[Australia]: Phone Call to the United States

[Owen]

A phone call, which would be encrypted by the Australian Signals Directorate would be placed through to the Secretary of State from the Office of the Prime Minister.

 

[John]

Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, would pick up the phone.
"Hello"

 

[Owen]

"G'day, this is Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Who am I speaking to?"

 

[John]

"This is Assistant Secretary of State for Pacific affairs, Kurt Campbell. How can I help you Mister Prime Minister?"

 

[Owen]

"I need to discuss some issues of quite high importance, I'm also the Prime Minister of Australia, so I expect to be put through to a more higher official. Is the Secretary of State available?"

 

[John]

"I'm sorry sir, all calls from your side of the globe are instantly directed to me. I will see if she's available, one moment." The phone would go dead for a few moments, before Hillary Clinton picks up the phone "Hello Mister Prime Minister, how can I be of service to you?"

 

[Owen]

"Hillary, good to hear from you. Seems like Japan is going through some drastic changes. Changes which aren't really acceptable to us and we also hope the United States, being the two main victors over Japan in the Pacific War. They seem to be completely disregarding the democratic institutions we put in place after the war and the 1947 constitution which MacArthur obviously helped to write up. I don't think we can really afford to see an imperialistic Japan once again and I'm sure our friends in Korea and China would be sharing the same concerns, given the track record of Japan being an imperial power and having absolute control in the Emperor. We need to work together to apply maximum pressure on Japan to rethink this decision."

 

[John]

"Yes I have been informed of that, it is quite distressing that they have put the emporor back into a seat of power. They claim to be looking to continue peace but the last time the Empire of Japan promised peace, they attacked pearl harbour."

 

[Owen]

"And bombed Darwin..

I don't think there is any possibility of them remaining peaceful. Getting rid of the 1947 constitution gets rid of the provisions put in place by Article 9 to restrict them to a pacifist state. If there is no democratically-elected government, no cabinet, no diet, no seperation of powers... then the Emperor can do what he wants. Conquer who he wants. Go to war with whom he wants. It is alarming to say the least."

 

[John]

"It is alarming, what do you propose we do about this?"

 

[Owen]

"Well we're in discussions at the moment with the Koreans who are obviously alarmed by this. If Japan sees the world taking notice and being firmly against this decision, in due course they will probably reverse this matter. Too often, things go unnoticed in the international community and no one bats an eyelid. Too many people are getting away with too many things which go against the ideals of democracy and freedom, too many are reversing their democracies and it's alarming. Japan needs to know the world is taking notice, that the United States is taking notice and maybe they will feel the pressure."

 

[John]

"Well we were considering imposing an arms embargo on Japan, a lot of current Japanese equipment is American. Maybe that could be a start? What do you think?"

 

[Owen]

"Well that would obviously put a lot of pressure on them, particularly in their Navy and Air Force sector. They will certainly start feeling that pinch."