It had been many, many years since Sadazane Konishi had been in Bakkermaya; the first and only time, he remembered, was when he was a new representative, back in 2012 as a part of a delegation of the Imperial Diet. He never thought, if he were to ever return, it would be in the shadow of war with Daitō's neighbor. Truthfully, he was surprised that the dispute over the Tokara Islands had even come up again, after ties had been mended following the Patriotic War, the fall of the Federal Republic and the restoration of the Empire. But as his own life showed, the world was a fickle place, subject to change at the whims of time, and thus the war he thought unlikely had come to his doorstep. Joined by Fumito Gushiken, the outgoing Minister of War, and a few others, together they would bring this war, brought upon by Rokkenjiman actions, to an end. Come what may, peace had to be restored.
While the other members of the delegation waited outside, the Prime Minister and War Minister entered the study, ostensibly to brief the Grand Duke on the situation, though in truth it was also to make their case before him ahead of a session of the Assembly. After the Duke had the chance to ask his first question, the Prime Minister spoke up.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for extending this offer of mediation for the sake of peace. The actions taken by the Rokkenjiman Armed Forces, as well as those taken by our own in response, are deeply regrettable, I won't deny that. In pursuit of safeguarding our nation, we viewed it necessary to take every action necessary to do so, and ultimately, while diplomatic channels were tried, those efforts failed. I do believe, as always, that war between nations is a morally dubious thing, necessary at times, but to be avoided for as long as possible. War between nations like Rokkenjima and Daitō—cultural kin—is, in a way, worse in that regard. But even so, though such an evil has come to East Ardia, I know in my heart that there is still a chance, as always, for peace."
"On that note," The Prime Minister said with a nod, "You have questions, and I assure you, we have answers. At present, the Empire of Daitō holds the islands of Tokarajima and Narushima, as well as a number of smaller islands, islets, and shoals surrounding them. The islands are home to, say, around 58,000, give or take a few hundred, and we've held the islands for... Well, centuries. This particular dispute only occurred after a border skirmish in 1907, which, by merit of the threat of Ardian intervention, didn't go further. After the Great War though, as Daitō found itself opposed to the Federal Republic of Rokkenjima, this conflict reemerged, and for decades we stood in a tense standoff with the Rokkenjimans, who continued to claim the islands and indeed do so to this day, whether by policy or by some legal technicality. As it stands, we believe that the 'Line of Control', as it is dubbed by international observers, between our held islands would make a fine border between our two states, and indeed, that has been our stated aim for the islands since day one."
"Militarily speaking, at present the Empire of Daitō—" Gushiken spoke up. "—is currently engaged in a ceasefire across all fronts, and has, following the successful raid on Rokkenjiman military installations on Gaijijima—Suisenjima, as the Rokkenjimans call it—have withdrawn as recommended to their positions prior to the commencement of the conflict. Present numbers are roughly around 28,000 in the islands, down from 37,000 a few days ago as we move to draw down our forces in the region as a gesture of goodwill. Otherwise, we have squadrons operating in tandem with Carrier Strike Group 5, centered around the Taihō, as well as from air bases throughout the region performing air defense duties. Since the announcement of the ceasefire, I can proudly say that no violations of this ceasefire have occurred. Finally, we of course have CSG-5 in the Rokkenjiman sea, presently operating close to home, as well as CSG-4 waiting in the Dauntel."
"As I am certain you are aware, and as I have already mentioned, Your Highness, it is the Empire of Daitō's position that the present boundary constituting the 'Line of Control' become the formal border of the Empire of Daitō and the First Empire of Rokkenjima. His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor put it best, saying 'Our goal is not the conquest of Rokkenjima, nor territorial aggrandizement, but the restoration of stability to the nation and the protection of those islands which Rokkenjima has claimed for many years.' As such, we will not accept the transfer of the islands as a whole to the First Empire, nor shall we accept the creation of some international mandate over the island. Tokarajima and Narushima are inhabited by our people, and it would be wrong to give them over to another power without even consulting them. Would you accept if, say, some part of Wellow were to be signed away to a foreign power, and the people wouldn't even get a say in their fate? No, you wouldn't. Thus, I must make my position clear: No changes in the border and certainly no Daitōjin citizen forced to live under a foreign flag. To do so would only encourage more bloodshed, more sorrow. The only way forwards is to recognize the border as it stands, for Rokkenjima to formally drop its claim on the remaining islands, and for the islands to be demilitarized for a period of at least twenty years, and, Kami willing, it will hold. In any case, though, I will not oppose any member of the Assembly being involved in the peace-making process."
