African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 586: Chapter 264: The Dispute Between Sea and Land

”I’m very sorry, Ambassador Kade, my rank is too low to make such commitments, and the Senkaku Islands are not just a few isolated islands. They concern the safety of the Miyako Strait and territorial waters, so I cannot give you an answer now. I must report to the government first,” said the Japanese diplomat.

As Kade mentioned, Japan could indeed refrain from claiming the South Ryukyu Islands for now, as Japan had not previously declared sovereignty there, instead reaching an awkward compromise with the Far East Empire.

This made Japan psychologically view the Ryukyu Islands as negotiable assets rather than being adamantly considered national territory.

Therefore, the Japanese diplomat was quite tempted by Kade’s proposal, but now that the issue had become significant, it was not easy to resolve. Should they really go to war with East Africa over the South Ryukyu Islands?

It would be one thing if East Africa were a weak nation, but it has a strong image that is difficult to provoke. After all, East Africa’s previous conflicts with Britain and Portugal were so intense that Japan, with a change of perspective, realized how difficult it would be to remain as composed as East Africa.

Of course, Germany, particularly the Austro-Hungarian Empire, supports East Africa, which is an unavoidable important factor, and it’s something the Japanese find envious and resentful. Such a sense of accomplishment is indeed hard to come by.

The three German states are like three brothers. Of course, only Germany is considered more orthodox, but even then, it’s only relatively so, since Prussia wasn’t originally part of Germany, and Germans make up less than thirty percent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. East Africa, however, is extreme; even if all its white people are considered Germans, they account for only fifty percent. But considering the comprehensive Germanization of East Africa, and more than seventy percent of marriageable population intermarried, East Africa’s claim to be a German nation is more convincing than that of Austria-Hungary.

East Africa is now much like the former Austrian Empire, where Austrians leading the Austrian Empire participated in Holy Roman affairs without feeling incongruous. East Africa has now cut off potential future national independence concerns.

In conclusion, none of the three German-speaking countries represents Germany in essence. They all mix with other ethnic groups, with East Africa being the most extreme, directly mixing races. But now everyone identifies as German, and what maintains the relationships among the Three Kingdoms are culture and the aristocracy.

The most crucial factor is the aristocracy; the rulers’ relationships are the main reason East Africa maintains German culture. For example, previously the largest ethnic group in the United States was German, yet America is a thoroughly English-speaking country.

”Alright then, I hope your government can quickly provide an answer, as my personal time is also valuable, and I don’t want to waste words on such matters,” said Kade.

In Kade’s view, Japan doesn’t need to go to extremes with East Africa over the South Ryukyu Islands. Even if East Africa doesn’t intervene, there’s still the Far East; it wouldn’t just fall to the Japanese to take advantage.

After all, at this time, the Far East Empire still has significant sway in the Far East region, and Japan became a major power in its past life primarily by virtue of two wars: the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War.

Currently, although Japan is active in the Far East region, with ambitions toward the Ryukyu Islands, the Korean Peninsula, and the Far East Empire, there hasn’t been any tangible military record to showcase.

In contrast, East Africa has been involved in conflicts with many nations, which have often led to those nations’ downfall. While some might say Africans don’t have much combat power, East Africa’s ability to occupy such vast territories speaks to an organizational capability that fits the stereotype of German efficiency.

Moreover, East Africa has defeated other white-run regimes like the Transvaal Republic and the Kingdom of Portugal, making East Africa at least a military power in the eyes of other nations.

Thus, East African nationals have a psychological superiority over Japan, a viewpoint not detached from the Eurocentric views of the era, along with Japan’s own admiration for strength and the ideal of ”leaving Asia for Europe.” Japan views all Western countries through the lens of strength, and Japan’s view of East Africa, or all white nations, is similarly blinded. It’s akin to how many Western people in later generations are unthinkingly arrogant in believing in American-style liberal democracy.

Freedom is freedom, but without money, there is no true freedom. Democracy became America’s burden after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which in terms of system was indeed very democratic. However, people are inherently selfish and conformist, which made Soviet-style democracy unsustainable unless everyone in the Soviet Union was selfless and saintly, which was clearly impossible.

The 19th century was the era of the white man’s dominance, where even their gas was fragrant, and Japanese couldn’t help but draw deeper breaths of black smoke from industrial chimneys. Thus, a nation like East Africa, especially one with significant ties to two world powers, would not be marginalized abroad, if not out of respect for its power.

In the eyes of Japanese officials, Ambassador Kade is extremely arrogant, but this arrogance isn’t perceived by the Japanese as impolite; rather, it reflects confidence in one’s strength.

”Of course, we also hope not to truly come into conflict with East Africa. We hope both countries can take a step back and seek a mutually acceptable solution, shelving disputes,”

Kade: ”That would be best.”

Soon, the Japanese government began deliberations about the South Ryukyu Islands, which the Japanese refer to as the Senkaku Islands.

”The Senkaku Islands absolutely cannot be given away. East Africa is not the Far East Empire. If we give them to East Africa now, it will be difficult to reclaim them in the future.”

”I understand your feelings, Eitetsu Masao, but the situation now is that the enemy is strong and we are weak. We must face the power gap between both sides, and the Senkaku Islands aren’t worth risking our national fate.”

”Mr. Yamamoto is right. The East African Navy is one of the top ten powerful navies in the world, and even if we concentrated national efforts, we might not win. Risking the fate of the Imperial Navy just for the ownership of the Senkaku Islands is too unworthy,” said someone from the navy department.

The Japanese Navy does not want to engage in a deadly confrontation with the East African Navy because the paper strength of East Africa’s navy is formidable, and there is no confidence of victory on the part of the Japanese Navy.

Moreover, what would be the point of winning? This is the most critical issue for the Japanese Navy, even if Japan could achieve victory, it would undoubtedly be a pyrrhic one. Most of East Africa’s naval forces are in the Indian Ocean, and even if the East African Navy was wiped out in the South Ryukyu Islands, it wouldn’t cause much loss to East Africa.

The East African Navy has great resilience, while the Japanese Navy does not. This is because the Japanese Navy has a competitor: the Japanese Army. If the Japanese Navy were severely damaged, the ”fools” in the army would be on their backs for the next decade, which is something the Japanese Navy cannot accept.

The spokesperson for the army saw through the navy’s concerns and taunted, ”It seems some people only know how to take taxpayers’ money and enjoy coffee and Western meals, yet cannot ensure the Empire’s interests. I think the navy’s budget might as well be managed by us, utilizing it properly.”

”Kazuhiro Tsuruta, you are slandering us. The Imperial Navy’s budget is pitifully small. Look at our ships; we are two generations behind East Africa. This is why the Empire cannot deal with East Africa in the Senkaku Islands. Are we supposed to waste time with fishing boats like Takahashi Morita? Besides, without our navy, your army would only flex at home; expanding territories depends on our navy, so I think your army is the most useless department and should reduce military spending, allowing the Empire to supply a few more warships.”