June 19th, 1940. Toyko
Sitting inside the Imperial Diet building in Tokyo, the current Prime Minister of the nation, Prime Minister Tsuji Masahiro awaits the arrival of the emperor of Japan, Emperor Hirohito, and his wife Empress Kōjun Nagako to arrive so that they can start the meeting today, Tsuji smiled to himself as he excused himself for a moment and went out to get some fresh air before the meeting would start, and at that time he began thinking back on the years before. Tsuji was the head of the government and the leader of the Shakai Taishūtō which was the Social Democratic Party that had won the elections in 1937 after the disastrous year of 1936 when the Young Officer Movement tried to coup the democratic government and restore a national-populist state with the emperor at the helm but was thankfully stopped by loyal members of the army and the naval garrison. Ever since that day, the radicals of the left and right political spectrum and their parties were cracked down on without remorse by the interim government of 1936 before the elections of 1937.
The elections of 1937 would be one of the most surprising outcomes in the history of the nation as most in the government believed that either the National Alliance Party (Kakumin Dōmei), the Democratic Party (Rikken Seiyūkai), or even the Market Liberal Party (Rikken Minseitō) would win the elections. But when it came down to the vote, the Shakai Taishūtō came out on top, much to everyone's surprise. Sure there was some grumbling here and there, but in the end, the people had spoken and it was time to get to work. He ordered a lot of standing reforms such as the suffrage of women and then switching the economic model of the nation to one that was more aligned with the ideals of Social Democracy that his party subscribed to, providing welfare support to those who were less fortunate, make more social housing and make it affordable, free healthcare, equal rights for all people living in Japan, Equal pay regardless of gender, etc.
Heck, the party was even able to implement reform in the military as many of the old guard in the army were purged after something known as the Red Handbook, which was a list containing the names of thousands of officers from all branches who were in line with the coup of 1936, was brought to the attention of the public after the press published it. Resulting in either the arrest or suicide of most of these officers and clearing the path for those younger career officers and those old guards who were not in line with the coup to move up, even cooperating with the government and ensuring that equal service was implemented starting 1938 with positions in the army that they could climb to through their years of service.
Tsuji's government had even made a lot of concessions to the people of the Joseon Peninsula for their poor treatment. Although not full freedom, the people of the continent were granted full Japanese citizenship with their full benefits, and their culture was not only allowed but respected, to ensure that the populace was happy, a lot of those affected by the crackdowns were given huge sums and stipulations to ensure that their grievances with the state were at least appeased.
And all the while, the military industry and capabilities of the state were being built up as the years gone by. The Second Maru Keikaku meeting held in 1936 and then the Third Maru Keikaku in 1937 had given rise to a certain faction during these talks between the government and the navy, this faction was headed by Isoroku Yamamoto and several other admirals and called for a restructuring of the doctrine of Kantai Kessen, this restructuring put more emphasis into using carrier and big-gun capital ships in conjunction with one another to offer both of their weaknesses but heavily asked for a more modular and shared construction component scheme in building future warships. The argument they made was that while having the most technologically superior ships in the world, it meant little if they were outnumbered 4 to 1 and so, they advocated for a mass production plan into the doctrine with ships sharing components and having modular sections for easy refitting and changing of armaments to make the production process easier and allow the dockyards currently and beginning construction the ability to churn out ships at a rapid pace. After the meeting in 1937, this restructured and redefined doctrine was put into action and was left to its own devices but still following rules and regulations that both sides set down during the meeting.
It was also during a military conference in 1937 that decided the doctrine of the Imperial Japanese Army, with the decision being that the war in Asia will be a long one and that they must have the will and the strength to outlast their opponents. This shift in doctrine brought about more long-term thinking in the IJA and IJAAS to ensure that both critical tools of the military were able to embark on such an endeavor. Weapons, ammunition, fuel, and rations were stockpiled for the upcoming war and military schools began teaching with an emphasis on logistics in Asia and how to ensure that supplies were always in hand. There was also a shift in the doctrine of fighting, with a doctrine copied from the West, specifically the Pacific States Of America still warring with the former United States and the other splinter groups of the 2nd Civil War, a doctrine that placed emphasis on having more guns in the fight and not sacrificing soldiers to suicidal attacks, the doctrine of Superior Firepower.
But to ensure that these guns, artillery, ships, tanks, and planes, had the resources and materials needed to be built, new mines on the home island and on the Joseon peninsula were opened and work began to bring their resources to the shipyards and factories of the quickly expanding military industry apparatus. With the new influx of working women from both pieces of land, the arms and dockyards quickly began speeding up production and with the new standardization policies being passed, tanks, planes, ships and weapons were all being made up to code and fast.
The Imperial Japanese Military had also been greatly expanding and by 1940, they were a force to be reckoned with as they had one of the largest professional armies and navies in the asian theatre, with a mandatory service law for all for a period of at least nine months before being discharged and offered to work in the industrial sector or do their own thing. However, many had understandable fears of female soldiers, sailors, and pilots being the victims of sexual crimes. There were only several cases from 1937 to 1938, in recruits being sexually harassed by their officers, but once those incidents were exposed, the military usually offered only two options to those caught acting in such a way, either commit suicide for honor's sake or be shot, but considering the crimes they had done to fellow service members. The option of suicide for honor's sake was removed and instead, it was replaced with a much sterner punishment as the offender, and their family were stripped of their rank and then their honor before they would be shot. This punishment did its job two-fold in delivering justice and also ensuring that further cases were to be avoided by all as the stain of being dishonored and shamed publicly did not sit well before being shot.
"Haa, we have come far" Tsuji remarked as he took a deep breath and let out a content exhale before the door behind him opened and an aide appeared
"Sir, the Emperor and Empress have arrived" The aide said with a bow
"Alright, time to get to work" Tsuji replied with a nod as he quickly made his way back inside
Reentering the Imperial Diet chambers, Tsuji and everyone else stood and bowed as they witnessed Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kōjun Nagako enter and take their seats, once they were seated, everyone else followed. After a few minutes of introductory remarks made by other members of the diet, Tsuji finally stood behind the podium and looked at the people of the chamber, a small smile on his face as he readied himself to give his address for the meeting today.
"Honorable Members of the Diet, it is with pride that I greet you all on this glorious day of days. Behind these doors and inside this chamber, we will decide the future, of not only our great empire but the future of Asia itself" Tsuji began
"As you may all know by now, the Chinese warlords are in a state of statement despite their open conflict and the powers in the West have been marching to the drums of war for almost a year now, have presented us the perfect time to strike. Our Chinese enemies are still fractured and in the middle of an all-out war with one another, the Syndicalist nations of the East Asian Syndicates that are aligned with the Bharatiya Commune are trying to help it fight and win its war of unification, and our greatest adversary, the German East Asian colonial government or GEA, is distracted as it sends a majority of its ground forces to Europe to help their cause there. There is no other time before the end of 1941 for us to embark on the great endeavor of spreading our democracy across the region and free our fellow asians from the scourge that is Syndicalism and Foreign Imperialism, we shall unite them all under one banner, our banner. And bring forth a new age through the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere where Asia shall be for Asians!" Tsuji stated, the fire and vigor in his voice causing the members of the diet and the few military personnel inside to applaud him for his speech.
"And once we have done this, we shall show the world that no one can stand against the Empire of the Rising Sun, not even the masters of the world, the supposedly strongest empire in existence ever since they won the First Weltkrieg, the perfidious Kaiserreich!"
"Tennōheika banzai!" Someone in the crowd shouted, with the rest of the chamber and Tsuji himself also shouting it as they turned to their monarchs
Emperor Hirohito and his wife both looked at one another before turning their gaze towards the rest of the chamber, the air thick with loyalty to them and the imperial ambitions of the empire. The young emperor smiled as he and his wife stood up like the rest of them and bowed to them in thanks, with a final resounding Tennōheika banzai! from the members of the diet before they were shushed by Tsuji as everything calmed down.
"Right, so let's start the meeting"
