REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 66 - War Intentions and Speculations

Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo: National Diet Building

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takano left the Speaker's reception room and emerged into the plenary session hall. Entering from behind the Speaker's desk, he carried a black lacquer tray containing a dissolution decree wrapped in a purple fukusa. First, the Speaker opened it, confirmed its contents, and then politely handed it to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"I have just been informed that the Prime Minister has been issued an Imperial Decree, and I will read it aloud," the Speaker of the House of Representatives declared, and at the same time, everyone in the room rose to their feet.

"In accordance with Article 7 of the Constitution of Japan, the House of Representatives is hereby dissolved."

"Banzai!"

The members of the House of Representatives raised their hands and cheered three times, followed by thunderous applause.

At this moment, they lost their status as members of the House of Representatives. With the exception of a few who had announced their retirement in advance, they were transformed into a crowd of people who had won the election campaign and were now ready to gather here again. They shook hands with their colleagues and left the plenary hall one by one.

"Now, it's a two-front war," Kato, now the head of the Cabinet for the Execution of Duties, commented. "Let's all come back together... and we'll get back to normal."

"Get back to normal... that's quite a good line," Takano responded. "Isn't that a perfect slogan?"

"It's not that much different from what it was over a decade ago."

"I think it's fine. In fact, we need it now."

"I see... that might be true."

Kato nodded and looked somewhat far away.

A world that had been peaceful, albeit with some problems, may have disappeared somewhere beyond their reach. However, Kato was convinced that it was his duty to at least bring Japan as close to that time as possible.

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Washington, D.C.: The White House

The chaos caused by the air raids on the mainland was sweeping across North America. Public offices, state governments, major corporations, and financial institutions, the backbone of the nation, had been blown to pieces, or were moving in different directions out of fear that they might be targeted in the future. Even if the government tried to control them, it was difficult just to understand the situation, as the people in charge had been killed in the bombing and phone lines were not working. In the meantime, the next important facility was being obliterated.

"Are you telling me you can't see everything we're doing...?" President Truman snarled in contempt.

According to a written report of discussions among scientists, science fiction writers, and others who had escaped damage, the satellites launched by the Japanese military, although extremely small, might have a certain degree of reconnaissance capability. The reason for the unusual efficiency of the air raids was also attributed to this.

Fortunately, the report also stated the direction of the measures to be taken. It was estimated that Japanese satellites in low orbit could be shot down by anti-orbit guns with a speed of over two kilometers per second. The orbital calculations of the targets could also be done by electric calculators—even though the ENIAC at the Ballistic Research Laboratory had been dismantled. Of course, anti-orbit guns are just a pie in the sky, so they had to be designed and developed from scratch, but they were still a better part of the equation.