Cash-Loaded Fleet

CIRCLE 2 PLAN | Chapter 10

Inappropriate Spending

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The 2nd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme was a response to the London Naval Treaty. In connection with the Circle 2 Plan, as it is commonly called, Binta Satsutaba was invited to visit the Navy Ministry. By the way, Binta was promoted from Special Mission Ensign to Special Mission Sub-Lieutenant due to his economic contributions to the Circle 1 Plan.

"I apologize for summoning you here. Minister Ōsumi has been called to the Diet on short notice," said Vice Admiral Kiyoshi Hasegawa, the Vice-Minister of the Navy, bowing apologetically.

A Vice Admiral in the Navy bowing to a Special Mission Sub-Lieutenant—this was an unprecedented sight in the military, but it was all made possible by the power of money.

'Perhaps the Navy Minister is heading to the Diet to explain or defend the Tomozuru Incident.'

Recently, during an exercise conducted in rough weather, there was an accident where the torpedo boat Tomozuru capsized. This tragic accident, which resulted in a total of 100 dead and missing, was widely reported in the newspapers, and Binta was aware of its details. The Diet is unlikely to remain silent about the Navy's blunder. On the other hand, Minister Mineo Ōsumi, having lost 100 lives, cannot ignore the Diet's voice. Therefore, Binta's reception was originally supposed to be handled by Admiral Ōsumi, the Navy Minister, but it was hastily changed to Vice-Minister Hasegawa, the number two at the Navy Ministry. Probably that's how it is.

Thinking about such matters, Vice-Minister Hasegawa suggested that Binta sit on the sofa. As Binta took his seat, Vice-Minister Hasegawa expressed his gratitude for his financial assistance in the Circle 1 Plan. He also mentioned that there was someone he wanted Binta to meet.

"My junior from my Naval College days, currently serving as the commander of the 1st Carrier Division, Rear Admiral Yamamoto. He will be leaving his post as the commander of the 1st Carrier Division this summer and preparing to go to Europe. However, before that, he definitely wants to meet and have a conversation with you, Satsutaba-san."

Given this request from the Navy Vice-Minister, Binta couldn't refuse it outright. Besides, he didn't know what kind of person Rear Admiral Yamamoto was. Therefore, even if he were to decline, he wouldn't easily find a legitimate reason. Just the fact that he was the commander of a carrier division suggested that he was likely an aviator. And the fact that he wanted to meet with him most likely meant it was a money-related matter.

As Binta agreed, Vice-Minister Hasegawa turned to the desk phone, picked up the receiver, and whispered a few words. After a short while, a knock on the door was heard in the Vice-Minister's office.

"Come in," said Vice-Minister Hasegawa.

"Excuse me."

With these words, a man with a small stature but an air of authority wearing the insignia of a rear admiral entered the room.

"My name is Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the 1st Carrier Division. I've heard about Satsutaba-san from the then-Navy Minister, Abo-san."

Rear Admiral Yamamoto extended his hand with a fresh smile, but his eyes didn't share the same warmth. Binta recognized the calculating look in his eyes, a look he had often seen on Wall Street. Seemingly in a hurry, Rear Admiral Yamamoto immediately got to the point.

"I wonder if you have an overview of the Circle 2 Plan, Satsutaba-san?"

Binta was diligent when it came to gathering information, but he had no knowledge of the Circle 2 Plan. It had not been covered in the newspapers or official reports. It was probably in the process of going through the Diet, or even if it had, it had not been announced yet. Despite holding the title of a naval officer, in reality, Binta was just a civilian. He couldn't have possibly known the details of the Circle 2 Plan in advance. Of course, obtaining such information was possible with money, but it held no merit for Binta. So, he honestly admitted that he didn't know.

"Take a look at this," Rear Admiral Yamamoto said, handing Binta a handwritten note with numbers.

The note had neatly written numbers on it. As a rear admiral, Yamamoto wouldn't make the reckless move of bringing classified documents to show Binta. After reading the note, Binta was utterly astonished.

"Are you serious, with this...?"

The numbers were unbelievable. Over 430 million yen was allocated for shipbuilding, and only 33 million yen for aviation squadrons. The difference was a staggering 13-fold increase for the former. At the same time, Binta realized why Rear Admiral Yamamoto wanted to meet with him. Compared to the Circle 1 Plan, the Circle 2 Plan significantly increased the budget for shipbuilding, but aviation saw a nearly 30% decrease. 33 million yen was barely enough to procure a single large cruiser. With this budget, there was no way they could compete with the greatly reinforced air forces of other major powers.

"It's utterly inappropriate to bring up such matters to someone like you, who has offered substantial assistance to the Imperial Navy. However, due to the generous budget allocation for aviation in the Circle 1 Plan, aviation is now being neglected in the Circle 2 Plan."

Indeed, as Rear Admiral Yamamoto stated, in the Circle 1 Plan, Binta had generously contributed the necessary amount to double the budget for naval aviation in the Imperial Navy. However, to avoid showing favoritism towards aircraft production, he had also provided funds for the conversion of battleships Ise, Hyūga, Fusō, and Yamashiro into 41 cm gun-equipped battleships, a sum that was even more significant.

'However, this consideration turned out to be meaningless.'

Binta felt a bitter taste in his heart. He was growing disillusioned with the organization that was the Imperial Navy, but he decided to continue the conversation with Rear Admiral Yamamoto. It was not too late to reach a conclusion.