Reiwa Chemist Yōko Takatsukasa Reincarnation: Saving Japan with Plastic Material

Wings of the Hawk in the Wind for a While

In the original timeline, Hirobumi Itō went to Manchuria to discuss the issue regarding Manchuria and Korea with Russia. However, in this world, Manchuria's interests had already passed to the United States, so the talks will be held between Japan, the United States, and Russia. As a result, the venue shifted to the east, and the meeting took place in Japan. In this scenario, Itō and An Jung-geun never had the opportunity to meet, and Itō lived the year of 1909.

In the first place, opposition to the annexation of Korea was stronger than in OTL. Figures like Aritomo Yamagata and Masatake Terauchi advocated for the annexation of Korea to expand into the continent, as it happened in OTL. However, those who had contributed to the Russo-Japanese War, such as Ōtani and Ijichi, along with military officers close to the Imperial Family, such as chamberlains and imperial guards, unanimously expressed their opposition, stating that "If there is money to annex Korea and develop it, it should be used to support the soldiers on the front lines with plenty of food and ammunition that they cannot use up."

The Emperor also supported their stance, making it difficult for even the elder statesmen to intervene.

Seeing this, Katsura Tarō and his supporters were hesitant in their stance, but there were also conflicts between Katsura and Yamagata over their attitudes toward party politics. Gradually, they decided to act according to the policy of "not annexing Korea but keeping it under control." In OTL, the Imperial Japanese Army, which had united to push for the annexation of Korea, found itself in this situation, making it even less desirable for the parliament and the public to want active involvement with Korea. Thus, Korea continued to be in a state where it received no interference from Japan, even though its diplomatic rights were taken away. This is how Itō, who was the OTL Governor-General of Korea, earned the resentment of Korea, but since there was no reason for him to visit there, nothing significant happened.

The existence of Teijin also brought changes to Japan's industry. For example, in OTL, Japan's nitrogen fixation industry began with Nippon Carbide starting the production of chemical fertilizers in 1908. However, in this world, Nippon Carbide was established earlier in 1905, and later Sogi Electric was founded to support its electricity needs. This was because Teijin consumed a large amount of diamines.

The diamines needed for nylon production relied on imports from Germany's BASF, which was squeezing the profit margins of Teijin. Noticing this opportunity, Shitagau Noguchi of Siemens Japan Branch stated, "If we can produce diamines domestically and sell them to Teijin, it will be profitable."

He founded the aforementioned Nippon Carbide and became independent. They introduced the Haber-Bosch process from Germany to produce ammonia and further entered the production of various diamines using it. Seeing this, the Teijin leadership, as their investors, requested assistance from the Ministry of Finance through the Bank of Japan.

"The nitrogen fixation industry that Nippon Carbide is engaged in, not only provides the diamines we need but also contributes to the production of chemical fertilizers and explosives. It is truly suitable for our policy of strengthening the nation and the military."

During this period, Japan's financial situation was dire due to the repayment of the 1,5 billion yen war expenses (still less than in OTL) from the Russo-Japanese War. All of the 300 million yen in reparations paid by Russia had been used for external debt repayment. Negotiations with the Ministry of Finance were difficult, but they couldn't afford to upset Teijin, which was becoming a major source of foreign currency for Japan. Eventually, the Ministry of Finance gave in, and state support for Nippon Carbide was initiated.

"Naturally, there is also a risk of war due to Germany's Yellow Peril theory. We must ensure self-sufficiency as much as possible now."

Nippon Carbide merged with several related companies, including Sogi Electric, and became Nippon Nitrogen Industries (日本窒素工業, Nihon Chisso Kōgyo), abbreviated as Nichitsu. From then on, hand in hand with Teijin, they led Japan's chemical industry.

Furthermore, during the process of domestication and mass production of knitting machines, Sakichi Toyoda's loom works expanded its business. Additionally, as the demand for adipic acid increased, the Okinoyama Coal Mine Union purchased surrounding coal mines using the increased revenue as capital. However, the impact of these developments on history would become apparent a bit later.

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Indeed, it was quite a struggle.

If Itō-san had no reason to go to the continental mainland, he wouldn't have encountered the assassin in the first place! So, despite Yōko-san's hard work between her studies (thanks to her accumulated knowledge, Hata and Kumura were able to quickly find the conditions for copolymerizing Conex), it must have been a somewhat delicate situation to realize that she had unintentionally disrupted her own plans in a different direction.

However, both Conex and the bulletproof vest have many uses. Thanks to these two, many people have been saved, so in the end, everything turned out all right.

- Toshitsugu Utei