Konpeki no Kantai::Volume1 Chapter2

Konpeki no Kantai Volume 1 Chapter 2

Chapter Two: December 8th – The Destined Outbreak of War

1

On December 1st, Showa 16, the capital was clouded over.

The Japanese delegation reviewed the Hull Note on November 26th, but having decided to commence with the war, on this day, the Imperial Council determined to start the war against the USA, England and the Netherlands.

The Commander of the Combined Fleet, Takano Isoroku, received a directive from the Navy General Staff.

Imperial Decree Number Nine

December 1st, Showa 16

Decree from the Imperial Navy General Staff – Nagano Osami

Orders to Combined Fleet Commander-in-Chief Takano

(1) The Empire has decided to commence war against America, England and the Netherlands on December 8th (two or less redacted).

Takano murmured, “So history was going to repeat after all.”

At the same time as this decision, they had their own prearranged plans to leap into action.

Already, in absolute secret amongst themselves, the plans for carrying out the coup-de-etat had been carefully arranged.

The same day, at eleven in the morning, Lt. General Ootaka, leading an Army force of 25,000, descended on the capital in assault vehicles.

The first phase had several objectives. The first was the official residence of the Prime Minister. Soldiers burst in, armed to the teeth, the residence was occupied in the blink of an eye, and Prime Minister Nanjou was detained and placed under house arrest.

The Army General Staff Office in Miyakezaka was raided by battalion sized forces.

The Navy General Staff Office was occupied by the Yokosuka Navy Base landing force.

At once, martial law was imposed on the greater Tokyo area. Infantry and tanks were stationed at critical locations within the city.

As far as government and military leaders were concerned, it was a bolt out of the blue.

Lt. General Ootaka held a press conference late that night from the Department of the Army.

Otaka, his face looking a little nervous, read the statement aloud...

"Your Excellency, may we ask you some questions?"

"Go ahead," replied Ootaka, raising his voice.

"The proclamation was signed by Commander in Chief of the Combined Fleet Takano. Is the Navy participating in the uprising too?"

"Of course. If have any doubts, you can get a confirmation directly with His Excellency Takano."

The reporters in the conference room murmured amongst themselves.

"It would appear the reasons for the uprising have nothing to do with the February 26th incident."

"Of course not. We and they are not the same. As for our objectives, by eliminating certain military authorities which have run wild, we can expect to win in the war between Japan and America."

"If so, then we are not going to accept the Hull Note from the Americans?"

"Gentlemen of the Press, the Hull Note was intended as a deception. I wish it be understood that it is the Americans that wish to fight with our country."

The questions poured over him one by one, Ootaka dealing with them skillfully,

"Well then, gentlemen of the Press, I would like to ask for tremendous cooperation from all of you from now on. As for us, we will not hinder your activities in coverage of the news, so that our true intentions can be conveyed to the people of our nation, and not be misunderstood."

"Your Excellency, what will happen with the censorship by the authorities? As we are..." That reporter spoke nervously.

"We intend to be understanding. Our policy will be to handle as many requests as possible from the Press, so that we might keep up."

There was quite a commotion in the conference room.

Ootaka's remarks implied the abolition of the infamous "Public Security Preservation Laws" which limited free speech.

Ootaka raised his voice yet another notch higher.

"We wish to repeat that the purpose of our uprising, in accordance with our proclamation, is to overthrow the military dictatorship of General Nanjou. We would appreciate your cooperation in working through this national crisis, working together so that its meaning may be well understood."

Applause rose from the press corps.

If he could, Ootaka would have liked to talk with the journalists some more. All speech rejoicing in the accomplishments of war would be limited, and the use of political authority to squelch opposing arguments through policy would be strongly opposed.

However, his aide whispered in his ear.

Promising he wanted to have meetings with press like today's often, Ootaka rose from his seat.

When he entered the cabinet minister's room, he found a visiting senior statesman waiting there.

"Everything is going according to plan," Ootaka reported to his comrade.

Afterwards, they talked privately, just the two of them.

2

The next day, the official imperial command was received, and the new Cabinet established.

Throughout Japan, naturally, it raised a commotion just as if heaven and earth had been flipped, one over the other. But, the press applauded their uprising as a heroic undertaking.

In this way, the Prime Minister named to lead the new cabinet, Ootaka Yasaburou, made his moves in rapid succession. Everything was done at lightning speed, in accordance with well laid out plans.

In the meantime, because the Army hardliners of Nanjou's group were already far from Japan as the Southern Expeditionary Force, their response was delayed. They did not receive detailed information as to what had happened now in the capital city.

The situation for the hardliners heading north and for the leaders of the Kwantung Army was the same.

First of all, the authority to form a new government was granted by Imperial Decree. To go against it thoughtlessly would be treason. Once it was seen that the new government's position was stable, even the mood of the once hostile army hardliners flowed away like the ebbing tide. In this, of course, could be seen the careful groundwork laid down by Ootaka Saburou…

Well, the Army General Staff Office was a problem. This was now the base for the Army diehards. As for them, backing Chief Nanjou was all an arbitrary exercise in national politics.

Ootaka would not overlook this. He immediately added weight to the hand of reform. For those who got angry, army prison awaited them.

The Army General Staff Office was endowed with the mighty right to speak, and had the fig leaf of the principle of independence of command. But their chief officer, Admiral Sugiyama was only a figurehead with a robot-like existence, and the real power was held by the First Division’s staff for strategy.

The First Division was the department in charge of strategy. The men there used the secrets of the High Command to shield themselves, forming an insular group. Ootaka was extremely angry at this group, which was attempting to guide this later Japan into the very same ruin the prior Japan had suffered.

Before they knew it, those who had received the task of dealing with the earlier Nomonhan Incident returned to the First Division staff. They were, in fact, super elite graduates of the Army Colleges had been hardened by studying in German schools.

Transfer orders from Ootaka banished them without a word of explanation. Taking their place in charge of the First Division were officers trained in British or American transfer schools.

"Reform, especially in the General Staff Headquarters, is the first step in preparations for victory."

Such were the words that Ootaka Yasaburou let slip.

As for him, he was concerned for the senior commissioned officers who had been demoted from military headquarters to study abroad in America and Britain so they would get to know the real conditions in those places.

There was, so to speak, a doctrine of German-worship. Because of that, of the Army General Staff Office section chiefs, the group studying America and Britain were a minority.

But if you don’t know your enemy, how are you going to win the battle? The Army General Staff Office's pro-Germany leanings had the effect of reinforcing their contemptuous attitude toward America and Britain... That was the very cause of their great defeat in battle, Ootaka concluded.

In this way, under the determined new Prime Minister Ootaka, the plan to reform the Army General Staff Office was swiftly put into action.

"Gentlemen, upon your return I expect our General Headquarters will be able to function as it once did." said the new presiding staff officer, Naoguchi Takeshi, by way of encouragement.

General Naoguchi, apart from a certain extreme secretiveness regarding the future, decided on a policy of open and improved communications within the Army General Staff Office.

In this way, the highly classified information was retained by a select few in top departments, and the staff required was given to a deputy minister.

Those assigned as new staff were not limited to the Imperial elite as they once were. Those who come up the escalator do not really understand the hardships of the battlefield. From time to time, their plans worked out on top of desks resulted in the death of many officers and men. The Nomonhan Incident, for instance...

What's more, there would not only be the elite Imperials in the top departments, but civilians as well, a reform that to the traditional army was unthinkable.

The top departments suddenly came to life.

The aim of the reforms wasn't the affliction of narrow-mindedness. It was so that the staff officers could draft their strategies from a broad perspective.

Next, sections for the management of information were established, and vast quantities of data were quickly organized. Documents were photographed, so they could be searched for and reviewed at times of need. That was extremely useful later on.

And those reforms were not all. The secondary information department was greatly expanded.

This department wasn't just about all sorts of information. Their job was the analysis of the information, to discover the best use of it. The matters treated were not simply those of military import. It was decided that matters such as industry, geography, folklore and psychology would be handled as well. The majority of the staff would be civilian experts.

In any case, there was hardly any time. Everybody worked through the night.

The Department of the Navy, as well as the Navy General Staff were more or less the same. As President of the Navy General Staff, Takano Isoroku was inaugurated and given supreme command.

3

For his part, Prime Minister Ootaka announced the new administration to the American government.

It goes without saying that the American reaction was one of astonishment.

Prime Minister Ootaka, through his ambassador stationed in the USA, issued an ultimatum.

A summary of the contents follows here:

(1) The Japanese Empire formally requests the withdrawal of all Western forces from South-east Asia, and the removal of the American, British and Dutch from all Asia.

(2) After this the Japanese Empire will cause self-directing governments to be established in each nation of Southeast Asia.

(3) Upon acceptance of the foregoing by your nations, and at the same time it is carried out, our nation will accept the Hull Note.

(4) The deadline for acceptance will be Japan time, December 7th of this year, twelve o'clock midnight. In the case where there is no reply, with regards to the three nations, the United States, Britain and Belgium, the Japanese Empire is committed to declare war.

The above warning was also conveyed to Southeast Asia.

All of this occurred on December the 6th.

--- "The leader of the coup d'etat, this General Ootaka, is, as far as we are concerned, an unknown person. We don't know the true meaning of this."

"It may be a ploy to prolong the negotiations. Why don't we take our time in giving our reply, so that we can observe the situation?"

"Nevertheless, they have struck us where it hurts."

"Yes, Mr. President. This person is different from the leaders of Japan up until now, demanding that we withdraw from French Indochina and China, let alone from Asia."

"The Japanese side would never deliberately accept the contents of the Hull Note. In short, we served Japan an ultimatum, but this person Ootaka returned it back into our court in splendid fashion."

"Quite so. What on Earth sort of guy... What's different from the previous leaders of Japan is that you cannot look down on him. This is the only thing clear, I think."

"Because he's declaring war on our country with dignity, eh?"

"Perhaps this Ootaka is a more formidable opponent than we had imagined."

"He certainly sees through our intentions in negotiating with Japan."

The White House emergency meeting was in disarray.

They had not been taking Japan seriously. They had negotiated with Japan thinking they would pull back when threatened.

"Dr. Hornbeck is disappointed already."

That would be Stanley K. Hornbeck. Living for a long time in China, this man was famous for having written the book "Contemporary Politics in the Far East." He was a leading figure in the Japan-America negotiations. Coolly overlooking the strenuous negotiations, he guided the country towards war.

"Mr. President, our hard-won policy with respect to Asia will not fall to pieces."

"I agree. As for us, we manipulated the ignorant Japanese Army, causing them to invade China. What's more, censuring them for this, we strengthened the ABCD Line. Guiding them to a war with our country, we aimed to settle the issue all at once. That is, with one more step, our long term plan for Asia will collapse, starting at the root."

"It is as you say, Mr. President. Our plan for using Japan could be frustrated."

"No matter what, we must let Japan take the first step. The majority public opinion here at home favors isolationism."

"Yes. If Japan were to launch a surprise attack, public opinion might suddenly turn in the direction the President wishes."

"That's right. As far as we are concerned, Japan has bound itself tightly in a triple alliance with Germany and Italy. This is because of high-level strategies of ours. If Japan starts with us, then we will be able to automatically declare war on Hitler."

"Yes, a plan for killing two birds with one stone. We planned on dispensing with Japan in two years, and were looking into what to do after the war was over..."

"They had firmed up."

"Yes. Because once the Asia plan was accomplished, we had plans to sweep European influence out of the Pacific. We even had plans for the decline of British power there."

"The miscalculation being that the Soviet Union was unexpectedly strong. We would let the Soviet Union be thrashed by the Germans, and then force the Germans to surrender. That was our overall plan for world domination... But, didn't the Soviet Union start their general counter-attack against the Germany Army near Moscow today?"

"Yes. It was quite unexpected. Because from our so-called tactics in high level diplomacy over the past ten years, everything was going to plan up to this point."

"We must hurry up and join the fight against Germany. If we're late, Europe will fall into the hands of the Communists."

"Understood. The President wishes our priority be on the war with Germany."

"That is correct. Unfortunately, we must set aside our reply to Japan."

"Then we should notify the entire army that war with Japan will start on December 7th."

"No, wait on that."

"Why, sir?"

"So that domestic public opinion will be inflamed."

"Yes, sir. We will proceed according to plan so there is no mistake in mass communications."

Japan's policies were at this point perfectly understood. This because the Japanese codes were largely deciphered already.

"All things considered, you are a pretty good actor, Mr. Secretary."

"The Japanese delegation are pretty good actors too, Mr. President."

"However, we understand the enemy's heart from reading their secret codes. Poor things, the Japanese side doesn't even know we are playing the clowns."

"Well, it may even be that the Japanese delegation is being deceived by the Japanese government itself."

"Even so, what in the world are they thinking? They don't have one tenth our industrial might. Don't they understand they will surely be defeated?"

"Yes. It's because they, as a race, have a different way of thinking from ours."

"Oh?"

"Rather than saying that they will choose profit over empty reputation, they care about honor, and not losing face. We are different from them. We study our opponents well, but among Japanese researchers, the spirit of the Samurai lives on. They say it rules that country. That is, they have a thing they call 'the aesthetics of death.' They have a custom of glorifying death."

"Mr. Secretary, that is something I know too. They say that Bushido is where one discovers death."

"Starting this year, they published a battle doctrine, ordering them 'if you become a prisoner of war, you will die.'"

"Hmm, I don't understand."

"Yes. It is something entirely incompatible with our ideas."

"It's not reasonable."

"Like something out of the Middle Ages."

"Is there such a country still on this planet?"

"Mr. President, please keep in mind that we are fighting that sort of unknown people."

"Understood. Do the military leaders have the willpower to drag the whole nation to its destruction?"

"If the war starts to get desperate, such thoughts will almost certainly come to their minds..."

"That would perhaps be if there was a decisive battle in the country proper."

"Quite possibly."

"It would be a matter of fighting the entire country. Our losses may well exceed a million men."

"Mr. President, the Manhattan Project should proceed without delay."

"Yes."

"Understood. Let's do that."

"It's a new device that can kill hundreds of thousands of people at once, but if they resist to the last, we may have to use it."

"Japan shouldn't be fighting with us, of course."

"The Germans are quite likely to succeed in developing the atomic bomb before us if we don't hurry up."

"If Hitler obtains such weapons, the world will be destroyed, Mr. Secretary."

"In that sense, we must force Germany to surrender quickly."

"To that end, we must declare war on Germany as soon as possible. We received a request like an arrow from Churchill. However, the public is against it. If I dare pursue it, I will take the brunt of the criticism and will face a battle in the upcoming elections."

"For that reason, we will provoke Japan."

"Precisely. It's a shame, but in order to protect the world from Hitler's malign influence, it must be done."

"That's right. But such is the strangeness of global strategy."

"So it is."

4

Prime Minister Ootaka issued a directive to the armed forces on the 7th. It was an order that once the first operations of the war were complete, the people indicated in the following lists were to be discharged from the military. A large number of Army personnel were being dismissed.

Receiving the orders, the Army caught fire with anger. They still believed in their independence of control.

From their point of view, they answered only to the authority of the Emperor. Not the Diet, nor the Cabinet, nor even the Prime Minister could interfere with the military.

Because of the defects in the Imperial Constitution created in the Meiji Era, our nation walked down the road to military dictatorship.

Naturally Ootaka was fully aware of this. To amend the constitution, even to keep them from laying hands on him right away, the leaders of both the army and navy forces would have to be replaced.

Because this list was very significant, Prime Minister Ootaka issued it before the war started.

In the case of the Army, there was a tendency to think of people as if they were cattle or ammunition. Weapons cost money, but soldiers could simply be drafted with a post-card. Their priorities backwards, it was outrageous to hear.

For the sake of a simple recruiting system, you placed a great roadblock before national industry. As a result of such recruiting, of course, young engineers and researchers were being sent out into the battlefield.

It was indeed shallow thinking. This was the cost of deploying a million man army to the Chinese Front alone.

However, modern war was all out warfare. Waging war without the backup of industry was not waging war. Worse, if the war dragged on, the domestic defense industry would become a serious obstacle. The impact was striking in the world of aviation, with the constant production increases and model updates demanded there. In the closing years of the war, most of the airplanes did not perform according to their intended abilities.

In the last stages, the Japanese Air Force seemed to be averting their eyes from its defeat. The myth of the Zero already falling to pieces, being knocked down in favor of new planes such as the enemy’s Grumman F6F and the North American P-51. Indeed, far from simply making a mistake in their predictions, it was negligence on the part of the military leaders in not realizing just how serious the question was.

Usually, "Obsessed with Chess moves, thinking they only need to manage this war, the very existence of these outdated military leaders is a cancer." Ootaka Yasaburou, who understood things that way, ordered the engineers rounded up by the Army and Navy to be brought back home to Japan proper.

This would have great meaning later on. However, he foresaw a battle with an army that continued to rest on its laurels and privileges...

The evening of the seventh, Japan time, a telegram was received from the ambassador saying that there had been no response from the American government.

At about that time, in Washington, the Japanese Ambassador was giving a statement at a press conference.

This big news, saying that only a few hours remained before the outbreak of war, passed in the blink of an eye not only through all America, but the entire world.

"Mr. President, this was sent in advance."

"This has become awkward."

This because what they had hoped, a surprise attack by the Japanese, had not come to pass.

"What's more, the clearly stated reason for going to war is 'to create governments directed by the people themselves.' With them celebrating loudly the 'Liberation from Western Colonial Powers', we are in a bad spot. If we aren't careful about this person 'Ootaka' who came up with this, things will not turn out well."

"For certain this guy is different from the kind of easily managed Japanese leader we've had up to now. He's quite the strategist."

"I would guess that there would be a few people here who would stand up in sympathy for Japan's challenge."

"Indeed."

"What's more, at the press conference, he went so far as to call for the formation of a national liberation front in restraint of white people. With this, we probably cannot ignore the influence of the domestic minority."

"What the hell kind of guy is this Ootaka? Investigate at once."

At that moment, the privy secretary burst in.

They looked at the telegrams. They were messages from every South American embassy.

"Let's have a look."

The President frowned.

It seemed the Japanese Embassy had sent identical statements everywhere in South America. South America was America's back yard. The United States had constructed Pan-Americanism in the first place, and was strengthening that domination.

No, when you looked at the telegrams arriving one after another, Southeast Asia, India, the Arab countries, Africa and other such places dominated by white people, identical statements had been issued.

"With this, Japan is the champion of justice. We've been made the bad guys."

The secretary's face twitched.

"I think this is indeed a clever strategy. Confused and at a loss, we are to be sucked under by a whirlpool of tribal independence movements around the world."

In the seriousness of the moment, even the President lost his voice.

"At any rate, look at it. Isn't this a statement to make one cry?" murmured the President.

"Yes. It is a strategy unique to Japan. It doesn't appear to be something Hitler suggested."

Up to this point, they had thought that Japan's policies were strongly influenced by those of Germany.

The proclamation given out in white dominated areas was saying "We the Empire, in sorrow for the miserable state of the non-white people throughout the world, set our own lives aside and rise to action."

They had put together a splendid justification. Indeed, it was magnificently singing the praises of the fight for right.

"They completely beat us to the punch. They've taken a page from our own script, haven't they?"

The President was not in a good mood at all.

How would the justice-loving American people, who played the part of self-appointed police to the world, respond to being struck like this by Ootaka Yasaburou?

Indeed, wasn't catching your opponent by surprise the very heart of the game?

5

From the experiences in his former life, Ootaka Yasaburou was bitterly aware they could not possibly match their opponent.

First of all, Japan was exhausted from their long war with China, all before the outbreak of war with America. Because it was a war to which they'd sent a million man army, it was a huge portion of the national budget.

What meaning this held was obvious. However much armament you made, nothing new was brought to life. It was production to meet consumption, nothing more.

War is also business. Speaking of companies, they were at the moment oozing with sloppy management. Already, the Japanese economy itself was entering a perilous state. Military spending was the same as investment, or in other words nothing new came out. The facilities of the domestic defense contractors were wearing out, and the populace was being driven into poverty. This being the reality, trying to spread the slogan "We want nothing until the victory" had no meaning.

He wondered if within the military there was even one expert in economics. Even if it was only for the moment, those holding positions in the army upper echelons were simple minded soldier fools. Far from having ears to listen, they didn't even have an understanding of the basics of economics.

To that extent, the training of the military authorities in management was mistaken.

Even so, every last one of the arrogant, self-righteous military authorities ignored sound reasoning from the start. Their objections made no sense at all. Whether throwing around theories about national polity, or about idealism, they showed no signs of remorse. What's more, they kept those who would cough up sound reasoning at bay by means of purges, demotions and arrests.

The organization, even by these high-handed methods, would become more or less stable. That was, however, only a stopgap measure. The internals were no more than stable. On the other hand, situations in reality progress steadily, and turn out in accordance with sound arguments.

Ootaka would often say to the members of the Deep Blue Society, "The beginning of the war succeeding beyond expectations, carelessness spread throughout the armed services like a disease."

"The turning point, I think, was seen in roughly June of Showa 17. The Battle of Midway, in early June, was a crushing defeat."

And again,

"Even so, had we limited our initiatives on the war front, we might have been able to halt the American counteroffensive at the inner South Seas area."

Ootaka said, regretting it also...

In any case, in Ootaka Yasaburou's own mind, the preparations for winning the Pacific War were completed at the time of the coup d'etat.

The first thing was to overthrow and toss out the incompetent warlords. If they didn't deal with the ghosts of the Meiji era, however you waged the war, defeat was certain.

Secondly, a revolution in the military organization. Pour some new blood into the ossified military leadership. Both the Army and the Navy were similarly in this: roughly according to their seniority, or perhaps according to their rankings in school and the rankings of their schools.

However, organization by seniority becomes rigid.

Again, standing in one's class is an indicator of your strength in paper tests. It is a system that favors those who have good memory.

In wiping out these abuses, Ootaka wasn't too fussy in taking action to put the right people in the right places.

...Thus, in the end, at midnight on December 6th, Japan welcomed the day the war would start.

It should be called the destined outbreak of war, the start of the great war...

Would Japan, by means of any sort of secret plans, be able to fight their mighty enemy?

Would Japan, by playing out any sort of strategy, be able to toy with their enemy?

To be able to win, overcoming their absolute disadvantage, they had no choice but to wage war with their heads.

To hold back somebody so big, they had to use clever schemes.

Would they achieve anything by the end of this story...?

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