Prelude to the Second Weltkrieg - Part 6: Japan

Part 5

Kazuhiro owned only one western style suit, and even that, he realized, had been a wedding gift from his father-in-law. It fit a little short in the legs and just a bit too tight across the shoulders, but considering this was his first occasion to wear it and he had no other options, he thought it was still the best choice.

He left Masaki and the baby – still unnamed, he realized – napping, after a somewhat tense morning basking in his love for the new child. Masaki was tired and avoided any discussion of the meeting that day. But she did wish him good luck when he set off for the centre of the city and the Nakajima office building by the inlet.

To avoid getting his suit sweaty, he hailed a carriage after a brief walk into the city. In Shanghai he occasionally took a rickshaw if he was tired and wanted to go further away from the airport for his lunch, but he rarely suffered this kind of luxury in Nagasaki. Of course, he though to himself, if I land the job, I may be able to afford this every day, or even an automobile! He halted the runaway feeling of pride before it got too far down its own path – he didn't have the job yet, at least, he didn't think he had. All Mr. Shizuka had promised was this meeting and the chance to be on the review team for the American plane. The real job and foot in the company door wouldn't come for a while.

First, you have to make sure you don't make an idiot of yourself, he berated himself as he got off the carriage and walked into the office building – a small, three-story wood building that contrasted with the big metal industrial sheds that made up Nagasaki's growing manufacturing centre. Word had it Nakajima might even establish a factory in the city if trade with the Legation Cities and Korea kept up. But Kazuhiro didn't know much about that, and the last thing he wanted to do was try and sound more important and knowledgeable than he was. Just keep your mouth shut and listen, he reminded himself of the advice his father had always given him whenever he'd gone somewhere far beyond his station. It's always proved to be good advice.

After a brief check-in at the entryway, he was led up a stairwell on the side and into a large conference room, where Mr. Shizuka was standing with two other men Kazuhiro didn't recognize. Their fine suits and the wonderful aroma of the cigars they were smoking gave away their status as more Nakajima men right away though.

"Ah, Watanabe!" Kazuhiro was relieved to see his father-in-law greeted him with his family name in this setting at least. "I will introduce you. This is Mr. Fujimoto, the head of small aircraft development, and Mr. Morita, the director of civilian-military liasons. They'll be joining us with the military officials when the American delegation arrives."

Kazuhiro approached the two new men and bowed formally. "It's very nice to meet you."

Neither bowed in return, but both gave warm smiles and didn't seem to initially reject the very sight of Kazuhiro, as he was afraid might happen. Instead Fujimoto – a shorter man who wore the most flashy pinstripe vest under his suit Kazuhiro had ever seen – even invited Kazuhiro to join the conversation.

"We were just talking about the latest polling that has the Seiyukai up by almost fifteen points! I was saying I did not think anyone saw that coming."

Kazuhiro hoped nobody noticed how wide his eyes went. Politics seemed like the absolute worst topic of conversation amongst people he hardly knew and had to impress. Were they Seiyukai conservatives? Seiyukai liberals? Minseito liberals? He knew a lot of men with connections to the military were often with Kokumin Domei, the restorationists who wanted little to do with democracy in the first place. Then there were all the syndicalists in the army who had assassinated Prime Minister Inukai – surely no corporate leader was a syndie though—

Kazuhiro realized he had been taking way too long to go through this lengthy guesstimation of where their politics lay so he wouldn't offend them, resulting in him appearing insulting by not replying quickly enough. So he opted for the quickest, easiest path and just reiterated Fujimoto's point.

"It is quite a surprise," he agreed meekly.

To Kazuhiro's relief, that seemed to do the trick. Morita, a much taller, thicker man who looked like he'd been in the army at one point, nodded and continued the conversation. "Quite right! Now Shizuka here knows I'm a Minseito supporter myself, had a membership for years now. And I'm afraid we're going to be absolutely demolished in the election this time. If the Seiyukai get a majority we'll lose all influence on policy."

"It was a very smart move by Mizuno to promise women the vote," Shizuka replied, blending his thoughts in seamlessly with the other very important men. "It cut down one of Minseito's biggest policy levers. I think they probably took ten percent of the vote just with that one move."

"And left just as much behind if you ask me," Fujimoto scoffed. "The real conservatives are stewing in anger, I'm sure of it."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Shizuka contradicted. "How many men would go home to their wives, complain that they won't vote for Seiyukai, and then explain to their wives that it's because they're going to be given the right to vote. Most men aren't that stupid I wouldn't think."

The casualness of this conversation shocked Kazuhiro. For three very important men in the company, they were awfully free with their opinions. Then he remembered that they were peers, joining in comradeship, the same way he and Shota had done dozens of times over the last several months.

And they're including me in that, he realized. A realization that helped him react quickly when Fujimoto turned to him and said:

"What about you Watanabe? Mr. Shizuka told us you just had a daughter. Do you think she and her mother deserve the vote?"

Kazuhiro gave it a moment's consideration before answering. "Yes. I do."

"See?" Shizuka exclaimed. "A man properly afraid of his wife. If the rest of Japan is as smart as him, the Seiyukai will breeze through this election."

After that the conversation moved much more easily, and though Kazuhiro limited himself to short answers or politely deferred, he nonetheless felt like he was part of the conversation. And he liked that feeling very much.