ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (2)

Court Appointed Attorney and Postwar Compensation

March 15

Nippon Budokan, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo

Twenty-six days after the crash of the Laskant, the Japanese government was holding a war memorial service to mourn the victims who lost their lives in the war against Elmerand. Celebrities and executives from all walks of life were present at the guests of honor table, and in general, the families of the war dead who had visited from all over the country were in attendance.

"In the presence of Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress, we hereby hold a memorial service for the war dead of the Terralus-Elmerand War. This tragedy took the lives of 11.981 Japanese citizens, and as many as 30 million lives throughout the world were lost to untold destruction and carnage. Although the memory of the war is still fresh and the wounds have not healed, I would like to once again offer my condolences to the souls of the victims and their bereaved families. It is only through the sacrifices of all of you who gave your irreplaceable lives in the face of this vicious enemy that our country and this world have been able to regain peace again. To all of you, I extend my respect and gratitude..."

Prime Minister of Japan, Kotoku Inaha, stood in front of the cenotaph set up in the center of the hall and read his eulogy. The Emperor and Empress were in attendance beside him. The attendees, most of them dressed in mourning clothes, were the bereaved families of the fallen SDF officers, all of them with sorrowful expressions on their faces.

"Some of those who were named as war dead have not yet returned to their hometowns. We will do our utmost to ensure that all those who are missing return to our country. Such a tragedy must never be allowed to happen again. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to the spirit of pacifism that we inherited more than 90 years ago, and pledge to contribute to the realization of true peace in this world. In closing, I wish once again that the souls of the war dead may rest in peace and that the bereaved families may have many happy years..."

After reading the speech, Inaha bowed to the Emperor and Empress and the audience, and then stepped down from the platform.

"I would like to offer my condolences to the souls of the dead and offer one minute of silent prayer. Please stand."

After that, an announcement echoed through the hall. The attendees stood up one after another.

"Silent prayer."

With that one voice as a cue, they closed their eyes in unison. Behind their eyelids, memories of those who died to protect the world were floating.

'All good men die... huh?'

Among them were Captain Shimazaki and his family. His thoughts drifted back to his men who had died in the saucer. The memorial ceremony then moved on to the words of the Emperor, followed by memorial addresses by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House of Councilors, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and a representative of the families of the war dead, before the Emperor and Empress left the stage and the attendees offered flowers. After PM Inaha and the guests had finished offering flowers, there was a long line of general attendees in front of the offering stand.

'We have sacrificed too much. Whether the deeply scarred world can recover in the future remains to be seen. But for now, I think we should celebrate our victory and our survival, and smile for the rest of our lives.'

Soon it is the turn of Shimazaki and his family to offer flowers. As his wife and son laid flowers, Shimazaki smiled at his fallen comrades.

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March 18

Tokyo Detention Center, Katsushika City, Tokyo, Japan

Three days after the memorial service for the Terralus-Elmerand War's victims, the ghosts of Elmerand, who had been arrested under semi-criminal circumstances, continued to move back and forth between the detention center and the interrogation room, but finally, yesterday, they were indicted by the prosecutors and their custody was transferred to the jail. After about a month of detention, Myauder and the other leaders were exhausted from the daily interrogations, and the six members captured with them repeatedly pleaded for their lives during each interrogation.