REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 38 - Farewell

Prime Minister's Office: Prime Minister's Press Conference

First of all, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the fallen heroes of Operation Peace Maker, which was launched in 1945 to achieve peace with the United States of America. At the same time, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the United States Forces Japan who participated in the mission with similar aspirations, but unfortunately perished in the fire of war.

All of them were loyal to their duties and were very proud members of the Self-Defense Forces and the United States Armed Forces. One staff sergeant was on his way to liberate a POW camp on the island of Saipan when a grenade was thrown at him and he threw himself into the air to prevent it from exploding. Another corporal was shot by a hail of bullets while trying to rescue a wounded subordinate, and met a violent end.

The loss of such important members is the greatest tragedy for our country. At the same time, I cannot bear the grief and sorrow of the bereaved families who lost their irreplaceable family members. I, Tadahiko Kato, am the Prime Minister of Japan and the Commander-in-Chief of the three Self-Defense Forces. I have never been more acutely aware of the seriousness of this responsibility. It was I, of all people, who authorized the launch of Operation Peace Maker. I cannot help but feel a sense of despair at the thought that so many precious lives were lost in the process.

At this point, I would like to talk about the success or failure of Operation Peace Maker. In conclusion, Operation Peace Maker failed to achieve its main objective. The details of the contact between the United States forces that transcended time and space on Saipan have already been reported. Lieutenant General Raymond Knox, commander of the United States Forces Japan's III Marine Expeditionary Force, was shot and is still in critical condition, unconscious. The USFJ emissary, who had gone to the island to negotiate peacefully was also shot and shelled with the heartless word "traitor." Atrocities against Japanese prisoners of war at the island's camps were also suddenly committed, resulting in the deaths of many, including the Self-Defense Forces who went to the island to rescue the prisoners. Hopes for dialogue and peace were shattered.

Unfortunately, this attitude was echoed in former President Roosevelt's speech. In fact, he has unreasonably framed Japan for the use of chemical weapons on Iwo Jima, an accusation that is completely baseless and contrary to all the facts. Needless to say, Japan has ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention and possesses no operational chemical weapons. Furthermore, they openly violated the cease-fire proposal based on the spirit of pacifism, and to top it off, they even declared to the whole world without any hesitation that they would annihilate our country from the face of the Earth and transform us into historical entities.

Until now, Japan has made sincere efforts toward peace with the United States of America in 1945. We have appealed to stop the war as soon as possible, to build a relationship where we can help and enrich each other through free trade, and to foster friendship. We have promised to deal with the treatment of former Japanese troops and their occupied territories in the Asia-Pacific region in accordance with the principles of pacifism and national self-determination. Even with regard to the Tokyo Air Raid of March 10, an outrageous act of war crime in violation of all international laws, we have stated that we would pardon the perpetrators if they were extradited and compensated for the damage, in view of the unprecedented abnormality of the time-space cataclysm. The response to these proposals was a barbaric speech, unbecoming of the leader of a civilized nation.

It is with the utmost regret, my fellow citizens, that our country has been declared a war of extermination without mercy, filled with only hostility and hatred. Our nation must now overcome the double crisis of national survival: the time-space cataclysm and the war of annihilation.