Japanese News, 1900 onwards

[Logi]

Winter, January 2, Koki 2560, Meiji 33rd Year, 1900 CE
皇紀２５６０、ｍ３３、１９００CE、一月二日、冬

It was a normal morning for the Kure Naval District (呉鎮守府). The drydocks had been empty since October last year when the last Kotaka (小鷹型) and Ikazuchi (雷型) ships floated out. The sea gulls were singing as always and a few dock workers were hanging about, exchanging their New Years greetings. Just the other day, the skies about the port had been filled with fireworks and the sounds of shrine bells as Japan celebrated the new year.

None of that mattered to Hideaki Tanaka (田中 英明), his work was too troubling. The Naval Replacement Bill passed in 1896 had set a clear goal: 40 Destroyers, 20 Fleet-Destroyers, 24 Torpedo Boats, and 10 Light Cruisers laid down by the end of 1902. The fact that the KJ2000 Project, a name derived from Light Cruiser 2,000 tons, was not even settled on a semi-final form meant that they were running extremely late. Everyone had been working overtime, long into the night and early in the morning.

The requirements had been quite harsh, too harsh in fact - it was near impossible to meet the requirements without allowing for serious structural deficiencies or exceeding the tonnage limit. Hideaki wanted to  complain, but that would do little to resolve the conundrum.

"Oi, Kacho-san!" His assistant project manager, Katsuo Kobayashi (小林 勝雄), was standing outside the Bureau waving to him. Hideaki's pace quickened to a half-trot to get closer, "What is it, Kobayashi-san?" Katsuo smiled wide before announcing, "We've finally gotten approval to increase the design displacement to 3,000 tons!" Taken aback, Hideaki questioned his assistant further before they both headed inside. His written requests had not been in vain.

[Logi]

March 10 - Public Order and Police Law enacted

April 18 - Office of the Governor-General in Korea is established

May 30 - The Japanese Labor movement started by Yokoyama Gennosuke's book "Nihon no kaso shakai" (日本の下層社会) gains some traction after the Ministry of Justice (司法省) officially recognizes the problem

August 1 - Office of the Resident-General in Philippines is established

October 19 -  Limited Korean immigration into Japan proper is accepted to encourage assimilation of the Korean population.

[Logi]

News of 1901

January 28 - Japanese immigration into Korea is encouraged and minor land reforms and redistribution in Korea is done.

February 7 - Ito Hirobumi resigns after political infighting and pressure from Yamagata.

May 9 - Okuma Shigenobu, the Prime Minister of Japan, continues to retain military spending at pre-Sino-Japanese war levels. The budget was passed only after heated and close votes.

September 23 - Yamagata Aritomo rules that only an active military officer could serve as War Minister or Navy Minister.

December 28 - Funding is formerly requested for an expedition to the Horn of Africa.

[Logi]

Except from 1901, Budget Summary for Fiscal Year 1901

....

The first half of the fiscal year of 1901 saw continued state investment into the local industry in Honshu. In response the amount of taxable industries has grown dramatically, increasing government revenue by roughly 17 percent. As the economy has grown, some of the previous cuts made to the military budget which returned it to pre-war levels has been partially restored. However these expansions have come from the extra revenue and the state has not slowed its investment into improving the living conditions of the average citizen.

The budget assumes the continued expansion of the economy, yet economic expansions do not last forever. While there are no immediate signs of a contraction in the economy, the state remains vigilant. There will be year-to-year fluctuations, cost pressures, and risks associated with investments of such magnitude. Continued overhaul of many areas of government is still necessary to improve services to the public.

....

The passage of Proposition 3 has allowed funding for the completion Port Saipan and Port Honjara which will serve to reduce the burden on the Navy and reduce the high consumption of coal and cost the patrols incur. This fiscal half has also seen the commissioning of Wakaba and Hatsuyuki, the 7th and 8th destroyers of the Nowaki class. The Nowaki program has proven highly successful and it is projected that all twenty ordered ships will be commissioned by the second half of fiscal year 1904 within budget.

The current rate of Naval expansion has become robust and sustained at levels above the pre-war period, however much work is still required for the Navy to acquire suffice strength to protect Japan from external threats.

....

[Logi]

Naval Movements in H2/1901

Destroyers Shirotae (白妙) and Hatsuharu (初春) break off from 2KdF and are reassigned to the newly created 3KdF consisting of themselves, Takasogo (高砂), Wakaba (若葉), and Hatsuyuki (初雪).
2KdF is reassigned from Kure (呉海軍工廠) to Saipan (サイパン).
3KdF is assigned to Honiara (ホニアラ).
Atago Maru (愛宕丸) joins EF. EF is reassigned to Kure (呉海軍工廠).

[Kaiser Kirk]

ooc: After N3 and Wesworld, it is very odd to me to see someone other than Walter writing Japanese news.

[Walter]

Better get used to it, although with N3, Japan was a bit of a mix of people thanks to the Evil New Swiss so it wasn't really 100% Japanese news. :)

[Tanthalas]

HA I thought the same thing this morning when I read Logi's news... I was like "WAIT why is Logi posting this, isnt Walter playing Japan" then I did a face palm, and went back to trying to write about Africa, gave up on that and started drawing ships again...

ooc: After N3 and Wesworld, it is very odd to me to see someone other than Walter writing Japanese news.

[Kaiser Kirk]

HA I thought the same thing this morning when I read Logi's news... I was like "WAIT why is Logi posting this, isnt Walter playing Japan" then I did a face palm, and went back to trying to write about Africa, gave up on that and started drawing ships again...

ooc: After N3 and Wesworld, it is very odd to me to see someone other than Walter writing Japanese news.

While I also find it humorous your personal Icon seems to be the flag of the Kingdom of Italy...

[Tanthalas]

Yeah I realy need to change that... dates clear back to when I was Italy (long ago in a galaxy far far away)

HA I thought the same thing this morning when I read Logi's news... I was like "WAIT why is Logi posting this, isnt Walter playing Japan" then I did a face palm, and went back to trying to write about Africa, gave up on that and started drawing ships again...

ooc: After N3 and Wesworld, it is very odd to me to see someone other than Walter writing Japanese news.

While I also find it humorous your personal Icon seems to be the flag of the Kingdom of Italy...

[Logi]

Naval Movements in H1/1902

Atago Maru (愛宕丸) detaches from EF to join the newly formed GF. The freshly constructed Misaka and Asahi battleships are assigned to GF in Kure (呉海軍工廠).
Uzuki (卯月), Minatsuki (水無月), and Wakamiya (若宮) are assigned to EF.

[Logi]

Naval Movements in H2/1902
Wakamiya (若宮) troop transport, Aikoku Maru (愛国丸) collier, Takasogo (高砂) & Kasagi (笠置) from the Takasogo-class cruisers, and Uzuki (卯月) & Minatsuki (水無月) from the Nowaki-class Destroyers detach from their respective fleets to join the newly formed EF（護衛艦隊

A total force of 8,000t + 4,000t + 2 x 3,000t + 2 x 500t ships or 19,000 tons.

October 9th, the newly formed Escort Fleet (護衛艦隊) leaves port after much fanfare. The sailors and troops having said their farewells prepare for a long trip.
October 11-12th, EF arrives in Sandakan and resupplies.
October 16th, EF arrives in Singapore.
October 22th, EF arrives in Rangoon.
October 25th, EF arrives in Calcutta.
October 30th, EF arrives in Ceylon.
November 4rd EF arrives in Bombay.
November 10th EF arrives in Socotra. The troops and sailors are granted a week long shore leave. An Arab translator is found in the meantime.
November 18th EF arrives in Ras Hafun, capital of the Majeerteen Sultanate.

Ras Hafun, capital of the Majeerteen Sultanate.
The arrival of the Japanese fleet created both stirs of excitement and fear. The last time a foreign navy had appeared at the coast of the old city had been too long ago to remember. The locals had never seen such men before with their relative hairless-ness and yellow-tinted skin. The Captain of the expedition, Shimamura Hayao (島村 速雄), dispersed the fishing vessels crowding around the warships in curiosity under threat of force.

Thereafter the ships in the fleet kept their guns pointed at the city and two hundred of the Japanese troops on-board disembarked along with Captain Shimamura Hayao. They demanded an immediate audience with the Sultan, Boqor Osman Mahamuud.

[The Rock Doctor]

The neighbourhood is getting busy.

[Logi]

Various memos circulating

From: an Admiral of East Pacific Command
To: Central Command

The rise of glory hunters following the victory of China and Spain is extremely worrying. There has been a split within the lower ranks where captaining transport vessels is seen increasingly poorly. Whilst the expedition to Africa will temporarily increase the prestige of the commanders of transport divisions, it does little to solve the root of the problem. This matter must be dealt with by the propaganda department of else we will soon find ourselves with a lopsided force, incapable of sustaining long-term combat. The endless pursue of glory will result in military decisions made with little deliberation and care. Ultimately it will mean a waging a war beyond our capabilities and bankrupting Japan.

From: East Pacific Command
To: Central

It is recommended that a smaller variant of the Miho-class tender be ordered by 1905 at the latest. The ongoing construction of Wakamiya-class vessels is viewed favorably.

From: West Pacific Command
To: Central

Officers have recommended construction on Wakamiya-class vessels and Nowaki-class destroyers be ceased in favor of 4 battleships of a new design. They do not believe the current disposition of forces is adequate to deal with the threats to our blue national soil. It is believed that there is a tremendous lack of capital assets.

The Admiral does not share the belief that the Wakamiya-class vessels ought to be stopped - being that they are necessary for maintenance of sea lanes of communication. However it is viewed that given the great number of destroyers already within the navy the addition of Nowaki-class destroyers is superfluous. Rather such resources would be better used by producing more cruisers of, as officers have recommended, battleships.

From: East Pacific Command
To: Central

Regarding the matter of destroyers, the West Pacific Command is against an end to the production run of Nowaki-class destroyers. A total destroyer fleet size of 80 is recommended to ensure proper coverage of the Pacific ocean. Any less exposes severe gaps in the protection of our island bases as well as our merchant marine.

Reductions in this fleet size without reducing it's effectiveness may only be achieved by a new destroyers with significantly enhanced endurance. It is recommended that an endurance of 6,000nm at an appreciable speed will be necessary.

Edit: switched around East and West

[Logi]

March 1904

The Bureau of the Navy has been created to handle the design and manufacturing of naval vessels. This Bureau which falls under the command of the Treasury will evaluate strategic needs from the Naval Advisory Board and decide whether to agree to produce vessels to satisfy those needs and how the manufacturing and design process will be carried out. The Bureau has set about on working to heavily reduce the vertical integration of the yards which should reduce the separation between the Navy and civilian economy and allows for better economies of scale. The argument has been that the Japanese economy has started to mature such that the isolation of the yards is not longer necessary to protect future naval procurement. In addition, the Bureau has mandated the techniques innovated in the Kure Naval Yard in the production of the Nowaki class destroyers be dessiminated and put into effect in all the other military yards. Further effort in reducing cost and lowering man-hours through simplifying design details of future naval designs is desired. In particular, the design of superstructures and bridges on ships is to be greatly simplified in geometry and sections.

The triumph of the Treasury in the creation of the BuNAV has, without a doubt, come at the excess of high officers within the Navy. The continued rapid economic growth of the Japanese economy has only served to further validate the Treasury's course of action and strengthen the Treasury's political power. The formation of the BuNAV will allow the Treasury to insulate the naval budget from budgetary politics and mass propaganda from the Imperial Navy which threatens to consume the government's fiscal budget every year.