George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 44

< Episode 43 >

‘There’s so much to gain, it’s not just about exploitation.’

There was a time when Japan was considered the epitome of service industries. Bush was thoroughly experiencing that firsthand. Of course, it was a bit of a buzzkill to think everything was just a service smile, but where on this capitalist-dominated Earth was there a place without service smiles?

The hospitality continued after that welcome. Bush felt like an emperor, even if just for a moment. It was the kind of luxury that made you understand why the wealthy kept throwing around hundreds of millions in tips.

‘Let’s see how far they’ll go with this charade.’

He didn’t know what they would demand in return for this lavish hospitality, but aside from transferring anti-terrorism know-how, the only demands he could imagine were cooperation on ‘hosting the World Cup solo’ or ‘returning Japanese abductees’ [Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea in the 1970s and 80s]. Maybe they’d even demand an ‘amendment to Article 9 of the Constitution’ [the clause in the Japanese Constitution that renounces war].

When considered individually, they were just scattered, long-standing issues, but combined, they were the foundation for Japan’s political grand strategy. Japan’s grand strategy was to solidify its position as the coordinator of Northeast Asia. Ironically, national prestige was essential to seize this East Asian hegemony, and there were two crucial things needed to raise this national prestige.

Solving the issues mentioned above and gaining recognition from the United States, the only superpower on Earth.

The former could be managed somehow, but the latter required the recognition of the United States, whether they liked it or not, which meant the recognition of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So, what was Japan’s ultimate goal?

‘Restoring their status to what it was before the Lost Decade [a period of economic stagnation in Japan following the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble in the early 1990s].’

In the 1980s, Japan was briefly the best in the world, even if only economically. Of course, it was in an economic sense, but even the United States bought Japanese TVs, and Americans carried Japanese Walkmans. Japanese companies dominated the top spots in the corporate market capitalization rankings. Even now, in 2001, their economy was still the second largest in the world.

Everyone, regardless of country or ethnicity, wants to return to the good old days, the golden age. Even the Han Chinese want to return to the Ming Dynasty, and on an individual level, people yearn for their youth as they get older. Businessmen drowning in debt long for the days when their businesses were thriving.

So, Japan’s grand strategy was bound to take that form, and naturally, the shift to the right was inevitable. The right wing progresses when the people want it.

That’s why the words that came out of Prime Minister Koizumi’s mouth were so unexpected.

“The light-water reactor project?”

Since the main players in the light-water reactor project were the United States, South Korea, and Japan, it might seem natural to bring it up, but it was too light of a jab compared to what Bush had expected. He had been bracing for a straight punch, but all he got was the light-water reactor project, so Bush was so taken aback that he had to suppress the urge to retort, ‘Is that it?’ rather than just saying, ‘Good.’

“We want to increase our share of the costs, in other words, our stake.”

The light-water reactor project was basically funded 70% by South Korea, 20% by Japan, and surprisingly, 10% by the EU. The United States was responsible for the costs to keep KEDO [Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization] running and the heavy oil to be provided to North Korea. It was a massive project with an estimated total cost of $5.68 billion.

‘So, they’re saying there’s something they want to get no matter what. Or do they want to do something with that increased stake?’

“Tell me. That can’t be all?”

Koizumi quickly opened his mouth, realizing that Bush was becoming wary. Koizumi Junichiro was an extremely shrewd man in international politics.

“We want to resolve the issue of Japanese abductees in North Korea.”

‘Is that why they’re increasing their contribution? Something feels off. Now that things have escalated, it seems like there’s some check on South Korea involved too. No matter how many connections they make in North Korea, they’re useless if Kim Jong-il tells them to get lost.’

“Hmm.”

Bush chewed on the colorful sweets that pleased the eye. The finest sweets, offering not just sweetness but all sorts of flavors, represented Bush’s complex state of mind. No matter how much Bush acted as he pleased, the United States was always at the center of his whims. Kim Kap-hwan from when Bush had just taken office might not have, but George Bush, who was a blend of Kim Kap-hwan and Bush, had no choice but to prioritize the national interests of the United States.

Of course, he would throw away national interests if it went against his nature.

‘At the very least, I can help resolve the issue of Japanese abductees.’

It didn’t violate the minimum of humanity left in Bush, it aligned somewhat with the interests of the United States, and the only person who would be harmed was Kim Jong-il. At first glance, Japan had always been the biggest key to America’s East Asian diplomacy. Therefore, a third party would think it right to support Japan, but considering Japan’s rightward shift that would gradually take place, that wasn’t necessarily the case.

In fact, the Obama administration would have given sufficient warnings about the rightward shift if it hadn’t been for China. However, they determined that China’s rise was a more urgent issue than Japan’s rightward shift and condoned it. The result was the amendment of Article 9 of the Constitution through the rightward shift.

In that sense, there were many difficulties in unconditionally supporting Japan. Of course, the fact that the contents inside Bush didn’t particularly like Japan also played a role, but that was just a matter of personal preference.

Even excluding that, it was not right to unconditionally support Japan when considering the above reasons rationally. What the United States was pursuing was ‘peace’ in East Asia through the US-ROK-Japan alliance. Peace, not war! Peace!

“Is there anything else besides that?”

“Apart from the transfer of terrorism know-how that you promised, there is nothing for now.”

Even though Bush knew Koizumi’s true nature, he momentarily mistook Koizumi for a very humble and kind pushover. But there was no way that was all.

The issue of Japanese abductees was a big deal in terms of Japanese domestic politics, but if you asked if it was worth spending hundreds of millions of dollars, you would tilt your head in doubt. No matter how he thought about it, Koizumi was not the kind of person to obey the United States without any reason.

‘This guy definitely has something else up his sleeve. The quiet ones are the most dangerous, damn it.’

It was easy to understand the purpose of a politician who was full of ambition. But when they tried to hide it like this, he had no idea. Unless it was the very late stages. When he thought of the political moves he had made to enact a conciliatory policy to the point of issuing the Koizumi Statement, nothing particularly came to mind. Thinking that, Bush decided to throw out a bait.

“Then how about this? I’ve always been interested in nuclear power plants. But the Fukushima nuclear power plant is very old. How about building a new one or renovating it for the sake of the East Asian environment? That old nuclear power plant is very dangerous. A report came up that the western United States could be hit if it explodes. I’d like you to resolve that within my term.”

It was a strong move. It was also something he said knowing full well that they wouldn’t accept it. It was clearly an act of interference in internal affairs. Furthermore, it was even less appropriate for the President of the United States, who had withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol, to say such a thing.

“Haha, there’s no reason not to. That issue is not only a matter of American security but also a matter of Japan’s.”

‘Look at this? It’s clearly an act of interference in internal affairs, and they’re accepting it?’

It was true that the report had come up, but in reality, the western United States was not affected when the Fukushima nuclear power plant exploded. After the Fukushima nuclear power plant exploded, the United States, seeing Chernobyl overlapping with Fukushima, fell into a state of semi-panic and moved quickly.

They analyzed it using all sorts of methods, including atmospheric analysis using the Global Hawk, a military aircraft, and none of the methods used were not ‘advanced.’

The conclusion of the isotope analysis report, created by pouring in that advanced technology and money, was that the western United States was not within the sphere of influence of the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Nevertheless, there were two main reasons why Bush brought up this issue.

One was the conscience remaining within Bush, who was always actively working. There would be nothing better than preventing the Fukushima nuclear accident.

But the other was the function of judgment that this statement would bring. What kind of bait is this? It would be a measure of ‘how far will they listen to the words of the United States?’

If they had shouted, ‘This is interference in internal affairs!’ or showed a reaction like, ‘Ah, this is a bit much,’ he could have said, ‘I was sorry about that,’ and confirmed how far he should go, but since they accepted it right away, Bush had nothing to say. Bush, feeling very uneasy without any proper gains, smashed the innocent sweets.

Of course, there were no political gains. But there were conscientious gains.

Bush’s forte was to crush stubborn and headstrong people head-on. People with steel-like personalities who would never bend, like Dick Cheney or Kim Jong-il. In that sense, Koizumi, who was willing to bend, could be considered Bush’s nemesis in a way.

‘They’re the kind of guys who would do a sloppy job even if I told them to just do an inspection, or they’d resist, saying we don’t do that kind of thing. This is strange. Is it because it’s Koizumi? Or are these guys quietly preparing something really big?’

While Bush was having increasingly bizarre thoughts, Koizumi was thinking this.

‘Tell me more, tell me more! As long as it’s not really unreasonable, I’ll listen to anything for now. I’ll take the future instead!’

In Koizumi’s eyes, he saw Bush winning the next US presidential election by a landslide. Half of it was a hunch, and the other half was based on Bush’s actions so far. He was reckless diplomatically, but the aftermath was strangely clean. Furthermore, after witnessing his bold, no, extreme, skill in pressuring North Korea, it became certain.

This was the era of the United States. He had set a strategy to endure momentary humiliation and gain the next 7-8 years. Furthermore, it was also because unreasonable demands, let alone rude ones, had not yet been made.

Of course, the fact that the aftermath was clean was also due to the officials Bush was running working like crazy, but it was also largely because the shackles that could restrain Bush had not yet been properly created. The advisory group that Bush had created himself had long become useless, and they were screaming and rolling around trying to clean up the messes the president had made, so they couldn’t even think straight, needless to say.

Anyway, the issue of the aging nuclear power plant was something he could agree to. It was the so-called ‘Koizumi’s connection strategy.’ It was very simple, but what strategy could be more effective than becoming close to the current president and the next presidential candidate?

In addition, Japan had originally been heavily influenced by the United States’ words since World War II. It wouldn’t be strange to do this now. In that sense, the path Koizumi was taking could be said to be the royal road of East Asian international diplomacy.

The problem was that the person who was supposed to be the connection was very suspicious of Koizumi.

“That’s good. As always, the US-Japan alliance will be strong.”

In the end, Bush, who couldn’t figure anything out, looked at the interpreter with strange eyes. He thought, ‘Is that guy translating the words strangely?’ but he soon dismissed the thought. No matter what, it wasn’t like translating a game or a novel, so there was no way they would have brought in someone who would joke around with the translation of a major national affair.

‘Should I run the CIA to find out what Koizumi is thinking? No, even if I do, the CIA isn’t omnipotent. I’ve already ordered them to do a lot of things. If I give the CIA more budget, I’ll have to be mindful of Congress.’

‘If I’ve done this much, you’ll give me some crumbs, since you’re a human being. It’s more important to look far ahead than to look at short-term gains now.’

The exclusive meeting ended with one person suspicious and the other believing that things would work out well.