It is Kokang and Changchun

　"Although it would be best to keep the enemy outside the city, we don't have to be afraid if they can really enter the city." Ibaraki Hanaki said to comfort him:

　"I believe the shipgirls will leave a deep impression on the Ground Self-Defense Force. Nothing can be better than cutting all the way from the Five Ferry Points to Rashomon (a place name, similar to cutting from Causeway Bay to Tsim Sha Tsui)."

　The commander of the 2nd Brigade laughed and said, "It's thanks to them that they stood on the side of revolution and justice, otherwise none of us would be here today."

　Ibaraki Hanafu felt something was amiss and corrected him, "Everyone complements each other. Without any one of them, we wouldn't be able to get to where we are now. The relationship between the whole and the parts must be clearly understood; the two are inseparable..."

　"..."

　The Second Brigade Commander knew the Chairman was about to start preaching when he saw this. He couldn't help but complain internally, "I've heard my superiors complain about Chairman Wen's preaching skills before, but today I've really experienced it. He really never misses any opportunity to preach..."

　Shinsaibashi, Osaka

　Shinsaibashi is not a bridge, but Osaka's bustling commercial street. From morning till night, it is bustling with people from both locals and tourists.

　(PS: When the author traveled to Japan in 2019, Shinsaibashi was really crowded, and I guess more than half of them were tourists.)

　Due to the international legitimacy of the base and the civil war, Shinsaibashi has seen a significant decrease in foot traffic and an increase in the number of businesses closing down, but it is still relatively busy and far from deserted.

　After the liberation of Kyushu, Ayanami returned to Osaka to repair the damage she sustained during the war. This period of repairs became her day off, and she took the opportunity to visit Osaka with Shiki, who was also repairing there.

　Of course, this trip was not just for entertainment. They went out with a purpose - to do some social research; and Shinsaibashi was their first stop.

　This time, the two did not choose to take the subway or bus, but took a taxi.

　In Japan, generally speaking, people who choose to take a taxi are either stupid or have a lot of money, but because they had heard that the base government had been tackling the problem of high taxi fares, they wanted to see the results of the reform, so they chose to take a taxi.

　This is also done to avoid attracting attention. If you take public transportation, it’s okay to be approached by fans for photos and autographs, but the most worrying thing is encountering a pervert on the train.

　If a ship girl is touched by a train pervert, she can of course retaliate appropriately; but that is after all an attack after the fact. Some train perverts are very bold and think that no matter what happens afterwards, they have already touched her and it feels good, so it is worth it.

　After all, for some people who have no bottom line, they really dare to take the joke "Be happy in prison for three years and walk with a smile on the road to death penalty" as their motto.

　Although the number of train molesters has decreased significantly due to a series of high-pressure policies implemented by the base government, there's still a chance of getting caught. So, in some cases, it's better to proactively avoid them; less is more. However, if you do encounter such a situation, you shouldn't back down even if you have the right reason.

　After getting in the taxi, the two kept observing the changes in fare on the meter and the real-time positioning of the mobile phone navigation map to prevent the driver from taking a detour and calculating the average mileage price after getting off the car.

　Shipgirls that have been modified with modern electronic systems can use satellite positioning, but that can only locate the location of the shipgirl's main body, the shipgirl in ship suit mode, and the location of the shipgirl when the main body is retracted. The location of the shipgirl when the main body is deployed cannot be located.

　Therefore, Ayanami and Shikinami will still turn on the map positioning on their mobile phones to monitor their actual distance from the departure point to the destination in real time.

　After getting off the bus, the two calculated the actual distance and the metered price, then combined it with the year-on-year data they had found earlier, and finally removed factors such as inflation. The result was that the overall price was reduced by more than half.

　"It's so much cheaper?" Fu Bo was surprised. "It seems the base government really has something going for it."

　Ayanami didn't seem surprised, as if she'd expected it. "Of course. Just by eliminating all those unnecessary services and relaxing the overly stringent taxi inspection standards, we can save a lot of costs, so the prices won't be that high."

　Everyone says taxis in Japan are expensive, but how expensive are they? First of all, you should know that taxi fares in Japan are not just a little bit expensive, but so expensive that it makes you question your life, like a luxury.

　Someone has calculated that according to the price levels of various countries in 2021, a taxi with 60 yuan can travel 24 kilometers in Beijing, 8 kilometers in New York, and only 2.9 kilometers in Tokyo. These prices in developed countries are definitely extortionate.

　Why are Japanese taxis so expensive? As Ayanami just mentioned, "unnecessary services." The high prices of Japanese taxis are directly attributed to their extreme, often unbecoming service levels for the industry.

　Just how extreme is this exceptional service? Your driver will pick you up in a neatly tailored suit and white gloves. The air-conditioned car is impeccably clean and tidy, and the doors automatically open when you exit. If you wish, they'll even act as your tour guide. Every word and gesture from the driver is filled with warmth and a smile.

　Secondly, in addition to the work done before the start of the vehicle, there are also various other things done behind the scenes. Before each departure, the driver checks the condition of the vehicle parts according to a set checklist. This is a normal operation in the industry; but the problem is that

　Yes, the Japanese taxi industry includes all the parts that can be inspected or not and will not affect driving safety.

　Furthermore, the driver must scrub the car clean inside and out every day, leaving it looking spotless, like it just came off a car wash or production line. Furthermore, the car must be inspected at the factory every three months, and any car over ten years old must be scrapped, regardless of its condition.

　Is this kind of service good? Of course it is. Those who don't know would think they were a VIP at a five-star hotel, enjoying a VIP shuttle service, rather than just an ordinary passenger trying to get to their destination. But this kind of good service comes at the cost of the customer's hard-earned money.

　In addition, the threshold for becoming a taxi driver in Japan is very high. One of the requirements is a clean record of traffic accidents. If you want to operate a private taxi and obtain the relevant license, you must have worked as a taxi driver in the same city for 10 years, or have no traffic violation record for the past 10 years since the date of application submission.

　Such a harsh threshold has undoubtedly increased the labor production costs of Japanese taxi drivers, as well as various unnecessary extreme services, frequent major inspections and repairs, and short vehicle replacement cycles, which will inevitably lead to high prices for related goods or services.

　The Japanese taxi industry does this because it has no idea what the positioning of taxi services is. The truly good service is never the ultimate service, but the adapted service.

　From the perspective of passengers, are they willing to pay several times more just to improve the safety of a ground journey of less than half an hour from 99.9% to 99.999%? This is a question worth pondering for the Japanese taxi industry.

　The Japanese taxi industry, while ostensibly offering excellent service to benefit passengers, actually jacks up fares and squeezes passengers' wallets. If it truly benefits passengers, then why are Japanese people so afraid to take taxis?

　Ayanami continued, "That's half the price, and that's not even factoring in the further impact of nationalization and lowering the barrier to entry for drivers."

　"Then if we take into account nationalization and lowering of the driver entry threshold, how much cheaper can it be?" Fu Bo asked.

　Ayanami calculated in her mind. "It's hard to say exactly how much, but I think we can probably reduce it a bit. It won't be as big as before, though, mainly because taxi drivers' salaries are difficult to adjust."

　"You mean lower it?"

　Ayanami nodded. "Yes, in the past, high taxi driver wages were closely linked to high fares. Now that fares have dropped so much, and driver wages remain the same, the taxi industry, which used to be quite profitable, has suddenly suffered huge losses."

　While public service industries should not make money, they cannot continue to incur large losses for a long time. Otherwise, the government will have to make transfer payments to make up for the losses, which will burden other industries.

　However, it is not easy to reduce the high wages of taxi drivers, because in terms of social security and wages, every time the benefits are improved, people will regard these things as what they deserve. Once they are reduced, they will be regarded as a violation of their deserved rights.

　Therefore, if we cut taxi driver wages to balance the taxi company's income and expenditure, it will easily lead to protests from taxi drivers, and it will also affect the perception of the government in the eyes of passers-by.

　"This is indeed a problem..." Fu Bo began to ponder how to deal with it.

　After a while, Fu Bo had an idea: "I think we can do this: let the taxi company be honest with the drivers about the recent situation and tell them that they have to cut salaries, and the company's leaders must also follow suit.

　If some are willing and some are unwilling, then the salaries and bonuses of those willing will be appropriately reduced, and those unwilling will remain unchanged. If neither is willing, then the situation will remain unchanged.

　However, there will be no further salary increases from now on until the company's losses have been significantly reduced and it is able to break even or not impose a significant burden on transfer payments. At that time, salary increases can be resumed based on business performance."

　Ayanami pondered Shikkenami's suggestion for a moment and said, "You're... just leaving everything to time and inflation, aren't you? By keeping nominal wages constant, real wages will fall, thus reducing losses."

　"This is just a measure for rights and interests. After the company has overcome the difficulties of major losses, these measures must be abolished and return to normal track." Fu Bo said seriously.

　"I think I understand what you mean..." Ayanami was still thinking, and said, "Your ideas here are still a bit immature, but the basic idea is worth a try."

　Shikibo asked again, "By the way, sister, let me ask you something. To what level does the government plan to reduce taxi fares?"

　"The starting price has been reduced to 40% of the original price, and the price per kilometer has been reduced to one-fifth of the original price." Ayanami answered truthfully.

　"I roughly calculated that if we compare it with Shanghai, where taxi fares are the most expensive in China, it is still more than twice as high," said Fu Bo.

　"Sister..." Ayanami sighed.

　She went on to explain, "If fares were suddenly cut to levels similar to those in Shanghai, China, without any transfer payments, there would be no way to eliminate the losses except for massive layoffs and halving driver wages. One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time."

　Although our taxi fares are still high compared to many foreign countries, they are much better than in the past and most people can afford them.

　On the other hand, I firmly believe that the Party and the government will return an affordable taxi industry to all Japanese people.

　Chapter 385: Electricity! Electricity! Electricity!

　Due to the limitations of basic national conditions, even if Japan's taxi industry undergoes socialist transformation, it is impossible for it to be at the same price level as China's taxi industry.

　There is nothing that can be done about it given the national conditions where income levels determine consumption levels and resources are almost entirely dependent on imports.

　It doesn't really matter; as long as the Japanese can afford it, prices don't necessarily need to match low foreign prices. But the key is that the original prices are unbearable even for most Japanese, so reform is imperative and urgent.

　Ayanami and Shiki were chatting and walking in Shinsaibashi when they passed by a Mixue Ice City store. Shiki looked at the storefront and said with emotion:

　"I never expected Japan's first affordable cold drink chain to be from China. Compared to other brands, Mixue Bingcheng's products are dirt cheap. If I could, I'd give their headquarters a plaque reading 'Friends of the Salaried Worker.'"

　I just can't understand how something that costs less than 100 yen can be sold for 800, 900, or even 1,000 yen? Is there a difference in taste between the 300 yen and 900 yen versions of the same basic milk tea? Even if there is, is the difference worth the 600 yen price difference?

　Ayanami shook her head and said indifferently, "Consumerism marketing, status trope, and some consumers' lack of awareness...that's all it is. Mixue Ice City's entry is a good thing; at least ordinary people have a cheap option."

　"Fuki, would you like a drink?" Ayanami asked.

　"Sister, if you want to drink, just buy it. There's no need to ask me for help...please buy me a cup too." Fu Bo teased.

　Then Ayanami came in to buy milk tea, and was recognized by a clerk while ordering (Ayanami and Shiki were shopping in private clothes). The clerk was a Kanb player, and he insisted on adding free toppings to Ayanami's milk tea, and he would bear the cost.

　"Um... sir, this... this can't be done. We have rules and regulations, and in this case, we have to pay extra." Ayanami stuttered a little, politely evading the question. Her hand reached into her pocket, ready to take out the money to pay.

　The phenomenon of pampering fans is very common among ship girls. Of course, this also has a premise - everything is based on not breaking the law, discipline or morality.

　If Ayanami had encountered such a thing before the revolution, she could have accepted it with pleasure, because at that time she was still a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Self-Defense Force did not have such rules; but now she is a soldier of the People's Revolutionary Army and a member of the Communist Party, and the discipline and moral requirements are higher.

　In the end, Ayanami gave the money to the clerk; after thanking the clerk, she walked out of the store with two cups of milk tea.

　After Fu Bo received the milk tea from his sister, he inserted a straw and took two sips. "Hey, this is the first time I've had a three-in-one milk tea with so many ingredients. That waiter is really generous."

　"Maybe this is what cooking power is." Ayanami joked.

　The two of them chuckled softly and continued to drink their milk tea.

　"Speaking of which, sister, where were we talking about just now?" Fu Bo wanted to continue the previous topic.

　"Mixue Ice City is dirt cheap."

　"It's not this, it's before. My sister seemed to have something to say at that time?" Fu Bo asked.

　"Oh, we were just talking about the Shinkansen," Ayanami said, "Just when I mentioned the Shinkansen, you mentioned Mixue Ice City... What I wanted to say was that taxis are easy to deal with, but the Shinkansen fare is a headache.

　The Shinkansen, which has now resumed operation in the base area, has seen a slight decrease in fares compared to before. However, if we want to significantly reduce the price and make high-speed rail a cheap means of transportation, the key is to lower electricity prices.

　Besides taxis, Japan's Shinkansen is also incredibly expensive. A ride from Osaka to Tokyo, a journey of over 300 kilometers and two hours, starts at 800 yuan (RMB). The same distance and speed in China would cost you around 160 yuan.

　Fubo asked, "But here comes the problem. Given Japan's current situation, to lower electricity prices, we need to increase power generation. But if we want to significantly reduce electricity prices, the fastest way is to fully restart all nuclear power plants that have been shut down since the 311 earthquake (except for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant).

　While other renewable energy sources are feasible, their investment and construction require both money and time, and they don't produce immediate results. The Fukushima nuclear accident and the recent incident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant have already eroded public trust in nuclear power safety. Restarting nuclear power will inevitably cause public concern and anxiety. What should be done?

　Ayanami fell into deep thought. This was indeed a thorny issue. Japan's large-scale adoption of nuclear power wasn't, as some had assumed, a deliberate attempt to endanger humanity by pursuing nuclear power despite the numerous natural disasters.

　The Liberal Democratic Party deserves to be punished for the Fukushima nuclear accident; however, Japan's basic national conditions, coupled with the current level of human technology, have determined that nuclear power is an inevitable choice for Japan.

　One piece of data can illustrate the importance of nuclear power in Japan. Before the Fukushima nuclear accident, Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate was 20.2%. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, it was halved to 11.5%. In 2014, the annual nuclear power generation was zero, and the energy self-sufficiency rate dropped to 6.3%, a record low.

　In other words, under this basic national condition, even in another world line - the world line in which the Japanese Communist Party led by Tokuda Kyuichi came to power after the war, Japan would still choose to use nuclear power generation on a large scale.

　The Liberal Democratic Party restarted a small number of nuclear power units

　The pressure to achieve carbon neutrality is understandable, but the Fukushima nuclear accident has already completely eroded the LDP's credibility in nuclear power. Under these circumstances, restarting nuclear power would inevitably draw widespread condemnation, and its tainted past makes it difficult to effectively appease the public, which is truly regrettable.

　After thinking for a long time, Ayanami slowly expressed her opinion, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly understand why the Party Central Committee took over the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from the Liberal Democratic Party.

　Judging from the third-party continuous monitoring of the waters around Fukushima, the radiation level has been significantly lower than the safety threshold, which shows that the party and the government still have the means to deal with nuclear wastewater, and it is also a slap in the face of the Liberal Democratic Party.

　The fundamental purpose of doing so, besides out of a sense of responsibility, is to provide the general public with a genuine sense of reassurance; at the same time, it paves the way for restarting nuclear power plants after the liberation of the country.

　"This seems to be possible, but I suggest we be cautious. I think we should have other options." Fu Bo felt that it was better to be cautious about nuclear energy.

　Ayanami discussed the situation carefully, "Other paths are too slow. Restarting nuclear power plants has its concerns. The fastest way is to import cheap electricity on a large scale from other countries. Fortunately, we have a neighbor who's a powerhouse."

　But relying on imports is not a good idea. It's not that we don't trust China, but rather that we are willing to accept the benefits. Furthermore, our domestic power industry needs to survive and develop, so imports are only a temporary solution. We will eventually need to gradually break free from this dependence."

　Speaking of the relationship between Japan and China in the field of electricity, Ayanami suddenly remembered something, lowered her head again, and felt deeply guilty.

　In the early days of reform and opening up, China had to import a lot of electrical equipment due to its own technological limitations. Japan took advantage of this opportunity and began to enter the Chinese market.

　At that time, the disconnectors sold by Japan to China had unstable opening and closing movements, with obvious pauses and swings, and the circuit breakers often accumulated water and short-circuited. After investigation by Chinese personnel, it was found that the former equipment had major safety hazards, and the latter equipment was not designed and produced with local conditions in mind, resulting in acclimatization.

　But when the Chinese side called for after-sales service, the Japanese side kept laughing and saying things like "no problem" and "it's all normal". After becoming impatient with the questions, they told China that if they were not satisfied, they would go find someone else to buy from.

　Ayanami understands this; she feels Japan owes China too much, herself included (Ayanami served in China many times during the Sino-Japanese War). She can only silently hope that after the establishment of the new Japan, Japan will deeply acknowledge its historical mistakes, China will put aside past grievances, and the two countries will truly engage in equal and friendly relations.

　Ayanami continued, "...So, in the long run, to keep electricity prices as low as possible, energy transformation and the restart of nuclear power are both essential. Personally, I hope to strengthen cooperation with China in the field of electricity.

　Especially in the field of nuclear power, we can also cooperate with the Soviet Union and France and invite their experts to inspect the safety of our nuclear power plants.

　"I hope you can understand that the Soviet Union is an ally, but why do we need to ask France as well?" Fu Bo was a little confused.

　"It's mainly to prevent the Westernization elements in the country from making a fuss." Ayanami said straight to the point: "For those people, France is a nuclear powerhouse. They don't trust the Party, China, or the Soviet Union, but they can trust France, right?

　When we took over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant last time, French experts offered no explicit objection to the feasibility and safety of discharging contaminated water into the sea after treatment. If British and American experts had been present at the time, they would likely have spoken directly to us.

　"And a few words about nuclear power safety," Ayanami said, taking a sip of her milk tea and thoroughly chewing the tapioca pearls before swallowing. "If the Fukushima nuclear power plant had been equipped with third-generation nuclear technology, even if no one was watching, the tragedy we're experiencing wouldn't have happened."

　(PS: The cooling and other safety systems of the second-generation nuclear power plants require external power, while the third-generation does not. In certain circumstances, they can also operate without human intervention within three days and can automatically handle some potential safety accidents.)

　"Now Japan is full of old second-generation nuclear reactors. If we upgrade to third-generation nuclear power plants, our nuclear power safety will be much better. In the future, when we further upgrade to fourth-generation nuclear power plants, we will be fearless." Ayanami's eyes were full of anticipation as she spoke.

　Fourth-generation nuclear power technology ensures that no reactor core melt or large-scale radioactive material release will occur under any accident conditions. This eliminates the possibility of a core melt caused by residual heat in the reactor, and technically eliminates the need for off-site emergency measures. Therefore, Ayanami's claim of fearlessness is not an exaggeration.

　"Okay, I understand. To summarize what my sister said, the short-term solution is to rely on imports from China, the medium-term solution is to ensure the restart of nuclear power under safe conditions, and the long-term solution is to rely on renewable energy and third- and fourth-generation nuclear power technologies. Is that right?"

　"Well, almost. We can't avoid China in the electricity sector now. If we want to fully upgrade our nuclear power system, we must seek cooperation with China." Ayanami pointed out incisively.

　Fu Bo said thankfully, "Fortunately, China is a responsible country. If it were the United States, they would probably rack their brains to figure out how to trick us.

　Once the electricity problem is solved, not only will the Shinkansen ticket prices, but the costs of various industries across the country will drop significantly.

　These are all great things that benefit the country and the people."