"Another round of sanctions," a younger girl, about 15, in a military uniform, said to herself as she looked over a stack of papers in a folder labeled 'Current Issues.' "This is gonna fucking kill us eventually."
"Madam," another girl, who was a year older and had black hair in pigtails. "We still have the DPRK and China on our side."
"Azusa-chan," the leader replied. "Just call me Ui. Just because of where I am now doesn't mean you have to be formal with me all the time. I know we have North Korea and China with us, but it may not be enough. China is getting impatient, and have you seen the way the Kims rule? They're little better than us, if not worse." She then slammed a fist onto her desk in frustration. "And people say I was too immature and young to take over for my father when my sister Yui refused the call. Kim Jong-il was years ahead of me, and he arguably is worse."
"You're more honest than your father," Azusa told her as she took notes down. "To be honest, I love Yui-chan to death, but she's not suited for this role. I can see why she passed it up."
Ui nodded. "You're right. Still, it feels like at times I was handed the reigns a bit too early."
...
My name is Ui Hirasawa. I am 15 years old, and I lead the Democratic People's Republic of Japan. On March 27, 2008, my father, Sasuke Hirasawa, passed away suddenly, and the circumstances of his death seem suspicious. He lead our republic from 2000 upon the resignation of our previous leader, Norio Watanabe, until that day. He had always groomed me and my sister Yui to one day lead, but he never could have expected me coming to power so soon. Yui was always the one who was expected to take over, but she had other plans in the form of diplomacy. She never was keen to lead or take major responsibilities. I, on the other hand, always desired it.
My father in his 8 years of rule had built a personality cult around him, and he ensured his rule remained strong. Much to my own personal chagrin, God rest his soul, he antagonized the West even more than his predecessors. Until 2000, we were a semi-normal Socialist state, a vestige of the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. We had weathered the collapse of our most important ally because we had participated in the opening of relations with the West the Soviets had in the 1980s. For a while, it looked like we may have become another China. My father threw that all away, though. He wanted a return to traditions, and he got it by cancelling further negotiations with our disputed territories in South Japan, the remnants of the brutal Empire of Japan, and by breaking a massive taboo in our culture: The research and testing of nuclear weaponry. The first test occurred in 2007, and it sparked outrage. Our economic strength is terrible, and our image is even worse. I may continue my father's propaganda that everything is fine, but I'm not stupid. I will write the truth down as I see it here.
...
May 1, 2008, May Day Celebrations
Flanked by her closest advisors, largely consisting of her former classmates in school, Ui prepared a speech to the throngs of citizens and soldiers flanked before her in Sapporo, the capital of North Japan, from the podium of the Hall of the Japanese Worker, a massive edifice built in 1967 that stretched over several city blocks and served as both the headquarters of the Communist Party of Japan and the official residence of the Secretary-General of the CPJ, who was Ui. Ui also held the title of President of the DPRJ as well.
"Thank you, thank you," she addressed as the crowd fell silent. "Today, we celebrate the workers of the world. We celebrate those who have stood up against the bourgeoise and oppression and for the proletariat. May Day is a day of remembrance, but also a day of action. We must continue the revolution started by Karl Marx and continued by many more after him, such as Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Nikita Khrushchev, Kim Il-Sung, Fidel Castro, and many more, including our own founder, Kyuichi Tokuda. He led our party after the Emperor's forces suppressed it during the Second World War, and rebuilt our nation in the image of socialism. Even with the challenges posed by the United States and its puppet to the south, we have remained strong, and we will continue to do so. However, this May Day, we must also realize that war is a horrid thing. War should be avoided whenever possible. I am not suggesting we should not defend ourselves from aggression. I am suggesting that we cannot be the aggressors. My father before me made many decisions that greatly benefited this country. However, he was also human, and he made some mistakes, though his correct decisions far outweigh his incorrect ones. One decision of his that I wish to correct was the decision to pull out of talks with our neighbors to the south and with the West. While it may have made sense at the time due to the unequal status of the talks, nowadays, we have little to lose by returning to them. I wish to extend my hand out to the international community and seek to rebuild that broken trust, because as much as we may try, we cannot always depend on only ourselves. Socialism is an international movement, so the idea of staying isolated from all others makes absolutely no sense."
As Ui continued her speech, Azusa noted to Yui, her sister, "She's trying very hard to not outright attack her father."
"I know," Yui replied. "I would have a hard time myself. It's a good thing my mom is out on an international trip to China right now. I think she may have some issues with this speech." She then sighed. "Oh well, soon it may not matter."
...
May 10, 2008
As Ui returned to her office from exercising in the HJW's weight room, she noticed a guard standing outside the door and was immediately confused. "Huh? Soldier, what's going on?"
"Dear President," he addressed her by as he blocked the office. "I'm afraid you cannot enter."
"Says who?" By now, Ui was getting very suspicious and concerned. This had never happened before.
"Me," called out a female voice from behind her. As Ui turned around, she gasped as she saw her mother walking down the hallway with an AK-47 in her hand. "Ui, my dear daughter, I'm afraid that I can't let you tear down your father's legacy like this. You're far too young to lead."
"What? Why? Mother... How?!" Ui was horrified by the implications being laid out in front of her. Her own mother was about to betray her. She then turned to the soldier, "Did you know about this?"
"I did," he replied, indicating his treachery. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
Suddenly, both him and her mother raised their guns, ready to fire. Just as Ui closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable, several gunshots rang out, but nothing hit her. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw Azusa holding a gun of her own as her mother and the soldier fell to the ground. "Azusa-chan!"
"Madam," she said as she ran for her. "What happened?!"
"My... My own mother tried to kill me," Ui began to cry as the realization began to hit her. "Oh my God..."
"Ui-chan," Azusa replied as she comforted the young leader. "You're alright. You're alright. We need to find the others who conspired to do this. They didn't act alone."
...
May 12, 2008
Ui addressed the CPJ's congress at a special meeting of the party held in response to the failed coup against her. She was still shaken up by the fact that part of her own family tried to kill her, but determined to punish those responsible. As she took to the podium, she held a piece of paper with names on it. "To the members of the Congress of the Communist Party of Japan, I have in my hand a list of 36 people in this room. The people on this list will be asked to leave the room after their names have been called, or they will be forcefully removed by the Japanese People's Army. Any sort of anger or rage in my voice is not meant towards the other 264 people in this room. The rest of you did nothing wrong."
Yui stood behind her, worried about what would happen next. "This will be an interesting congress meeting."
"Now... Kyousuke Hirasawa." Ui had just listed her paternal uncle, her father's brother. "Sachiko Inoue." This was Ui's maternal aunt, her mother's sister. "Judai Yazawa." This was the DPRJ's Finance Minister. "Daichi Yazawa." Judai's brother, he was a high-ranking admiral in the Japanese People's Navy. "Takeo Fujiwara, Yusaku Go, Fumiko Ayase, Emi Kousaka, Subaru Mitsuhara..."
As she continued to list names out, soldiers escorted each person out of the room silently. The others in the room all stared in fear, wondering what was going on and wondering if this had anything to do with the coup attempt. Azusa simply nodded and smiled behind Ui, saying to herself, "Goodbye, traitors."
Once Ui was done and the last person was led out, she continued with, "All 36 of these named invidivuals were implicated in the failed coup against me led by my mother. As we speak, all 36 are being led to a court-martial, where they will be judged to see if they truly are part of the coup. Those who had the most involvement shall pay the highest price for their treachery: death. As the General-Secretary of the Party, I can not tolerate attempts to use violence to pursue goals or take up disagreements among the ranks, especially when that violence is targeted towards me. Let this be a warning to any who think of standing in the way of progress and unity and who think of killing others to achieve their goals of an isolated and backwards Japan: you will be brought to justice."
The remaining 264 in the audience all clapped for Ui after the speech, some uneasily, but most in support, having been shocked at the coup attempt against her. With the isolationist camp shattered, Ui now had the ability to pursue her goals of a North Japan who was no longer the "Second Hermit Kingdom of Asia."