach.

I'll provide the market and technology, and you'll help with joint ventures and market implementation. That way, we can barely sell the technology that's been piling up in the lab for a good price.

The son doesn't feel the pain of selling his grandfather's land, let alone unprofitable wasteland.

It seemed as if China was enraged, and Li Xinghe stepped forward and performed a sliding kneeling motion.

I knelt down.

Why fight when you can resolve a conflict with money?

I really can't come up with a trillion US dollars, but Li Xinghe can easily come up with three trillion yen. He doesn't even need to contribute it himself; he just needs the banks to approve the loan.

Upon hearing that Li Xinghe was once again selling out his country for security, the netizens who had gathered to watch the spectacle immediately dispersed.

"It's boring."

"Let's clean up the mess, bro."

"I thought a fight was going to break out."

China quickly deleted the 'demanding' poster they had posted and replaced it with a post from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs praising Li Xinghe for upholding the principles of free trade and opening up to the outside world.

United States?

The US, of course, kept quiet and kept its tail between its legs. If they could protect Japan, they would have already taken a strong stance.

During the parliamentary inquiry session, a member of parliament asked:

"How can we ensure that expanding imports does not lead to extravagance and waste?"

Expanding imports doesn't mean importing everything indiscriminately; Li Xinghe has his own infrastructure plan.

Ayako Aso stood up and said:

"We have a super infrastructure 2030 plan."

"We need to establish at least one new state-owned photovoltaic joint venture, one large state-owned power supply company, one large state-owned water supply company, and one large state-owned construction company. This will reduce electricity and water costs in Japan and lower the financial maintenance costs for public transportation."

You don't know how expensive firewood, rice, oil, and salt are until you're in charge of the household.

After becoming the head of Japan, I discovered just how utterly devastated this place had become after Koizumi's liberal reforms. It was remarkably similar to the underdeveloped infrastructure in the United States.

Japan's water supply is just as bizarre as its electricity supply.

In Tokyo, there is a starting pipe rental fee of 1000 yen, which must be paid regardless of whether the pipes are used or not. In addition, there are strong tiered electricity prices. For example, if a two-person household uses 30 cubic meters of water per month, they will have to pay more than 4000 yen for water bills plus 1200 yen for basic pipe rental fees.

But that's not all. Because Tokyo has sewage treatment plants, the sewage pipes are also charged together. Not only are there tiered water fees like for purified water, but they are even slightly more expensive than purified water because sewage needs to be discharged.

Therefore, a two-person household using 30 cubic meters of water per month will have to pay more than 11,000 yen in water bills. This does not include the increasingly numerous strange fees mixed into the water bills, such as "urban revitalization", "pipeline maintenance" and "waterway replacement". This new tax can sometimes reach 30% of the water bill.

In comparison, Li Xinghe remembers that the cost of 30 cubic meters of water in China was only a few dozen yuan, which is a fraction of the cost of this amount of water in Japan.

The bigger problem is inaction than the expensive water bills.

The "water pipe replacement and repair fee" has been collected in the Tokyo area for 7 years, but large-scale water pipe replacement has never started.

The 'megacity' that the councilor talks about really only exists in PowerPoint presentations.

Of course, while the plumbers are making a killing, the extremely aging city pipes have still contributed to memorable scenes like the '7-year-old truck driver buried alive in Yashio City,' and the little-known problem of Japan's 203 million lead water pipes still unreplaced. Mei, I think you're free, Lin, are you there yet...?

After Li Xinghe explained the chaotic situation of Japan's water fees to the National Assembly and the Japanese people watching on television, Shika Michika stood up to express her opinion:

“We need to completely replace those lead water pipes. Just like we need to sign a bill to compensate Minamata disease patients from 73 years ago.”

She represented the Ministry of Justice in supporting Lee Sung-ha's reforms.

In Japan, the longest-running disaster recovery effort is not the Great Kanto earthquake, which has been under repair for 30 years, nor the Great Noto earthquake, which is still not under repair, nor the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which is currently being repaired. Instead, it is the Minamata disease compensation dispute, which has been ongoing for 73 years.

Of the approximately 10 victims, only 2300 (the vast majority of whom have died) have been identified as victims so far. This is because the Japanese government has set extremely strict criteria for identifying victims, requiring them to meet multiple conditions such as physical disability, motor incoordination, and visual impairment.

compensate?

Those who are recognized can receive 1600 million yen in compensation, while those who are not recognized have to fight their own lawsuits. Even if they win after a long and drawn-out battle, they will only receive two or three million yen in compensation, which is not even enough to cover their lawyer fees.

The Communist Party then asked:

"Then will you compensate the people?"

Do you think I can afford to pay for it?

Li Xinghe couldn't hold back either. According to the compensation standards at the time, he would have to pay out a whopping 1.6 trillion yen to the victims. This was all the fault of the Japanese government.

Li Xinghe explained his plan:

“We’ll allocate funds to Minamata City in Kumamoto Prefecture to establish a duty-free tourism zone and test the waters for expanding tourism. Their population has been declining, so we might as well consider developing a long-term tourism and accommodation industry for neighboring countries, or even creating a retirement city.”

Minamata City suffered from pollution-related PTSD after the Minamata disease outbreak in the 50s. The city has made great efforts to restore the environment and is now a well-known environmental and hot spring tourism city in Japan. It has several famous natural hot springs on the coast of Shiranui, which has a large tourism market.

Ayako Aso also added:

"We can also open up designated residences for Taiwanese immigrants. We can collect houses that are unoccupied or whose families are far away and redistribute them. This will allow more immigrants to quickly integrate into urban life and revitalize the city."

In this way, both consumers and service providers are available, and the population is filled, which can be considered an attempt at a new model.

It can lead to a hilarious situation where long-term tourists from mainland China check into a hotel and discover that there are a large number of Taiwanese immigrants there, and everyone starts communicating in Mandarin.

What about the Japanese?

Most of the local Japanese had either died from Minamata disease or fled.

Do the lawmakers support it?

They certainly don't support it.

But what's the use of objecting?

Li Xinghe's historical advantage is quite strange: Japan's various political forces and factions have either died out or grown old due to aging, leaving them powerless to resist. Those political factions, labor unions, and local power groups that once had a strong fighting spirit are now either in their graves or in nursing homes. The young people with a fighting spirit are still just small-time crooks, and even fools like Koizumi have been exploited by Li Xinghe.

Therefore, the members of parliament had no power to resist him.

"Vote."

Li Xinghe presented the Japanese with another dilemma.

They can either attract more foreign immigrants, using land and industry to maintain their aging cities, or they can choose to ignore them, living in dilapidated cities and gambling their lives for the future in the face of the powerful deterrent of Chinese warships.

He is a tough guy who can support aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and air defense missile systems, but he is also a bastard who recklessly sells out Japanese interests, dumps the technology stockpiled in Japanese laboratories, and even sells off all those peripheral cities in a package deal.

It's a super-powerful, enhanced version of Shinzo Abe.

Chapter 758: The Red Emperor's Support Association and Koizumi's National Service Corps (4500 words)

"Voting begins on the first round of the Major Infrastructure 2030 Bill and the Minamata City Elderly Care Plan Urban Special Zone proposal!"

"277:188!"

At the political inquiry conference, Li Xinghe's vote naturally achieved his desired outcome.

The major infrastructure bill involves procurement from China, spending 3 trillion yen to maintain stability. The subsequent elderly care plan concerns patient compensation and urban regeneration in Minamata City. These are all politically correct issues of great concern to the Japanese people.

Many politically conscious viewers watching on television also felt a mix of emotions. Under the premise of political correctness, Li Xinghe's governing plan was sweeping and radical, ruthlessly cracking down on areas that needed treason or reform, to the point that it gave people a sense of impending national collapse.

Seeing these voting results evoked mixed feelings among the people.

In reality, the vast majority of people dislike Li Xinghe's new plan. The 2030 Infrastructure Act aims to establish large state-owned enterprises, which would threaten the livelihoods of many local corporate groups. The Minamata City Retirement Plan is a blatant attempt to sell a city with a shortage of people to foreigners.

But politics is about taking a stand; your inner thoughts shouldn't prevent you from voting. If you support Li Xinghe but vote for the opposition, you might as well be waiting to die.

Those on the right wing who oppose Li Xinghe naturally stand up and shout:

"Oppose the Red Emperor!"