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where the pallor of smoke hung high in the atmosphere over both cities and was
visible from locations all over the islands.
But April 8thdawned a new day. It was a day that began with the
Japaneseairforce reduced in numbers by almost 40% over the previous day. It
was a day that began with the Japanese Maritime Defense
Forces depleted by almost 20% of their destroyer strength over the previous
day. It was a day when the
Japanese people and many individuals in Japanese leadership were questioning
their ability to defend themselves. It was a day when more and more Japanese
contemplated a futility unknown since the days of August 1945.
April 8, 2006, 17:30 local time
Emergency Command Shelter
Outside of Tokyo, Japan
Prime MinisterHatoyama Kakuei listened as the various ministers continued
their discussion with the heads of the various branches of the military
regarding the traumatic events of the last thirty-six hours.
Virtually everyone in this room had lost someone dear to them. Thankfully,
outside of a number of more minor air skirmishes, and continuing ballistic
missile barrages directed at military installations, there had been a lull in
the fighting for most of the day. Nonetheless, the political debate regarding
what to do next had raged all day.
The Prime Minister and his cabinet were a representation of the Liberal
Democratic political party that had held together a majority coalition in the
Japanese government for so many years& actually for decades. On social issues
they had always been liberal, even socialistic by some standards& but on
military issues they had always been fairly conservative. Despite this, due to
the events of the last six
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weeks, there were cracks appearing in that coalition. Things had been viewed
as difficult - even catastrophic - after the defeat of the large American-led
Korean relief force last month. Now that the
Japanese themselves had suffered such a defeat, for many in attendance at this
meeting the situation was beginning to look absolutely hopeless. The military
did not believe so. The heads of all three major service branches of the
Japanese Defense Forces were convinced that they had the capability and the
will to continue the defense of their homeland, and to carry the fight to
their enemies. They were pressuring their civilian leadership for three
things:
Planning and conducting a massive retaliatory attack against major Chinese
military installations, governmental facilities and infrastructure using Air
Force and Maritime forces.
Authorization to utilize in the proposed attack the dozen nuclear weapons that
the Japanese had very carefully and secretly produced and stored over the last
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five years.
Immediate authorization to implement emergency production of dozens more such
devices, according to plans that had been secretly developed for several
years.
HatoyamaKakuei harbored mixed emotions. Clearly at current attrition rates, if
the Chinese and North
Koreans were willing to continue - and every indication showed that they were
- the ability for the
Japanese Defense forces to even mount such an attack would evaporate within a
few days. Their very ability to defend Japan at all against air attack would
disappear not long thereafter. The opportunity to strike back existed now, and
it had to be either used, or discarded.
On the other hand, what were the chances of such an attack being successfully
carried off? The Chinese numbers were overwhelming and would be tough to break
through with the resources left to Japan. And what if Japan were successful?
What would be the consequences?
That latter question was somewhat easier to answer. The Chinese also possessed
nuclear weapons and they were more numerous and potentially more devastating
than the weapons that the Japanese possessed. They would surely use them
against Japan. Japan was a much smaller and more densely populated nation& of
allnations, Japan knew what the consequences of nuclear detonation on
populated cities would be. It was a consequence that the Prime Minister would
do almost anything to avoid.
 So, Kakuei mused,  either we fight to the death& a death that would probably
not be too long in coming& or we face defeat& either abject military defeat, or
a negotiated one.
Of all the options, perhaps there was still some room for an honorable,
negotiated end to this& before it was too late for all the citizens in his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]