The Shores of Land: The Diplomacy of Japan, an Alien Nation

Chapter 42 - Illyharan Credential Presentation Ceremony

For the second day in a row, Haguma, dressed in unfamiliar daytime formal attire, finished all the preparations and smoked a cigarette at the smoking area within the base.

Haguma started smoking cigarettes around the time he graduated from university and has been smoking at a pace of one pack every two days since he discovered a certain brand that he liked. However, it seems that he will soon run out of these cigarettes. While Japan is a major exporter of products, it is also a major importer of raw materials.

Although Japan excels in industrial capabilities to turn raw materials into high-quality products, it relies heavily on imports for the raw materials themselves. Since tobacco also heavily relies on imported raw materials, it must be produced in Japan, including foreign-grown tobacco leaves.

Crop breeding for crops resistant to cold damage in preparation for the planetfall of Levian has mainly focused on rice, but food takes priority over luxury items like tobacco. Currently, crops cannot be grown in Eustre, and there is no discussion of leasing a sky island for agriculture. Therefore, it is only natural that it must be produced within mainland Japan.

Even if one can endure not smoking tobacco, one cannot endure not eating. Eventually, Japan will likely construct cities, agricultural areas, industrial areas, and dedicated sky islands produced domestically, but until then, domestic production is unavoidable. It seems that there is tobacco in Philia as well, so there might be the possibility of export and import if there are no negative effects. In any case, there is a low possibility of being able to smoke tobacco with the same taste as before. That's why Haguma cherishes each cigarette.

"Good morning, Professor Haguma. I look forward to working with you today."

Even though he cherished it, the cigarette had become too short, and just when he thought it was time to extinguish and discard it, he heard a voice from the side.

He extinguished and discarded the cigarette on the edge of the ashtray, turned around, and saw a man dressed in daytime formal attire as well. It was Sumihira Uokawa, who was assigned to the Rassalon Floating Base as the Japanese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Illyharan.

"Good morning, Uokawa-san. Did you sleep well?"

"About five hours, I would say. Well, being assigned as an ambassador is something I'm used to, even though I retired, but suddenly becoming an ambassador to a foreign alien nation is quite nerve-wracking."

"I understand how you feel, but don't worry. Even though they are aliens, there isn't a significant difference in terms of mentality, so you can treat them the same way as foreigners."

"It's reassuring to hear that from Professor Haguma. You truly are an expert in the Foreign Land."

Although he wanted to deny being an expert in the Foreign Land and call himself a linguist, he can't completely deny it because he knows the most about the Foreign Land among Japanese people. Eventually, he might even be introduced on TV as an expert on the Foreign Land.

"If you talk to someone every day for three months, you can understand their character to some extent."

While complete trust may be difficult even between nations in the Earth era, it is possible to establish diplomatic relations based on a sense of commonality on Earth. Once the prejudice against extraterrestrial beings is removed, they are not someone to be anxious about.

"I hope we can get rid of the prejudice against the aliens as soon as possible."

"I think it will happen quickly. We can easily get used to their appearance and the sight of flying in the sky, and there are people who can communicate in both languages on both sides."