[War] Japan: "Shuffling the Deck"

[Ian Martell]

"Shuffling the Deck"
Hideyoshi Mura, Director, Prime Minister's Office
Akira Ando - Special Assistant to the Prime Minister
Japan
6 August 2014
----------------

<The Kantei, Tokyo>

Akira shifted nervously as he waited to be announced by the Director of the 
PMO's secretary. He didn't wait long before the door opened and he was shown 
inside to face the number two man in the PMO besides Sato himself. Hideyoshi 
Mura was a short slender man with a closely shaved head and small oval 
rimless glasses, that gave his face sharp, hawkish look.

Akira bowed a few steps inside the office and waited to be spoken to.

"Come, sit," Mura said as he waved towards one of the chairs in front of his 
desk.

He didn't return the bow.

Akira sat, crossing his legs and keeping from meeting the Director's eyes in 
an expression of his shame.

"You know why you're here?" asked Mura.

Akira nodded. "Yes sir," he said.

"Explain," Mura said.

"I misunderstood the orders I was given by Miss Sato, it was never supposed 
to be an official policy to harass the Sun, just a suggestion that if 
someone wanted to complicate their lives they would not be punished."

Mura shook his head. "That's not it at all," he said gravely.

"Oh?" Akira said and looked up his face full of hope.

"Miss Sato had nothing to do with the orders; you misinterpreted the PM's 
anger at the Sun as a direction to act."

Akira frowned and for a moment he didn't understand what he was being told, 
then suddenly it became clear, he was being asked to fall on the sword.

Nodding Akira looked at the Director as the fear and shame he had felt for 
days left him in a rush. The Director gave him a slight smile and stood up 
and walked to the sideboard and poured him a drink and gave it to him.

"I did this once to you know," he told Akira as the younger man sipped at 
his drink.

"Really sir?" he asked.

"Yes in the Transport Ministry, a Deputy Minister was implicated in a 
suspicious bid on some road repair work in Saitama, I took the blame and 
spent a few months in a lower post, but the Deputy Minister was a good man, 
and saw to it that I wasn't in that post for long."

"Was it Sato?" Akira asked.

"Yes," Mura said. "You can see my career was not overly damaged by it. 
Anyhow there is a long tradition of us civil servants doing this for these 
politicians, it's almost a right of passage. Besides without us, they'd be 
in and out of office all the time, and who'd want the noise of elections 
more often than every four years? It's hard enough for us civil servants to 
run the country without all that noise."

Akira smiled. "May I ask where I will be sent?"

"Of course," Mura said. "You're being transferred to Foreign Affairs after a 
two week suspension. I believe the understanding is you will be assisting 
Sakai-san in North Korea."

"North Korea? But isn't that dangerous?"

"Not in Pyongyang where you will be staying. After the attack on Miss Sato 
and the North Korean President the Chinese and the North Koreans won't be so 
lax about security again."

Akira smiled. "Okay."

Mura grinned and gripped his shoulder. "Good, now let's lay out how this 
will go."

***

Half-an-hour later, Mura left Akira in the care of the Public Affairs 
director and the legal counsel, and knocked on the door of the Prime 
Minister's office before stepping inside.

"Shunichi," he said lowering his head slightly in a bow his boss and long 
time friend.

The Prime Minister looked up from what he was reading, another of those 
stories about his bastard. "How'd he take it?"

"He understands his duty," Mura replied. "There will be no mention of Akemi 
in his statement."

Sato nodded. "Good, and he's fine with North Korea?"

"A little nervous, but I believe he sees it correctly as a place for 
advancement."

"Good," Sato said. "I'll leave the details to you, but bring him back in a 
couple of months and get him in with one of the cabinet."

"I've spoken to the Justice Minister, he'll be on his staff in three 
 months."

"Good. Anything else?"

"No," Sato said. "But when I get back from China we'll discuss how things 
are going to be run around here."

"Agreed," Mura said then pausing a beat added. "We need Akemi to resign as 
your aide."

A man who had known the Prime Minister for less time than Mura had would 
have missed the flash of anger there but Mura didn't.

"We'll discuss it later," the Prime Minister replied.

Mura bowed. "Yes sir," he said and returned to his office.

Actions:

1> In the tradition of Japanese politics, the junior man will take a fall 
for his seniors, and his seniors will take care of him in return.
2> Akira Ando will be suspended for two-weeks and then given a lower 
assignment in North Korea with Foreign Affairs.
3> Three months later the Justice Minister will request him for his staff. 
(Established by Mura in person with the Minister)
4> In return for Sato's future patronage, Akira will leave any mention of 
how things happened out of his statements. (Implied)