June 3, 1963, 09:00
Akasaka Luxury Hotel, Imperial Capital
The situation in Japan changed drastically in just one day. Faced with what could only be described as an extraordinary phenomenon of moving to another planet, not a single person, be it a scientist or a citizen, understood why this had happened. Each newspaper prominently featured headlines such as "The Empire's Greatest Crisis: Movement to Another Planet," "Nation Isolated, Curfew Imposed," and "Military Deployed in Major Urban Areas."
With the phenomenon of transference, the foremost concern for many Japanese was the issue of food supply. Even including the grains already cultivated within the Empire, there were not enough grains to sustain the current population of mainland Japan. This was because the country relied on cheap food imports from Manchuria and the Chinese mainland. Products such as Nanjing rice, wheat, and sugar disappeared from retail stores within two days.
Even without rumors, most citizens foresaw the imminent depletion of food stocks due to the unpredictable nature of food imports. In places like Shinjuku, department stores were crowded with customers seeking remaining food supplies. Upon hearing rumors of rice availability, housewives flocked to these stores, resulting in overcrowding and a stampede that led to the death of 38 individuals.
Despite this chaos, the Taisei Yokusankai had yet to devise a means to select the next prime minister. Not only were various factions advocating for their interests and claims, but also the absence of a clear majority in the current situation meant that any election would likely result in a deadlock. However, if such a situation were to persist for days, the factions would undoubtedly face increased criticism from the public. Considering the risk of disrespect towards the Emperor, it was decided that all factions within the Taisei Yokusankai would convene for a meeting at a luxury hotel in Akasaka by noon. Under normal circumstances, it was unthinkable for leaders of opposing factions to gather for a meeting.
Especially among the Technocrat faction, the influence of the "Devil of Shōwa," a prominent figure in the progressive faction who had generated significant profits through legal and illegal dealings in Manchuria, loomed large. Additionally, the Reformist faction's emphasis on innovative methods had irritated both the Conservative and Technocrat factions. Therefore, the gathering of faction representatives to decide on the next prime minister was an extremely urgent matter with significant political implications.
The heads of the Kidoite, Reformist, Independent, Conservative, and Technocrat factions of the Taisei Yokusankai attended the meeting, and a large room was reserved to discuss the selection of the next prime minister and ministers from each faction. Takagi, the head of the Reformists, was the first to speak.
"First of all, we must address a crisis greater than the war seventeen years ago. Back then, we still had Germany and Italy in Europe, but now we are completely isolated. We must resolve this situation ourselves, and for that, the cooperation of everyone is indispensable."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Takagi's assertion.
He then proposed a method for selecting ministers and other personnel from each faction based on their expertise, which was also unanimously agreed upon. Furthermore, Takagi demonstrated strong leadership during the meeting, summarizing agreements in areas where each faction excelled.
"For the Conservatives, there have been discussions regarding their relationships with various zaibatsu. However, given the current situation, there is no way to overcome it without the power of these corporations. Ikeda-san, *1 I would like to leave the coordination with various zaibatsu corporations, including the Ministry of Finance, to the Conservatives. Would that be acceptable?"
"I have no objections. Furthermore, I intend to actively incorporate the opinions of the Reformists regarding domestic corporate-related activities within the Empire. There are no issues regarding cooperation."
"Next, regarding the Technocrats, I would like to request the drafting of legislation to prevent the outflow of our country's technology to the transfer destination. Especially, Kaya-san, *2 your assistance will be necessary for expediting exchanges among bureaucrats."
"Understandable. Fortunately, we have strong fixers here. Please leave the coordination among bureaucrats, centered around the Ministry of Finance, to us."
"And I would like to ask Kido-san and Aichi-san *3 to act as mediators between His Majesty and the factions. Particularly, I would like to request them to persuade each member of the Diet to prevent factional conflicts from intensifying. Is that possible?"
"We will maintain constant communication with His Majesty and offer recommendations and coordination based on the current situation."
"As for the Independent faction, I will attempt to persuade them. I will exert full effort to function as stoppers for each faction."
Takagi's leadership in this situation was due to his significant achievement of interrupting the parliamentary proceedings on the day the transfer phenomenon occurred and informing all factions of the situation. Even Kaya from the Technocratic faction, who usually opposes Takagi, only became aware of this abnormal situation because of the information provided by Takagi.
In both the Conservative and Technocrat factions, Takagi's objective analysis of strengths and weaknesses, not only of the faction representatives but also of the mechanisms that utilize the strengths within each faction, led to gaining trust. By focusing on the areas where each faction excels and maintaining a balanced proportion of each faction within the Taisei Yokusankai, the political entity regained its functionality, fulfilling its original purpose.
Through Takagi's coordination, eventually, all members, including Ikeda, Kido, and Kaya, recommended Takagi as the chairman of the Taisei Yokusankai, and after securing support from their respective faction members in parliament, it was implicitly agreed upon by all factions that Takagi, representing the progressive faction, would be the prime minister.
As the prime minister was chosen in the hotel room, they immediately received information that the Navy's First Fleet dispatched as a vanguard, had made contact with locals' ships near the new continent.
To take a risk for someone.
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Notes
*1: A person who became the representative of the Conservatives following the resignation of the former Prime Minister.
*2: A person who was in charge of finance during the Pacific War as Minister of Finance in OTL, and after the war ended, a person who served as the chairman of the ruling party's policy research committee. In this world, he is the reigning head of the Technocrats as a representative of the bureaucrats led by the Ministry of Finance.
*3: In OTL, he was responsible for economic coordination in postwar Japanese politics, and in this TNO world, he is a representative of the Independents.