Japan Tax Riots

[John]

With the recent announcement from the Prime Minister, there was a sense of anger in the air from the Japanese people. No one agreed to the tax increase - even the majority in the National Diet. It hadn't been long since the initial announcement before a few people began to gather in the streets of Tokyo in order to protest the steep increase. Street Officers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department would begin to move to central Tokyo, where the gatherings were taking place. Not to disperse the crowds, but to monitor.

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Within two hours, a few thousand people were on the streets of Tokyo, with home made signs. It was a cacophony of sounds as people shouted and chanted for there to be a reversal on the tax raise.

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By now, members of the Kidō-tai, the Rapid Reaction Force of the Police Headquarters, were on station, forming a line outside of the National Diet Building to prevent the protestors from gaining access to the inside of it. The Kidō-tai would be fully clad in riot gear, the front line being equipped with long riot shields, whilst a rear line of fewer police officers would be armed with gas canister launchers and bean bag shotguns. The weapons would not be aimed at this point, and would only be there as a last resort if the protests turn violent.

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[John]

It had been a few days now and the only thing that had changed was the amount of people. It had went from a few hundred to tens of thousands, possible towards the hundred thousand mark. And more and more people were piling on every day, so far the protests had been peaceful. Local shops and restaurants were handing out food and drinks to the protestors so they didn't have to leave. Everyone had had enough of this government, they wanted change and they wanted it now.

The police held the line, however weak it was. They knew they didn't have enough officers to deal with the amount of people on the streets right now, and if this turned ugly. They'd be overran in a matter of minutes - if not seconds.

They had already requested support from Prefectures surrounding Tokyo, to no avail - many police officers were taking industrial action to oppose the tax increase. After the refusal of support from various police prefectures, the Commisioner of the TMPD had decided to request the support from the Self-Defense Forces, however, Lt. Gen. Naotada Moriyama of the Eastern Army had also refused, stating that his forces were currently re-organising and he refuses to support a decision that effects so many of his soldiers lives.

Meanwhile, Keizō Obuchi had called an emergency meeting in the National Diet in order to discuss with the government on how to appease the protestors best. He was refusing to back down on his tax legislation.

 

[John]

The Protests had continued to grow, now that it was close to pay day for most people - more and more of them were seeing it was less likely the rule was going to be reversed before they had to pay the extortinate taxes that had been imposed on them.

The Police were beginning to realise that this place was a powderkeg, and it was one with a very very short fuse - it wouldn't take alot to set it off. But the time it had taken for the protestors to amount, it had also given the police time to organise and call in reinforcements. All those officers who were off duty had been called in and sent to support the police line outside of the national diet building.

There had already been a few arrests made of those who decided to try and push ther luck and get through the police line. But so far people had mostly been peaceful.. so far. The longer the government waited on a decision to revet the tax law, the quicker it would be until the protests turned ugly.