1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

With just this one song, Fujiwara Kanezane won great favor from the guests.

As Haruta took the lead in clapping, swaying his body slightly to the rhythm, and singing a cappella, more and more people joined in the feast of dance and song.

"SMCA" was played three times before it slowly stopped. In the chill of spring, everyone's face was filled with excitement and enthusiasm, which then turned into cheers and whistles.

This welcoming ceremony is really special.

Fujiwara Kanezane walked forward, extended his right hand toward Haruta who was standing on the staircase, tilted his head slightly, and greeted him in English:

"Welcome to Japan, my dear Ms. Field."

Haruta smiled brightly, placed his right hand on the commander's palm, and replied in Japanese:

“I’m delighted to be greeted by you personally, Mr. Fujiwara.”

This smooth dialogue once again triggered a carnival at the scene.

The Americans were fine, they just lamented and envied their own saintly president's unique favor for Fujiwara Kanezane;

But the Japanese are just crazy!

In their opinion, the American female president must have learned Japanese specifically because of Fujiwara Kanezane!

That sense of national pride is overflowing.

Witnessed by tens of thousands of American and Japanese citizens and hundreds of journalists from various countries, the world's most watched American president officially set foot on the land of Tokyo, Japan.

In accordance with diplomatic conventions, the two sides exchanged a few pleasantries at the dock, saying polite words such as "Welcome to Japan" and "Japan is a beautiful country."

Chuntian waved his hand, and an American naval officer came up holding a long wooden box.

"Mr. Fujiwara, this is a gift from me to you, a Springfield rifle. I hope you like it."

"Thank you for your gift. I am very happy. I have a gift for you too."

Fujiwara Kanezane also waved his hand. A middle-aged Japanese policeman came forward holding a Japanese samurai sword and exchanged gifts with the naval officer. Then he looked at the naval officer and said in a puzzled manner:

"Are you Mr. Thomas Lane, the former U.S. Navy military attaché to Japan?" "...Your Highness, do you know me?"

"Of course I remember. I was in Tokyo in 1923. Your heroic act of saving lives will remain unforgettable for the rest of my life. I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again on behalf of the Japanese government, myself, and the people you and your soldiers saved."

As he spoke, Fujiwara Kanezane bowed slightly to Thomas Lane, and then bowed towards the United States:

"I would also like to thank the recently deceased President Calvin Coolidge for the great help he provided to us in Japan."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Thomas Lane himself, who was commended by both the United States and Japan for his bravery in rescuing the victims of the Great Tokyo Earthquake, but other Americans also straightened their backs proudly, and their favorable impression of Fujiwara Kanezane increased again.

why?

因为藤原兼实的话,再次戳中了他们的“信仰敏感点”。1923年9月1日正午11畤58分32秒,日本关东地区爆发了里氏7.9级大地震,10万5千人死亡失踪,150万人无家可归，直接经济损失超过10亿美元;

In this difficult time, in addition to China, which was the first to extend a helping hand, Japan's enemy on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the United States, also provided great support and help to this disaster.

Six hours after the earthquake, newspapers across the United States published this major news. President Coolidge called on the people of the country to support Japan and sent an urgent telegram to the Asiatic Fleet anchored in Qinhuangdao to go to the US Army granary in Tianjin to collect food and then go to Yokohama for disaster relief.

The next day, he sent a formal telegram to Emperor Taisho to express his condolences and ordered the Governor-General of the Philippines, Ranald, to organize a rescue fleet to rush to Japan immediately.

At the same time, American citizens took down slogans such as "Japanese Get Out of America" ​​and replaced them with "HELP JAPAN! Minutes Mean Lives!" and donated money and supplies.

最后，美国各渠道所有捐款和物资总价值高达2500万美元,相当于日本当年12%的军费,占全球57国捐赠总额的67%;(第二是英国420万，第三为中国166万)

In addition to material and emotional support, there were also rescue workers sent by the Red Cross, reconstruction teams sent by the American business community, and proactive rescuers like Thomas Lane.

This is a very rare act that is extremely humanitarian and internationalist.

You have to know that at that time, due to the conflict of interests in the Far East and the continuous self-destructive behavior of the Japanese military, the relationship between the United States and Japan was extremely tense, the country was in the midst of an anti-Japanese climax, and even many massacres of Japanese immigrants broke out.

The following year, the United States even further introduced the "Japanese Exclusion Act," intensifying the persecution of Japanese laborers and immigrants in the United States, leading to a Japanese naval officer committing seppuku in front of the newly built American embassy.

Japan also sarcastically published articles in newspapers such as the National News, claiming that "America's rulers are not congressmen, presidents, or God, let alone democracy and freedom, but money," and slammed the United States as "a country that practices racial discrimination and yet has the nerve to accuse Japan."

The two sides fought each other to the point of beating each other's brains.

So, politics should be politics and emotions should be emotions.

It is undeniable that the United States and the American people at that time generally did have ideals and beliefs. Their ability to defeat Britain and become the world hegemon after World War II was not just due to luck.

Americans have their own pride, especially when the new president they have been dreaming of appears, this pride reaches its peak, and they look down on other countries in the world with a condescending and sympathetic attitude.

So, when Fujiwara no Kanezane gave them a chance to vent their pride, how do you think they would feel?

Haruta showed a pleased expression at the right moment, cooperating with his commander in a double act:

"You're welcome. When faced with disaster, humanity should work together... But, could you please introduce me to this police officer next to you?"

"Oh, Ms. Field, you see?"

"Yes, and just as I wouldn't keep a naval captain around for no reason, I suppose you wouldn't keep a policeman around for no reason, would you?"

As she spoke, she looked at the two Japanese people who were standing behind her.

"These two, I'm afraid, also have some special 'identities', right?" "I can't hide it from you, really."

Fujiwara no Kanezane smiled gently and began to introduce three attendants: "This is Okawa Tsuneyoshi, he..."

The first man to give a gift was Tsuneyoshi Okawa, the former police officer of Yokohama Tsurumi Police Station.

After the Great Tokyo Earthquake, a group of Japanese spread rumors that "Koreans poisoned the wells and Chinese set fire to Tokyo," thereby inciting a group of Japanese workers who already had grievances to persecute Chinese and Korean workers.

(At the time, many Chinese workers in Japan were paid less than local Japanese. Japanese workers were deceived into believing that Koreans and Chinese were stealing their jobs, leading to deep tensions between the two sides. Does this sound familiar?)

As a result, incidents of beatings and even killings of Chinese and North Korean laborers broke out across Tokyo, with the most brutal incident being the "Oshima-cho Chinese Labor Massacre" on September 3rd, which resulted in the deaths of 500 Wenzhou people.

In this crazy atmosphere, Okawa Tsuneyoshi bravely stood up and led his police officers to take in 225 North Koreans and more than 70 Chinese people to take refuge in the police station.

When thousands of rioters held a small bottle of medicine and claimed it was "evidence of poisoning by North Koreans" (sounds familiar, doesn't it?) and demanded that he hand over the person, he snatched the bottle, drank the "poison" inside, and angrily scolded the other party:

"If this is evidence, I'll drink it in front of you all and see if anything happens! If it really was poisoned by the North Koreans, as the police chief, I'll be the first one to not let him go."

"But if this is completely false and a frame-up, I, Dachuan, will not turn anyone over. Even if you kill me, the officers behind me will fight to the death!"

Under such resolute intimidation, and with the Japanese Navy also beginning to participate in combating violent crime (these more than 300 people were eventually protected by the Navy, presumably by conscientious Japanese naval officers such as Masafuku Kimura), the mob was forced to retreat.

The other two followers were the mayor of Tajima Town, Tachibana County, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yasuzo Yoshizawa, and the deputy mayor, Kuriya San'o. They did similar things:

He protected 180 North Koreans and 36 Chinese from the mob. One of them had his head smashed and another had his wrists nearly cut off, but they refused to surrender.

After hearing the stories of these three people, the Americans around them showed expressions of respect.

This is a good deed that is no less than, or even surpasses, the good deeds of Thomas Lane and Masafuku Kimura, who rescued people in a battleship during the Great Tokyo Earthquake!

"Ms. Field, when I was in the United States, I explained my philosophy to you, and these people are the representatives of my philosophy."

Amid the excited expressions of the three little people, Fujiwara Kanezane said with emotion:

"So, now that you've arrived in Japan, I think they're the best people to welcome you."

"Yes, you are right. This is the best welcome I have ever received since I became President of the United States."

"Pah pah pah... pah pah pah pah pah pah..."

As Haruta clapped his hands, others also raised their hands generously in response to this perfect "welcome ceremony."

At this moment, it seemed as if there was no longer any barrier between Americans and Japanese.

443 Biyuan Diplomacy, Dividing the Pacific

The "special welcome" that the new US President, Ms. Field, received at the dock quickly spread throughout Tokyo, Japan, and even the world.

Whether reported in Japan or the United States, this was an extremely perfect welcome ceremony, fully expressing Japan's importance and goodwill towards the first American president to visit their country.

Although the layout of the scene was not particularly luxurious, the song "SMCA" that made Ms. Field smile and the excellent performances of those people were enough to show the intentions of the Japanese side.

In short, everyone was very satisfied. "Great! Great! Well done!"

After receiving a report on the situation at the dock, Hirohito excitedly praised the greatest hero in front of him:

"It's worth it that I trust you so much and leave it to you to do it!"

Hirohito attached great importance to Haruta's "sudden" visit, so he did not intend to let Fujiwara Kanezane, who was too young and had a relatively low political status, take full responsibility for this matter.

However, the attitude expressed by the US side was very clear - Ms. Field hoped to meet "someone with whom she could get along well", and it was needless to say who she was referring to.

Therefore, Hirohito suppressed all oppositions and made a dictatorial decision to appoint Fujiwara no Kanezane as the "special envoy with full powers to welcome" and left everything to the other party to handle.

Judging from the current results, Fujiwara no Kanezane has indeed thoroughly understood the female president's temper and has done his best at the lowest cost.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words... Anyway, Ms. Field said she's a little tired from the long journey and plans to rest today, explore Tokyo tonight, and visit you again tomorrow."

After briefly reporting what needed to be reported, Fujiwara Kanezane then raised Haruta's (his) own request:

"However, Ms. Field wishes to visit our former Foreign Minister, Shidehara. I hope Your Majesty will grant her permission."

Hearing this person's name, even Hirohito, who had already given Fujiwara no Kanezane a lot of power, fell silent for a moment and asked:

"Kaneshi, tell me, what is Ms. Field trying to do by mentioning this person?"

"I guess they're interested in 'coordinated diplomacy,' right? After all, that's more in line with the Omni way... I mean, on the surface."

Foreign Minister Shidehara refers to Kijuro Shidehara, who served as Foreign Minister of Japan for five terms between 1924 and 1931. Upon taking office in 1924, he proposed the famous "Shidehara Diplomacy," or "coordination diplomacy" theory, which mainly includes:

Japan should abide by the peace treaties after World War I, maintain world peace, develop friendly relations with Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not interfere in China's internal affairs... and so on.

(On the surface, Shidehara's diplomacy advocates non-interference, peace, and respect, but in reality, once China does not meet Japan's wishes, Japan will abandon its promises on paper and do whatever it wants.)

(A typical example is the "Jinan Massacre" in 1928 when Japan sent troops to Shandong and killed Cai Gong, the Nationalist government's envoy, without regard for their dignity. This even prompted Chiang Kai-shek to write in his diary that it was a "great shame and humiliation.")

This set of tactics, although in essence, is still the same set of aggression, it is just that it has changed from military aggression to economic aggression, but at least it has generally maintained the surface effect, which makes European and American countries very satisfied;

Therefore, the period from 1924 to 1931 was the best period for relations between Japan and Europe and the United States. Even the success of the "September 918th Incident" was to a certain extent due to the good image established by Shidehara, which fooled Europe and the United States.

In the eyes of diplomats from Western powers, Shidehara was a "gentleman who loved to laugh, was amiable and trustworthy," so when he said, "His Majesty the Emperor and the cabinet ministers were completely unaware of and did not support the September 918th Incident," many believed him.

The result, of course, was that they were badly deceived. Whether it was the United States, the Soviet Union or the United Kingdom, they all had a huge misunderstanding in their response to the "September 918th Incident", lost the best opportunity to intervene in this incident, and also lost the interests of Northeast China.

The reputation of Kijuro Shidehara and even Japanese diplomats has since become ruined in Europe and the United States.

However, even this "Shidehara diplomacy" was still regarded as "weak" by the Japanese military and right-wing elements;

Through continuous attacks, they finally overthrew Kijuro Shidehara on December 11, 1931.

From then on, the Shidehara diplomacy disappeared, replaced by a more tough and stupid militaristic diplomacy.

"Coordinating diplomacy... Coordinating diplomacy..."

Hirohito drummed his fingers on the table and his head started to hurt again.

In fact, he was not very interested in "coordinated diplomacy" because the economic plundering tactics of the Inuharas could not bring much benefit to the royal family in the short term.

The reason they supported it at the time was simply because they followed Japanese tradition and took into account Shidehara's status as the "Osaka son-in-law of the Mitsubishi Zaibatsu."

However, when this set of methods could not bring him enough benefits and many people opposed it, Kijuro Shidehara's identity as a son-in-law suddenly became extremely glaring.

The Mitsubishi Zaibatsu is far more difficult to control than those young, unaffiliated individuals. Now, the Americans are actually mentioning this old man who has been absent from the political arena for over a year?

What do they want to do?

Hirohito's current physical condition was unable to support him in thinking about such a difficult problem, so he simply threw it to his most trusted young imperial minister:

"Jianshi, tell me, what should we do?"

"My opinion is to agree to let them have Bihara attend tomorrow's meeting to see what Field is up to. There won't be much harm for now."

“…You’re not sure either?”

"I'm not her man, and I don't sleep with her every day. How can I possibly know what she's thinking?"

"You..."

This extremely impudent remark made Hirohito laugh, and in a happy mood, he made a decision without much thought:

"Alright! Go tell Shidehara to come to Tokyo overnight!"

"OK!"

An hour later, in a house in Tokyo, 61-year-old Kijuro Shidehara bowed deeply to Fujiwara Kanezane:

"Thank you for your protection, Your Highness! I vow to dedicate my life to your ideals!" "Haha, you're welcome, Mr. Shidehara. I also highly approve of your Shidehara diplomatic theory, which is why I recommended you and Ambassador Izubuchi to Ms. Field."

"Perhaps in all of Japan, Your Highness is the only one who truly understands my thoughts! This is the honor of my life..."

Kijuro Shidehara flattered him half-heartedly.

Ever since Fujiwara no Kaneshige rose to prominence in Northeast China, he had been secretly watching this young man, pondering all his policies, and gradually discovered;

Aside from the "rent and interest reductions" in Osaka and Kyoto, and the land distribution system in Tohoku, which left him slightly dissatisfied, all of Fujiwara no Kanezane's policies were perfectly acceptable.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is an upgraded version of the "coordinated diplomacy" he advocates! What is the essence of "Biyuan Diplomacy"?