11 The Kanto Tragedy (10 - Part 2)

Okamura Yasuji was a very smart man. A smart man knows when to speak, but a *very* smart man knows when not to speak at all. As the Army's "China Hand," and responsible for the recent suppression of heterodox thoughts within the General Staff, if it were anyone else who had a deep conversation with Kita Ikki, they would either immediately find a way to kill Kita Ikki or excitedly rush to the Army Ministry to offer plans. Okamura Yasuji did neither; he continued his work as if he had never met Kita Ikki. Regarding the heresy in the army, Okamura Yasuji focused on intimidation. Arrests were made, but those arrested were released after a slight reprimand. For Okamura Yasuji, this thorny task was a shortcut to future benefits.

The Army Ministry, of course, did not know that Okamura Yasuji, who came from the "Tenpo Coin" group, was acting this way. Katsura Taro was long dead, and Katsura's teacher Yamagata Aritomo had also passed away. The one now in charge of the Army Ministry's house was Tanaka Giichi. Tanaka Giichi was not only a famous soldier but also had a unique political vision.

The struggle between the Army and Navy had reached a white-hot stage. The Prime Minister after Takahashi Korekiyo, Yamamoto Gonnohyoe, was a Navy man, and also someone whom Yamagata Aritomo had once ruthlessly purged. The "Siemens Scandal" of corruption in the Navy Ministry at the end of 1913 had dealt a huge blow to the Navy's power. As a Japanese Navy elder who had promoted Togo Heihachiro, Yamamoto Gonnohyoe had not been involved in the matter, yet he was forced into the reserves. The Navy faction suffered a heavy blow.

However, the rise of China had saved the Navy faction. After the Army suffered a series of defeats, Takahashi Korekiyo came to power. Upon taking office, Takahashi Korekiyo reorganized the Japanese order, suppressed the Army's factions, and even prepared to abolish the Japanese General Staff. Although he did not accomplish this in the end, the power of the Army Ministry was greatly weakened. The Army Ministry, originally in chaos internally, was finally forced to elect a new leader, Tanaka Giichi.

Tanaka Giichi did not directly launch a confrontation with the Navy Ministry but chose a policy bordering on "dying down." Do not actively stir up trouble, do not actively expand the Army Ministry's power, but absolutely do not make concessions. This was the strategy Tanaka Giichi chose.

On the Lüda issue, Tanaka Giichi ordered the entire Army Ministry to absolutely not speak out. Lüda was a naval base; whether to give up Lüda was inherently the Navy Ministry's business. The Army Ministry initially did not understand why Tanaka Giichi did this, but with China's tough attitude, the Japanese public had a strong reaction to the Lüda issue.

It was the Japanese Army that had spent untold hardships to conquer Port Arthur; this was the spoil of war Japan had gained after the Russo-Japanese War. Now, to obediently hand it back to the Chinese, the Japanese public naturally held a strong opposing attitude. The Yamamoto Gonnohyoe cabinet knew they could not hold Lüda, nor could they go to full-scale war with China over it. However, "public opinion" was opposing them; Japan's intense mindset of expansion did not allow giving up any piece of land they had swallowed. The government felt this matter was extremely thorny.

Facing the government's "silence," the public had no other recourse, so the Army, which could oppose the Navy Ministry, became the object of the people's expectations again. Many young people began to petition the Army Ministry, asking the Army Ministry to come forward and stop the government from returning the Lüda region to China. Facing this political change within the country, Tanaka Giichi again issued a strict order to the Army Ministry: "Absolutely no comments or attitudes regarding the Lüda issue are permitted."

The smart guys in the Army Ministry had already understood Tanaka Giichi's approach. As long as the Army Ministry remained silent, all pressure would fall on the Navy's head. This pressure would only become heavier, and the Navy Ministry's choices would become fewer and fewer.

"What if the Navy Ministry wins in a future war..." some not-so-smart Army Ministry soldiers also asked Tanaka Giichi.

"Then let them win," Tanaka Giichi answered extremely crisply. "We in the Army Ministry have already bled for Lüda; now is not the time for us to speak."