The Sword of Damocles (Gameplay Thread) (Early 1930)

[Dereich]

To: The Russian Empire, The United Kingdom, The Ottoman Empire, The Kingdom of Romania, The Empire of China, The Kingdom of Italy, Various NPC Monarchies

From: The Empire of Japan

In celebration of the Emperor's ascension and coming of age, it is His wish that the young Monarchs and heirs of the world attend his coronation in Tokyo for a summit and meeting of the Monarchs of the next generation in two months time. As the Emperor has written,

Peace and Harmony
Blooms like flowers in the sun
Through noble friendship.

It is the hope of Japan that friendship and understanding between the next generation of rulers will ensure a bright and prosperous future for all the world. The Emperor believes that only through friendship can the next generation wash away the sins and grievances of the past and begin again. His hand and the hand of Japanese friendship is open to all.  Security arrangements and other necessities can be prepared separately.

This request is sent to
Edward, Prince of Wales
Alexei II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias
Nicholas, Tsar of Romania
Wilhelm, German Crown Prince
Ahmed Nihad Effendi
Umberto, Prince of Piedmont
PuYi (or other if Guangxu had an heir)
and various European and Asian monarchs/heirs (I.E. Yi Un of Korea, Rama VII of Siam, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, the future Fredrick IX etc...)

X Prince Saionji Kinmochi, Senior Advisor to the Imperial Court

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan applauds the mediation efforts of the Ottoman and German Empires. Though it is the opinion of the Japanese Government that meddling so far beyond our shores is improper, we are more than willing to put in a word for peace. World peace and stability will not be ensured without understanding. Understanding will not come without a meeting of minds.

We encourage all parties to withdraw their reservations and discuss grievances together as equals at the bargaining table.

[Dereich]

The Japanese government, again acting so far outside our area of influence only because of the severity of the situation, now believes that standard mediation is not possible at this time. The uncivilized threats and breaching of diplomatic protocol shows that neither side is willing to treat with the other as an equal. Perhaps mediation should begin before both sides agree to speak.

Japan suggests that both sides submit all of their complaints and demands to a third party without preconditions. Decisions as to reasonable preliminary steps before negotiations begin can be left to this trusted third party. Japan can think of no better third party than that well-known arbiter and friend of peace, the German Empire. If both sides trust the Germans to mediate, shouldn't they ALSO trust Germany to act objectively in deciding fair and balanced pre-negotiation requirements?

[Dereich]

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The above has been agreed upon by the German Empire and the Empire of Japan

x Wilhelm Marx

X Saionji Kinmochi on behalf of the Emperor of Japan

[Dereich]

I can thus only invite both sides to send me their demands ahead of the peace talks, and we shall try to find the best workable solution and compromise for both sides.

We will be sending in our demands this evening.

It is the opinion as the Commander in Chief of the Great American Republic, The United States of America, that the Franco-Italian alliance and the Spanish socialist movement don't want peace nor do they want shared economic prosperity. Perhaps, those of us that do, should impose strict trade tariffs or cease all trade on the juvenile governments until they can enter talks as adults. Or perhaps not. Just a thought.

Douglas MacArthur.

In order to demonstrate out commitment to peace and this mediation we will send in our demands regardless of whether the other powers are participating or not. We desire nothng but peace, as we have argued from the begining.

We congratulate both parties on taking the first step towards peace and wish our German friends the best of luck in mediating.

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan

---

-The Empire of Japan congratulates General MacArthur on his inauguration. We hope friendly cooperation between our nations will continue to flourish under his regime.


-This was not the first earthquake Japan has endured and it will not be the last. Emergency medical care, search and rescue, and temporary shelter for the victims has probably already begun on a regional level, but should be supported by local divisions of the IJA. Details, funding  and implementation of longer-term actions, such as relocation and employment of victims and redevelopment of the area can be left to the Diet; that's what they're there for. As for outside help, we won't refuse any offered assistance from other nations or charitable organizations, but we will not ask for it. The sign of a modern nation is self-sufficiency; we don't need help to support the Japanese people.

-The Diet, the IJA, and the Emperor would all throw a fit if we supported the Chinese Communists. Outright support for the Kuomintang is also a poor choice after the ingratitude they showed their benefactors the moment they thought they no longer needed us. Non-interference is the best policy.

-In general, it is my belief that domestic policy should be left to the Diet. With progress made on trade agreements and the recent instability in several major industrial powers, the exports should be thriving relieving any serious domestic pressure that the Diet could not handle. The success of the model in Japan has been very encouraging; perhaps it would work in the colonies? Request that a committee of parliamentarians as well as colonial administrators (which probably includes the IJA) be established to investigate the possibility for colonial assemblies to handle domestic affairs.

-Every necessary preparation should be made for the arriving foreign dignitaries. Any reports or rumors of piracy or threats at sea should be investigated, the streets of Tokyo should be cleared of unsavory elements, and anyone suspected of planning to cause trouble or instability should be dealt with however best to guarantee they won't cause a problem.

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan, Turn Two

-We express our sincerest condolences to Tsar Nicholas for the death of Prince Carol and express our hope for a swift resolution to any investigations surrounding the incident.

-While the situation in China is of supreme interest to the Empire, it is the decision of the Cabinet that we will not intervene further without an official request from the Imperial Prime Minister. While we regret being unable to do more, we will not sacrifice Japanese blood and treasure for the sake of an unwilling Chinese Government and an unfriendly people. (Cabinet minutes recording the dissent of the Imperial Japanese Army representative to the Cabinet's position are to be expunged. Any printed rumors that this dissent was joined by senior members of the Imperial Household will be suppressed as lèse-majesté.)

-The colonial commission is advised to be methodical and thorough in choosing new members and evaluating the conditions on the ground in the colonies. (The military police should quietly investigate the deaths of the commissioners. I want a list of dissidents and suspects related to the incident to be put to the cabinet as soon as possible. We don't need concrete evidence, just likely candidates.)

-The Ottoman trade delegation will be received and fêted with all due warmth and hospitality. The Commerce and Industry Ministry should coordinate with major corporations to highlight the industrial might of Japan and the benefits of cooperation between our empires.

-Since the fall of the Shogunate, Japan has been strong by being modern. We will not allow ourselves to fall behind! The time has come to decommission ships from the turn of the century which served in the Great War. This modernization program will begin with destroyers; the decommissioning process of 10 of these older ships should begin immediately.

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan finds the situation in the Balkans deeply troubling. In the interests of avoiding general war, Japan calls for a "Balkans Conference" of the Ottoman Empire and their allies of the Kingdoms of Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Albania to meet with those of the "Athens Pact" of the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Serbia, and the Tsardom of Bulgaria.

We would suggest that this conference be confined to these countries, as the only parties in mortal peril from advancing armies, to sit down in conference to discuss ALL issues of import and to reach an equitable and just peace. It would seem to us that the inclusion of parties which have not issued a  declaration of war or without any critical stake in the region such as the German Empire, the Kingdom of Hungary EDIT: Magyar Republic, the Holy Kingdom of Italy, and the French Republic is both unnecessary and likely to create only further escalation. We trust that the German Emperor, in his wisdom, would respect any agreement made by his friend the Ottoman Sultan and that the French Republic would respect its friends in the Athens Pact.

The Empire of Japan offers any assistance possible in the achievement of both this conference and the resumption of peace in Europe.

[Dereich]

We see the need to emphasize that our proposal represents only Japan's suggestion as a neutral party as to how we would reach a fair and equitable solution in this conflict. If some other proposal would be more likely to create a just and lasting peace, we ask that our proposal not stand in the way of that opportunity.

The Empire of Japan continues its pledge to offer any support necessary in the pursuit of peace.

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan condemns in the strongest possible terms the outrageous imperialist rhetoric of the United Kingdom. To threaten a military force against the Kingdom of Greece, which has done nothing to provoke their anger, merely because French citizens have chosen for whatever reason to fight for the Greek government is a callous and dangerous breach of Greek sovereignty. The transgression is made all the worse by the threat it causes to the ongoing peace negotiations to resolve the Balkan conflict.  We condemn this dangerous lack of respect for the brotherhood of nations in Greece as we do for the people of Asia still held in European bondage.

We call on all free and independent nations to condemn the United Kingdom for their threats against peace and national sovereignty and ask that the Prime Minister immediately retract and apologize for his demand. If he should refuse to do so, we ask the British Parliament and Crown clarify that the Prime Minister's demands do not represent the views of the United Kingdom.

[Dereich]

It is not imperialism to defend against war crimes. I do not care for how internationally unpopular a move may be. I only care for what is right. A leader is not someone who takes a vote from the other groups he's not in charge of and then decides what to do. A leader leads with justice, doing what they know to be right. No battles were threatened. We merely promised to bring an end to war crimes. It is deplorable that all nations cannot accept that the assumed rules against war crimes must be enforced. We, if in the other nations' positions, would either withdraw your condemnations at once, or understand the natural outrage of the United Kingdom at your condemnation of opposition to war crimes.

If violence had been threatened, it would have been another matter. Forcing surrender merely implies in this case gaining the backing of the French government in arresting the French volunteers. If the United Kingdom were in charge of peace conferences, Greece would be expelled if they refused to expel the French volunteers which are criminally and internationally illegally there.

- PM Winston Churchill

Except they didn't commit war crimes.

In fact, it is quite the opposite. Should the United Kingdom enter the Kingdom of Greece to remove the volunteers, under accepted laws of war (OOC: I'm just going to assume the Hague Convention still happened) they themselves would be committing war crimes:

France has no obligation to stop volunteers from fighting for Greece:

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Should Britain use its conflict with France to enter Greek territory, it would be violating international law unless it declared first declared war on Greece

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[Dereich]

His Majesty Emperor Takahito is disquieted by the continued conflict between His people's friend, Generalissimo Chaing Kai-Shek and His brother-Emperor, Guangxu. While the Red Menace and foreign invaders threaten all the peoples of Asia, it is disturbing to see the great leaders of ancient China more focused on fighting each other. His Majesty call for a ceasefire to be declared and maintained between these good peoples.

His Majesty invites representatives of both Emperor Guangxu and Generalissimo Kai-Shek to join Him at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in conference to resolve their differences like the noble gentlemen that His Majesty knows that they are. His Majesty Himself would act as host for this important conference, with his knowledgeable and diplomatic minister Tsuyoshi acting as moderator for technical discussions. 

[Dereich]

The Empire of Japan is willing to sign this NEW and COMPLETELY SECRET agreement with the Chinese Government. What a glorious day for Asia and the Chinese people. We urge the other Great Powers to join us in recognizing the sovereign rights of the people of the Empire of China.

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X Inukai Tsuyoshi, Chief Minister to the Emperor of Japan.

[Dereich]

Ah, what the hell. Since everyone else is doing it this turn I'll make my orders public like its turn 1 all over again.

The Empire of Japan

The Prime Minister and his Cabinet

Foreign Affairs:

-The Cabinet congratulates Mr. Baldwin on his assumption of the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and wishes him luck in his endeavors.

-Japan (as with all civilized nations) abhors the violence currently occurring in the Italian peninsula and applauds His Holiness for his willingness to come to terms and prevent further violence. If necessary, Japan is happy to help both His Holiness and His Highness the Crown Prince come to a just and fair agreement.  

-We condemn the continued warmongering of the Kingdom of Romania and urge all sides to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict.

-The Japanese government is delighted to hear the new willingness of the Republic of Siberia to come to an equitable solution with both Japan and the Far Eastern Republic. We will accept Siberia's proposed ambassador on a provisional basis and will resume trade wherever our friends in Vladivostok feel appropriate.

-Out of deep respect for Chinese sovereignty and our friendship with Premier Jingwei, the Imperial Army will recall all expeditionary forces and patriotic volunteers to return from China. However, we wish to emphasize that a Communist China is anathema to Empire and, indeed, the entire world and we will take action to prevent it. It is requested that those men serving in China in their capacity as soldiers for the IJA withdraw via Indochina, where they are to wait further instructions.

-The IJN should be prepared to blockade any ports that come under Communist control and hereby warns foreign nations that attempting to support the Communist Chinese will be viewed as a hostile act against Japan.

-Preparations should be made to accommodate participants from all major (non-communist) factions in China so that a satisfying conclusion to the civil war can be quickly achieved. Japanese sponsored newspapers in Imperial and Nationalist China should put pressure on leaders of the factions to quickly come to terms favorable to stability, victory over the Communists, and friendship with Japan.

-The Empire has not forgotten the spirit of brotherhood and compassion the Ottoman Empire showed two years ago in their assistance after the Kita Tango earthquake. We would be thoughtless to not respond with twice the generosity we received now that the Ottomans are facing their own crisis!

Internal Affairs:

Instability from China will not be allowed to spread to Japanese territory. The Viceroy should stress the need for patience to the colonials. The Home Rule Commission is currently investigating ways to increase colonial sovereignty, which will be granted once the Indochinese and other subjects have shown themselves to be worthy of self-determination. The Emperor is furious at the ungrateful wretches who would throw away the gifts brought by Japanese overlordship and would exchange the chance to be uplifted by fellow Asians for inevitable European domination. (The author of this instruction has been dismissed for an unflattering description of His Majesty's views) The Viceroy will be authorized a slight increase in his budget and the flexibility to offer a small degree of concessions and leniency to maintain loyalty where possible.

Two additional divisions will be dispatched from the Mainland to Indochina, to be assigned to Saigon and Phnom Penh to assist in keeping peace in the region. The now very large military presence in the colony should crackdown on those colonials who choose to disregard the Emperor and Viceroy's generosity with as much force as they feel necessary to ensure order. The soldiers from China should proceed south, ensuring order has been restored and potential rebels have been uprooted as they go while the southern divisions do the same at whatever speed is appropriate. The use of air power to scout and engage rebel positions is also encouraged. The capture and interrogation (again, by whatever means are felt appropriate) of traitors to the Crown who appear to hold positions of leadership is authorized to discover other hidden rebel sympathizers and ascertain the cause of this rebellion.

Edited because I forgot a response to the Salamis Earthquake

[Dereich]

The Japanese Government would like to make it clear that we take our friendship with the Chinese people and our sacred duty to serve the interests of and protect the Asian people very seriously. Because of this, we treat the news that while we attempt to resolve the Chinese conflict and aid the legitimate government, other nations are giving aid to the communist rebels as entirely unacceptable.

The Empire of Japan will consider any trade with Chinese communist rebels to be a hostile act.

Any ships, regardless of identification, found attempting to trade in rebel held ports will be signaled to turn back. Should they continue, they will be seized or shot down.