Prologue: Did you get that memo?
0800hrs, 11 February 2013, Tokyo, Japan
"Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes…The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized." Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.
It was a normal (well, as normal as politics can be for politics) day at the capitol of Japan. The prime minister's residence, called the Kantei, was humming with activity, even though it was relatively early in the morning. Staffers walked about with important papers for the Chief of Staff to see and sign off; the secretaries were writing their reports and the security detail was…well, they were standing there, doing their security thing.
The Diet, or the Japanese assembly had just began their session and already, it was looking to be a long one. There were some important bills coming up, especially regarding the Japanese Self Defense Force. Japan, by law, cannot have a "military", ever since WWII and that unpleasantness that was the atomic bomb. China was acting up however, and attitudes toward the JSDF were changing, especially in regards to external relations with other countries. Japan did not want to seem weak, with their economy lagging ever since the 1990's recession and with renewed pressure, both economically and militarily from many East Asian countries. In response, a memo, drafted from the Ministry of Defense and covertly slipped by courier to the Prime Minister's residence, suggesting a more, "direct" approach to the checkbook diplomacy that Japan had so faithfully followed in the years since WWII.
"The Systematic Awareness Intelligence Operational Recon Service Force (SAILOR-SF) will be responsible for the safety and continued wellbeing of Japan, responding to both domestic and external…"
"Wait wait wait," Prime Minister Kenji Hasegawa said, looking up from the memo to his chief of staff. He was eating breakfast, some buttered toast and coffee but this had just spoiled his appetite. "Who the fuck wrote this thing? You know this is asking me to violate Article Nine."
Article Nine of the Japanese constitution was the big one; it was one that prevented Japan from having a military, de jure. Japan had been involved in some oversea missions, like sending "one" minesweeper to Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and a reconstruction battalion in 2004 to Iraq. There had also been some missions in the Indian Ocean, a mission to Afghanistan, and a base built in Djibouti to prevent piracy. But overall, people saw the JSDF as more of a humanitarian group, supposed to help people out in earthquakes and floods rather than to kill.
"I have no idea," the COS said uncomfortably. "I know that there are some within the Diet and the JSDF that want to expand the operational capacity of the Defense Force, but…"
"And who the hell came up with this acronym?" Hasegawa continued. "Were they trying to become as obtuse as possible?" The acronym was also written in katakana, awkwardly spelled as the Suitemateku Awuerinesu Enterijiensu Opurashunaru Rikon Sarubasu Fosu. He sipped some coffee, but now everything was bitter; he put the coffee cup back down.
"Sir, I don't know."
The PM sighed. And this was going to be such a great day, he thought to himself. He kept reading the memo.
"…threats of a hostile nature. In conjunction with our allies (read, the United States), SAILOR-SF will conduct operations within Japan and around the world to ensure the security of Japan and its interests."
Oh my god. The PM said to himself. This is going way off the deep end here.
He took off his reading glasses. "Get me the Minister of Defense and the COS for the Joint Chiefs."
By the tone of his voice, the PM's COS responded without question.
Thirty minutes later, MoD and COSJC were there, looking down with shame.
"Who...the…fuck…wrote…this…?!" The PM said this very, very, slowly and carefully.
"Sir," MoD began, but COSJC cut him off.
"I wrote it," he said.
The PM just looked at him.
"We all did," MoD continued.
"Who exactly, is we?" the PM asked.
"All the Joint Chiefs, the MoD, several division level commanders, a couple of captains from the MSDF, half the MPs in LDP and DPJ, well, when we asked them in a certain way…" the MoD answered.
The PM stared in silence. This was tantamount to a coup. Or that amounted to one in Japan for that matter.
"What were you people thinking?!"
"Sir, if we don't do something, Japan will fall as a nation from the international scene," COSJC said.
"Goddamnit, we fought and lost a war because of that," Hasegawa spat back. "I am NOT going to be the one that remilitarizes this nation."
"We are not going to remilitarize the nation," MoD replied.
"Then what is this memo all about then!"
"Sir," COSJC said. "What we are suggesting is a force that operates in secret, no larger than company strength and only a few actual operatives that respond to the most critical of threats in the world, especially to Japanese interests."
"And who would this force be accountable to?" the PM asked sarcastically. He knew the answer even before the MoD replied.
"To you, of course," MoD said matter-of-factly.
Great, the PM thought again. My own private army, doing my dirty work around the globe.
"Prime Minister, we need to do something. SAILOR-SF is the only way we can get around Article Nine."
By going straight through it, the PM noted.
"Give me a minute," the PM said to them. "I'm not happy with you or anyone who was involved with this memo. But…"
MoD and COSJC hung on to that "But…"
The PM sighed. Japan was on the decline, no doubt. The once powerful economy was in the doldrums ever since the 1990s. China, Taiwan and South Korea were eating into the once powerful Japanese manufacturing and service industry, the building of military strength in said countries, and the aftermath of yet another recession…Japan could not take much more. The earthquake and tsunami hadn't helped either. Many youths were out of work, not to mention the rest of the population which was getting older all the time, xenophobia was still high, no immigration policy to speak of…
The weight of all these facts came down on the PM like an anvil. His nation could no longer stand back and look pretty. They had to do something. Anything.
This was not right. Then again, the things he had to do to get to the PM's spot were not right either.
"When can you start?"
"Sir?" MoD asked, confused.
"I said, when can you start?" the PM repeated.
"As soon as possible," COSJC said.
Hasegawa was about to make the biggest decision of his political career. If he went through with this, it would be a complete 180 from Japanese policy in the past. And it was all going to come crashing down.
"Alright then. Organize this…SAILOR group. Immediately. Do what you have to do."
"Yes sir." The MoD and COSJC bowed and left the office, the twin oak doors slamming behind them.
"Dammit." Hasegawa reached in his desk and pulled out a flask of whisky. The wife didn't care for him drinking, but right now, he needed it even if it was only the morning. In one pull, he finished half the flask.
"COS," he said into his intercom after finishing his pick-me-up. "What do you have for me today?"
"Sir, you have an appointment with the Minister of State for Postal Reform at 0900, a meeting with your cabinet secretaries at 1100, a lunch with…"
"Cancel everything before lunch and get my foreign policy advisors in here, ASAP."
"Sir, you've been putting off that meeting with Postal Reform…"
"Do it." The PM was not going to be trifled with today.
"Yes Prime minister."
The PM looked at that flask of whisky, but put it away. He needed to be at least sober for this.
And just when things were starting to look up, he thought.
Author's note:
I don't like putting notes down here, but some explanation on some of the acronyms:
COS means Chief of Staff. That means this guy is in charge of who sees the PM (Prime Minister), his schedule, his meetings, his workload...pretty much everything. One correction I have here is that it shouldn't be "Chief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs"; It should be Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff, or COSJS, not COSJC. My mistake.