Chapter 92: The Rising Storm - Diplomatic Tensions and Unforeseen Consequences
At the moment when Prime Minister Ozawa of Japan heard the shocking news, he hastily demanded his secretaries to prepare countermeasures.
Three warships emerged from the surface of the water near the east coast of Tsushima Island.
These warships looked too alien to be 21st century vessels.
Their hulls were entirely black, making them hard to distinguish, and they had no masts.
They ignored the warnings from the patrol boats of the Coast Guard that rushed to the scene and approached the island.
Captain Sanada, a first-class maritime security officer, ordered.
“What the hell are they… Notify the Maritime Self-Defense Force as soon as possible!”
The patrol boat only had a 40mm gun as its armament, so it couldn’t provoke those ships that weighed thousands of tons.
“By the way, does anyone know what kind of ships they are?”
Everyone in the bridge shook their heads.
“I have no idea. There are no ships in the world that paint their hulls black like that.”
“It would make sense if they were submarines… But they don’t look anything like submarines, do they?”
“…”
Captain Sanada felt uneasy as he watched the three ships approaching Tsushima.
There was a saying in Japan.
—If something happens, suspect Korea and Yu Ji-ha first.
It was a phrase that was spread by the Yushinkai after the nuclear test failed and it was confirmed that it was caused by antitron.
The Yushinkai claimed that anything bad that happened to Japan was always the fault of Korea and Yu Ji-ha.
Many Japanese who were influenced by their ideology stopped trusting Yu Ji-ha.
Captain Sanada didn’t fully believe that, but today it seemed certain.
“Are they trying to start a war…”
They were clearly new weapons from Korea, but what did they want?
They had committed multiple crimes, from illegal territorial intrusion to ignoring warnings.
Soon, two Asahi-class destroyers of the Maritime Self-Defense Force arrived nearby.
But even they didn’t take any action against the black ships.
Captain Sanada was angry.
“Those bastards are idiots. A Korean ship has entered Japan’s territorial waters and they’re just sitting there?”
“It’s not that simple, captain.”
The chief said and he asked irritably.
“Why not?”
“Well, because this time the Maritime Self-Defense Force occupied Takeshima by themselves. You saw it on TV before.”
He was about to argue that it was Japan’s inherent territory, but he closed his mouth.
This was not an easy topic to talk about.
It could trigger a war between Japan and Korea if handled poorly.
But they picked the wrong target.
There was a huge difference between Takeshima and Tsushima in size.
Unlike the former, which was a rock, the latter was an inhabited island with more than 20,000 people living on it.
“Is this their retaliation for us taking Takeshima? How absurd.”
Before he finished his sentence, the staff in the bridge made a fuss.
“Oh, it looks like they’re starting to attack.”
The two Asahi-class destroyers began to fire their guns in earnest.
It was a fairly short distance, so they scored hits after a few shots.
But the black ships didn’t react at all, whether they were hit or not.
The 5-inch guns looked like toy guns to them.
Then one of the staff who was watching with binoculars reported.
“Captain! Part of the hull of the black ship is transforming!”
“What? Don’t tell me…”
Was their entire hull made of black metal?
Before he could recover from his shock, the black ship finished its transformation and aimed its long barrel.
Everyone thought of the railgun cruiser that was said to be in Korea, and the actual result was no different.
A blue discharge occurred at the tip of the barrel and then it spat out projectiles one after another.
The projectiles were so fast that they hit the Asahi-class at the same time as they were fired and the sonic boom followed later.
Boom!
“121! 123 both silenced! They seem to have been completely penetrated from bow to stern!”
“Just with that?”
No matter how weak modern warships were, he never imagined that their hulls would be penetrated by one shot.
Of course, they weren’t sunk, but a ship with a broken engine was no different from a coffin.
After destroying two ships like that, the black ships calmly approached Tsushima Island.
…
“I thought it was impossible, but they really did it…”
In the office of the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo, endless groans were heard.
Three ships presumed to be from the United Human Federation attacked the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s vessels and landed troops on Tsushima Island.
Those troops were none other than androids and drones.
The prime minister’s secretaries seemed to be shocked by the sight of the androids that looked like Terminators.
One of the secretaries cautiously opened his mouth.
“Prime Minister, I don’t think the enemy is Korean.”
“I think so too. President Yu also said that the Korean army is not moving.”
“Do you think it’s the United Human Federation?”
“Probably…”
The United Human Federation was a small country that was born less than a year ago.
Since its owner was who he was, it was recognized by countries like the US and Russia, and it was also being invited to join the UN.
But no one knew much about their identity.
Japan didn’t know much about what was on Terra Island, except that it had facilities like prisons and camps.
One of the secretaries spoke.
“According to the latest report, the three ships are made entirely of black metal. They have ion thrusters and are armed with railguns.”
“All three of them have railguns?”
“No. The biggest ship seems to be a landing ship, and most of those androids and drones came from there. They were dropped from missiles one after another.”
At this point, Japan’s policy toward the United Human Federation had to be drastically revised.
They had to stop supplying materials to them.
But in that case, Korea would respond instead of the United Human Federation.
Prime Minister Ozawa didn’t know where to focus.
“Prime Minister, Japan’s territory has been attacked. We have to declare war immediately.”
Prime Minister Ozawa looked at him with no sense.
“Do you think we can use Type 4 anti-ship missiles?”
“Yes! No matter how powerful their railgun destroyers are, they won’t stand a chance if we fire dozens of them.”
“Then we’ll deploy landing ships to reclaim Tsushima City from those drones. Are you confident in ground combat?”
What an idiot.
Fighting those drones in the city was suicidal.
Even the US Army had concluded that there was no answer and planned to wipe them out with artillery fire.
The ground forces of the Self-Defense Force stood no chance.
Prime Minister Ozawa took a deep breath.
The Maritime Self-Defense Force had surrounded Tsushima Island, and the androids and drones that had occupied it were not moving for now.
He had to solve this before it got out of hand.
“Tell the Maritime Chief of Staff to join me for a cup of tea. And the Secretary-General of the New Japan Restoration Society too.”
The three of them gathered, and Ginichi, the Maritime Chief of Staff, silently yielded all his remarks to the Secretary-General.
It was a scene that showed their relationship blatantly, and Prime Minister Ozawa sighed inwardly.
‘Since when did a secretary-general, not even a party leader, have influence over the maritime?’
Until the previous prime minister, he had firmly held the military power, but he didn’t know how it had come to this.
It meant that the Restoration Society had a lot of power.
Those who had left the Liberal Democratic Party had put their efforts into the House of Councillors election and succeeded in securing a considerable share.
Originally, in Japanese politics, the House of Representatives had more authority than the House of Councillors, but recently it was not necessarily so.
The New Japan Restoration Society, which had occupied more than half of the House of Councillors, raised a banner against the Ozawa administration, and a large number of members of the House of Representatives moved to their side.
As a result, there were articles saying that the aristocratic house had been revived in Japan lately.
Their claim was summed up in one thing.
—Korea must be severed and Article 9 of the Constitution must be amended to create a new Japan.
Many people in the traditional right-wing, which was the Liberal Democratic Party’s turf, were also influenced by this claim.
In the midst of the changing situation, Prime Minister Ozawa saw himself as weak.
—-If Korea is not brought to its knees now, there is no hope for Japan. It must be done immediately, and Takeshima would be a good target.
He had occupied Takeshima like that, but Yu Ji-ha came back alive.
The basis of the Restoration Society’s plan was shaken, but they did not back down.
Matsuda, the secretary-general of the Restoration Society, challenged him in front of him.
“Tsushima has fallen? I’m afraid we’ll have to hold an immediate House of Representatives election.”
Prime Minister Ozawa calmed his boiling emotions and said.
“Yu Ji-ha has returned. Withdraw your troops from Takeshima immediately. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Takeshima is Japan’s inherent territory. You know that too, Prime Minister.”
“So you want to fight Korea now?”
“There is no war.”
Matsuda, who had a huge body, leaned forward.
“Korea is not in a position to wage war right now. And as impressive as their railgun cruiser is, they only have one. In a full-scale war, they will have to survive the baptism of Type 4 missiles. We are not North Korea.”
He doesn’t know anything.
Prime Minister Ozawa cooled his burning stomach with water and said.
“The perpetrator of this attack is not Korea.”
“Then who is it?”
“The United Human Federation.”
Their expressions changed strangely for a moment.
Are they talking about that island where they are still diligently delivering materials?
“What kind of troops do they have on that island? There are only prisons and camps there.”
“Yu Ji-ha told me himself. The Korean army is not moving. So those ships belong to the United Human Federation.”
“A small country that was born less than a year ago has a shipyard that can build such ships? That doesn’t make sense.”
Prime Minister Ozawa answered by showing him a photo that was investigated by the Cabinet Intelligence Office instead.
It was a hole in a cliff taken from far away.
It was blurry and hard to distinguish, but it was clear that there were various facilities inside the hole.
“The only shipyard of the United Human Federation. It was completed a while ago, so it’s not strange that they have one ship by now.”
It was far too short a time to launch a warship in common sense, but it became strangely short when Yu Ji-ha intervened.
The railgun cruiser in Korea was also launched in one year and deployed in combat.
From what he had seen so far, it seemed to have no flaws either.
Ginichi’s hand trembled as he picked up the photo.
“Why didn’t you tell us about this…”
“The prime minister doesn’t mean anything to the maritime?”
His mood was bad, so his words couldn’t be gentle.
Ginichi looked at the secretary-general, and he swallowed dryly.
“Then, did the United Human Federation attack us? We have to take Terra Island right away…”
“Please come to your senses! The US Navy is protecting Terra Island right now!”
“They may have made an agreement, but the United Human Federation attacked first, didn’t they? I don’t understand why you are being so weak, Prime Minister.”
“Do you want to give up all this?”
Prime Minister Ozawa threw the documents he received from his secretary on the table.
There were black metal battery factories built in Korea, Starfield-related companies, and plans to supply equipment for the completion of the nuclear fusion plant.
“He would have been dead if he hadn’t come back alive! Do you want to keep antagonizing them in this situation? Don’t you see that the world’s stock markets are rebounding in one breath? If you try to exclude Korea and Yu Ji-ha, there will be no future for Japan!”
“I don’t think so.”
Matsuda leaned his face forward.
“Japan has been too accommodating to Korea’s demands. As a result, Korea has become a spoiled brat. Maybe their national character is that anything goes if they throw a tantrum.”
“So you want to sever ties with that spoiled brat?”
“We have to go further and occupy Terra Island. The agreement with the US ends in January, so it seems that they made such a force by then. That means that if we just drag out the time a little, the US troops will leave Terra Island…”
“Do you think you can occupy Terra Island once the US troops leave?”
“The world has turned its back on Korea because of this execution.”
“That doesn’t mean the world will support us. Terra Island is the rightful territory of the United Human Federation.”
“They are not even members of the UN, let alone Iran. That means they won’t get any help from the international community.”
“…”
He was delusional to this extent.
Currently, various countries, including the UN Human Rights Council, were criticizing Yu Ji-ha’s treatment.
No matter how big a crime he committed, it was unthinkable to entrust the trial to an artificial intelligence and end it quickly.
But only France was seriously trying to confront Korea.
The rest were adjusting their speech levels enough and even sending envoys to Korea to discuss the future.
Human rights of other countries are not very important in front of one’s own interests.
‘How narrow-minded they are…’
Prime Minister Ozawa was about to continue his speech when it happened.
Knock knock, a short knock followed by the door opening abruptly. His secretary bowed his head.
“News from the Cabinet Intelligence Bureau! Korea has attacked Takeshima!”
Prime Minister Ozawa closed his eyes in deep despair.
He had tried hard to reconcile with Yu Ji-ha after the resignation of Prime Minister Genzo Fujimoto, who had made a mistake in imposing sanctions.
But it seemed that his term was over.
Breaking off diplomatic relations was the answer.
As soon as the participants of the National Security Council sat down, they heard the news that Prime Minister Ozawa had announced his resignation.
“The right-wingers will go wild now. In the worst case scenario, we may have to break off diplomatic relations with Japan. Keep that in mind when you make policies.”
The ministers and participants were silent at Yu Ji-ha’s words.
In fact, it was not surprising that a war had broken out and diplomatic relations had been severed.
Japan had occupied Dokdo first, but for some reason, the United Human Federation intervened and destroyed two escort ships and occupied Daecheongdo.
From there, they went further and the First Fleet, which included the Kim Gu ship, successfully recaptured Dokdo.
They kept firing from a long distance, and the Third Escort Fleet decided to withdraw after operating their CIWS.
They never intended to have a serious war with Korea in the first place.
The reason was that the Maritime Self-Defense Force was related to the Yuishinkai, not the Cabinet.
They couldn’t wage a war under the orders of a single party.
Yu Ji-ha understood this point precisely and ordered them to push forward.
After that, the Marine Corps and drones were deployed to carry out an operation to reclaim Dokdo, eliciting an enthusiastic response from the people.
The detained Dokdo guards were released and more than thirty Self-Defense Forces were captured.
“Citizens! The Rising Sun flag has been lowered from Dokdo and the Taegeukgi has been raised again!”
A reporter who entered by helicopter shouted almost hysterically.
The Koreans shivered at his report.
With this, Yu Ji-ha had regained Dokdo, which had been taken away from him.
At this moment, his support would be unspeakably high.
However, he was not satisfied or happy about it.
This incident was nothing but a plan to cover up the execution of 261 people.
Just as Japan’s occupation of Dokdo came up as a material, he expanded the situation and succeeded in burying the big incident of execution.
There were not many places where domestic and foreign media dug into that incident.
Everywhere they went, they only talked about Dokdo and Daecheongdo.
Yu Ji-ha turned off the TV and the participants coughed and straightened their posture.
The deputy minister who attended instead of the vacant foreign minister asked cautiously.
He was one of the few who managed to preserve his position from the purge that hit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He probably received an evaluation of being a typical bureaucrat who did his job well.
He was originally a director-level official, but he was promoted to deputy minister after receiving Yu Ji-ha’s call.
“Mr. President, you just mentioned breaking off diplomatic relations… The aftermath will be no joke.”
“Of course it will. But it won’t hurt us in the end. We’ve overcome Zhongmeng’s blockade, haven’t we?”
The War on Both Sides brought tremendous damage to Korea as well.
The rise in prices at supermarkets was nothing compared to the many companies that went bankrupt without receiving their payments.
Nevertheless, Korea succeeded in improving its constitution, because most of its semiconductor exports were taken away by America without hesitation.
In other words, there was no room for further ruin.
The trade volume with Zhongmeng still did not recover much, but Korea’s economy was not that bad.
Yu Ji-ha and Silla Group were trying to improve Korea’s economic constitution.
To be more precise, they were trying to put it under the influence of the United Human Federation.
The deputy minister nodded his head.
“That’s true, but…”
If Yu Ji-ha said something like that, it meant that he already had a countermeasure ready.
He looked around at the participants and said,
“Japan has lost Daecheongdo and been driven out of Dokdo. Now that Prime Minister Ozawa has resigned, Yuishinkai won’t leave them alone.”
“They will probably induce a vote of no confidence in the cabinet from the maximum faction of Sakaguchi.”
“The prime minister’s seat will be taken by the Jumin Party’s moderate, Minister of Administration Kanba, so they won’t sit still. The rise of the New Japan Yuishinkai will begin.”
The participants knew very well about the tendencies of the New Japan Yuishinkai.
In short, extreme right.
They were a distinct class from Japan’s traditional right-wing, and their main goal was to break off diplomatic relations with Korea, amend Article 9 of the Constitution, and rearm.
Their power was insignificant, but it increased tremendously after they failed the nuclear test and pointed to Korea as the culprit behind it.
—Jumin Party and Ozawa, step down. You have no intention of dealing firmly with Korea and Zhongmeng.
—We cannot forgive Korea for interfering with our nuclear armament. Japan has given up a lot to Korea in the past and even transferred technology. Is this the price?
—Let’s break off diplomatic relations with the ungrateful Korea and establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Zhongmeng is currently unable to pay attention to foreign affairs because of Xinjiang Uyghur.
These claims appealed to a lot of Japan’s middle-aged and older generations.
The younger generation was more inclined to be friendly with Shilla Group, including Russia, but the mainstream of Japanese society was still the middle-aged and older generations.
Anyway, Japan’s right-wing radicalization was inevitable, and Yu Ji-ha had no intention of stopping it.
He had hoped that Prime Minister Ozawa would hold on a little longer, but it wasn’t bad that Yuishinkai caused chaos.
He had no regrets about Japan, but there were many ways to exploit them if they had an extreme tendency.
“So… I want each department to prepare policies for breaking off diplomatic relations with Japan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs should prepare for withdrawing diplomatic missions.”
“Yes.”
“The Ministry of Industry should make a list of industries and items that will be affected if Japan imposes sanctions. I’ll take care of the countermeasures.”
“We’ll start right away.”
“And our military side also uses some Japanese parts… “
“I’m sorry, Mr. President, but the Korean military has domesticated most of the parts, and the exceptions are from the US or Israel…”
“Who doesn’t know that the image sensor and servo on the corps-level reconnaissance aircraft are Japanese? They’ll definitely stop exporting them, so look for image sensors from Germany. Contact BD for servos.”
How did he know that Japanese parts were applied to the corps-level reconnaissance aircraft?
Minister Kim Chul-woo sweated as if he was afraid of being caught, but nothing happened.
Yu Ji-ha gave some more instructions to the related departments and said,
“Breaking off diplomatic relations with Japan is inevitable. But there’s no need to be afraid. We may lose in the short term, but I’ll make sure it’s nothing in the long term.”
If someone else had said that, it would have sounded like arrogance or delusion.
But Yu Ji-ha actually made it happen.
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