Honorable Enemies (1994) (45 page)

The Prime Minister coldly returned the unblinking stare and leaned toward the man who was causing him a great deal of mental anguish and personal humiliation. "We will not reduce our military forces to suit the U
. S
., and I am not going to discuss the issue."

With his decision announced, Koyama leaned back and shifted in his chair.

Cocking his head to the side, the President gazed at the distant mountains and turned to Koyama. "There isn't an option available to Japan, and I'm confident that the United Nations and world opinion will be on our side.

"As partners," he continued, "we can reduce your active military in an orderly fashion and store much of the inventory to be used as replacements in the future."

The President peacefully folded his hands. "Or we can do it for you . . . by whatever means are necessary. It's your choice."

The years of Genshiro Koyama's deep-seated antagonism toward America boiled to the surface and overflowed. With fire in his eyes, he fought to control his emotions and keep his anger to himself while he considered the future.

"Ultimately," the Prime Minister spat, "we will prevail--and America will answer to Japan."

EPILOGUE:

Working with the Japanese National Police Agency, FBI investigators were able to interrogate Mishima Takahashi after he confessed his involvement in the assault at Pearl Harbor and the JAL crash landing at Los Angeles International Airport.

The dethroned senior executive also implicated another Matsukawa Corporation top manager who had directed the attacks staged by the Chukaku-Ha terrorist group.

With his face twisted in an agonizing expression of sadness and guilt, Mishima Takahashi voluntarily appeared on Japanese television and admitted his part in the diabolical scheme. Less than three weeks later, Takahashi was sentenced to spend his life in confinement.

In a face-saving gesture, the Matsukawa Corporation paid over 1.8 million yen to each of the passengers and the families of the victims aboard the Star of Honolulu and Japan Air Lines Flight 62. In addition, the company donated the mansion to the state of Hawaii and established a generous scholarship fund at the University of Hawaii.

Using the information they had gained from Mishima Takahashi, FBI agents were able to link Bryce Mellongard and
Senator Frank Brazzell, the powerful Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, to Tadashi Matsukawa.

The tenacious Attorney General shifted into high gear and Washington hummed with investigations and legal wrangling. When the fallout settled around the Beltway, new faces appeared at the helms of the House Appropriations Committee, House Science and Technology Committee, the Committee on Foreign Investment, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Secretary of Defense was replaced by a retired Army general.

Known only to Matsukawa, the leak in the Central Intelligence Agency went undiscovered. The senior official, who had amassed a small fortune by providing classified information to the wealthy businessman, retired three months after Matsukawa died.

Despite a lengthy argument with Japanese law-enforcement officials, the identities of the two American agents who were involved in Matsukawa's death were kept secret.

After two weeks of extensive debriefings in Washington, Susan happily joined Steve for a twelve-night cruise to the Mediterranean. The amorous relationship, which had blossomed during the relaxing vacation, continued to develop after they returned from the trip.

Susan applied for a transfer to the Washington area and was reassigned to the FBI headquarters.

The President of the United States, gambling that Tokyo would not retaliate after the bitter encounter in Alaska, vowed to take a tougher stance on trade issues with Japan. Tired of the frivolous squabbles over endless details in the trade dispute, the President took a no-holds-barred approach to dealing with the Japanese government.

Using the Matsukawa scandal as political leverage, he increased import duties on various Japanese products and promised another round of antidumping lawsuits aimed at Japanes
e a
utomakers.

***

After the Japanese submarine Harushio returned to port, Lieutenant Commander Oda Kanjiro had a change of heart and reported the Sea Ferret torpedo attack on the burning and defenseless American carrier.

Under intense questioning, Commander Shigezo Takagi initially grew defensive about his actions, then brazenly admitted firing the stealth torpedoes at Kitty Hawk. Consumed with rage, Takagi fervently cited his responsibilities to his country, to his devoted crew members, and to his submarine.

Takagi was immediately relieved of his command and placed under military arrest.

Defiant to the end, the ardent practitioner of Zen Buddhism and follower of Sun Tzu--The Art of War--committed harakiri by disemboweling himself with a screwdriver he had deftly slipped into his sock when he was escorted from Harushio.

Prime Minister Koyama, stunned by the Matsukawa revelation, publicly expressed sorrow over the horrible incidents that had been perpetrated by the Japanese billionaire. Behind the scenes, Genshiro Koyama grudgingly manufactured an air of conciliation and cooperation with the White House.

However, Japanese military research and development, including the production of an arsenal of nuclear weapons, continued unabated behind a facade of civilian-related enterprises.

The President and his advisers were unaware of the seed they had planted in the Japanese Prime Minister and his staunchest supporters. The feelings of humiliation and utter frustration galvanized the Japanese leaders into a core of driven men.

Koyama and his colleagues were determined to set Japan on a course to defeat and rule America, regardless of how many generations it would take to position themselves. The Prime Minister and other powerful Japanese leaders became obsessed with the ambitious dream, and dedicated their lives to the day America would become a Japanese colony.

REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR--KEEP AMERICA ALERT

The motto of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association