The Kyoto Record (NEWS/IC/MT)

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.0456 NSD (▼.0040) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▲27.03) | April 27,2019

Okinawa Ocean City Hab Module Sinks
OKINAWA - The prototype housing module constructed as part of the Okinawa Ocean City project declared an emergency and sank shortly after sunrise this morning. All crew aboard the vessel were rescued from their life-rafts by coast guard vessels supervising the build. The OOC Special Concern issued a statement this morning stating that their work, which is intended to help alleviate the pressures of the mounting housing crisis, will continue, though some time would be required before an adjusted schedule could be announced. Though the Bureau for Transportation Safety has begun an investigation, the cause of the accident is currently unknown. More>

Iguchi Out as Finance Minister on 4th Straight Quarter of Losses
KYOTO - Iguchi Shinzo is out as Finance Minister, having tendered his resignation this morning before a meeting of the full cabinet together with the Shibata Emperor. Iguchi, a former VP for Finance with Iguchi Heavy Manufacturing, had been losing favour with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over what Prime Minister Iwata Ao called his "Johnny Good-Luck" attitude toward the current recession. The move came just two days after Iguchi announced that the Ministry of Finance would be lowering the prime lending rate to help tackle the recession. Iguchi is succeeded by his former deputy, Hattori Kagame. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.0946 NSD (▲.0090) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▲27.03) | April 28,2019

Yen Up 107% On Foreign Trade Speculation
EDO - The foreign exchange rate of the Mujin Yen (MYN) against the NationStates Dollar (NSD) more than doubled overnight, due in part to speculation on an economic stimulus brought on by new Foreign Trade negotiations with the nations of Leskya and Yohannes. While the negotiations are still in the early stages, most commentators give the impression that all trade is good trade. Finance Minister Hattori Kagame said this morning at a press conference that other factors are also in play, praising in particular the government's recent approval of additional funding for the "EOK Urban Renewal Programme". The imperial programme sees the government spending billions on infrastructure, housing, and other development projects in Edo, Osaka, and Kyoto - areas hit hardest by the current housing crisis. More>

Two New Embassies in Kyoto
KYOTO - Bureau Minister Honda Masaharu announced this morning at a post-sesshin press conference that the Emperor-in-council had approved two new diplomatic missions to the city of Kyoto. Leskya will be adding a new mission to the storied Sakyo-ku district, while Yohannes has already established a presence in the historic Imperial Ward. Leskya, a country of some 490 Million, is an Central European nation where the ruling United Socialist Party have been in power for over thirty years. Yohannes is a burgioning multipartite empire with a strong economy. Both nations have agreed to trade talks.More>

Iguchi Heavy Industries Pondering Foreign Markets
OSAKA - Iguchi Heavy Industries issued a press release this morning indicating that they were considering seeking approval from the Ministries for Defense, Foreign Relations, and Trade to offer for sale to our defensive partners their Type 18 Field Utility Vehicle, an armoured engineering platform which is offered in a variety of loadouts. Critics of the plan have voiced concerns that trading in military vehicles violates the 1949 Moral Reality Edict "On the Defense of the Sangha", which explicitly prohibits proliferation of arms. Iguchi HI hopes to soothe these fears, including in their statement that "The Type 18 is not an inherently violent nor destructive system" and that "official loadouts for the Type 18 platform are useful in both civilian and military contexts". When questioned about a possible violation of the 1887 Military Secrets Act, Iguchi spokesperson Sazuki Ryo stated that the Foreign Trade Model will be sold without the Imperial Mujin Army's specialist communications equipment, which was "the only sensitive system included in the Type 18 design".More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.0947 NSD (▲.0001) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▲27.03) | April 29,2019

IGA Opens Applications for 2019 Summer Tournament
KYOTO - The International Go Association announced late yesterday evening that contestant applications for the 2019 Summer Open Tournament will be accepted through to May 10, 2019. This year's tournament is in an experimental format without recognition of Dan ranking. The IGA hopes that a change of format will increase the "tension of the moment" throughout the tournament. Winning the tournament comes with a championship title and a grand prise of $50,000 NSD. More>

Perforce International Aquired by Kensho Security Labs
EDO - Perforce International, a specialist software firm involved in the development of software for human resource management in the Medical industry, has been acquired this morning by Kensho Security Labs. KSL are a cybersecurity and infrastructure management firm headquartered in Akhiabara, Edo Municipality. KSL's president, Fukui Yusaburi, said the decision to aquire Perforce came after nearly two years of negotiations and security auditing. "We're confident in Perforce's existing product line", Fukui-san said, "And we look forward to expanding and improving that line in the years to come." KSL will maintain Perforce's current Maxtopian offices until the necessary arrangements can be made to move most of the development positions to Edo. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.0947 NSD (▲.0000) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▲27.03) | May 01,2019

IGA President Iguchi Resigns
KYOTO - On the eve of the the 2019 Summer Open Tournament, International Go Association Iguchi Shodo announced his resignation, effective 10th May, 2019. Iguchi, who recieved Jukai in 2016, is resigning to focus on his practice, and asks for privacy in his affairs going forward. Applications for the Tournament, which is still scheduled to move forward, will be accepted through to May 10, 2019. This year's tournament is in an experimental format without recognition of Dan ranking. The IGA hopes that a change of format will increase the "tension of the moment" throughout the tournament. Winning the tournament comes with a championship title and a grand prize of $50,000 NSD. More>

Emperor: We must re-evaluate our position on WA membership
KYOTO - Royal Correspondants were invited today to attend the monthly breakfast ceremony together with members of the Cabinet Council and the Emperor himself. While traditionally prosaiac affairs focused on matters of philosophy, the Emperor's speech at the end of the meal wandered into political territory. "It is all well and good being an Imperial Community and fostering the spirit of the Sangha within our own borders", the Emperor said, adding, "However, for the sake of the externalities, we have to consider if there are ways to spread that influence beyond our borders, within the framework of existing organizations." In an even rarer show of defiance, Foreign Minister Hattori Yukio questioned this, arguing that the Emperor Emeritus had been against WA membership, citing "the possibility that our obligations to obey the strictures of that body" could "put us into direct conflict with the teachings of the Buddha." The Emperor thanked his foreign minister for the counterpoint, and stressed that "I am not meaning to dictate our foreign policy, merely, I was just tring to make it clear that I feel we mus re-evaluate our position on membership in the World Assembly." More>

Forex Markets Stagnate Amid Sustainability Concerns
EDO - The recent uptick in value of the Yen against the NS Dollar seems to have stagnated. In spite of last week's doubling of the currency's value, there has been no new growth, leading experts to question whether or not the change in value was a statistical aberration. Sebastian Morrow, an economist at the Nikkei Index Trading Concern, believes that the rise in the value of the yen may have an impact on the critical manufacturing and tourism sectors. "To many Mujin this is seen as great news. In the age of online commerce, pricing for popular productss from abroad, like movies, music, and instant macaroni and cheese just got a lot more fair. But to many foreigners looking to us for their weekend getaway or Ensoku ChemiCon semiconductors for their high-end electronics, we just doubled our prices on everything virtually overnight." More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.0970 NSD (▲.0023) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▲27.03) | May 02,2019

Princess Satori to Attend the IGA Summer Open
KYOTO - The 2019 Summer Open Tournament of the International Go Association, for which applications are open until 10th May, 2019, has added a new star to its guest list - Princess Satori, the eldest child of our beloved Emperor. Satori, ranked 3 Dan herself at the game, is not competining, but will be attending as an independant observer and judge. While priomgenture in this country has traditionally been male-aligned, there have been rumblings from the palace that Satori may be the most likely candidate to replace her father as our next Emperor. More>

HARADA ROSHI: Von Bismarck Intercultural Scholar Programme should included Zazen Training
OKAYAMA - Harada Shodo Roshi, head monk and abbot at Sogen-ji temple, responded to new from the Bureau of Embassies and Consulates that the Mujin may have more to offer to the Yohannesian Von Bismark Intercultural Scholar Programme than other nations. "It is hard to imagine a Mujin culture arising without our long history of the practice of Zazen," The Roshi was quoted as saying. He called upon temples in the host cities to join him in organizing a Sesshin period to coincide with the exchange periods, so that the programme could include "practice of the intensitivity to leave a lasting impact" on the visiting studends. The Bureau of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour, which has ultimate responisiblity for our contributions to the exchange programme, did not comment. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2471NSD (▲.1501) | NIKKEI -CLOSED- | July 27,2019
SPECIAL SATURDAY EDITION

End of an Era: Emperor Shinjo has died!
KYOTO - It is the sad and terrible duty of this paper to announce the death, late last night, of our beloved Emperor Shinjo. The Emperor, suffering the past few days from fever, succumbed to his illness at 11:34 PM, attended by his family and the royal physician. The Departed Emperor is being succeded by his eldest child, Princess Satori. Satori, a student of Shodo Harada Roshi and frequent public figure, was not approached for comment on the matter, in keeping with the family's request for several days of privacy. The enthronement ceremony has not been scheduled, and likely will not be for several days - the family did, however, announce the regnal name of Kensho. The Emeperor's body is to be laid in state at Sogen-ji for a week of public visitation prior to a state ceremony, later to be followed by a private, religious ceremony for cremation and burial for the royal family and their close associates. Though not publically announced, the timing of these events suggests the Emperor's tomb has already been constructed.More>

NIKKEI Suspends Trading
EDO - The Board of Governors of the Nikkei Stock Exchange announced a general suspension of trading in new securities, effective immediately for all orders not recieved prior to the close of official business on Friday, July 26, 2019. The move, while controversial, was seen as necessary to limit economic fallout from the death of the Departed Emperor. "We'll be resuming trading at some point next week." As justification for the move, the Board's spokesperson also said that "the Nikkei operates with the express consent of the Empire under Royal Warrant provisions" and that "Her Highness the Kensho Emperor has not technically extended that consent to us".More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2472 NSD (▼.0040) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▼.2319) | July 31,2019

Empress Announces "Little Osesshin"
KYOTO - The Shibata Empress announced today that her late and lamented father, Emperor Shiro (known in his reign as the Shinjo Emperor) had left instructions for his death beyond the usual state tradition of mourning. "My dear father did not want to compromise the effectiveness of our great community by forcing every man and woman and child into state mourning," the young Empress said. "Therefore, it was his final instruction that any Teacher of the Zen School who counts themselves among the friends of our family to host an out-of-season Sesshin for the week beginning the third sunday of August, of this year." "Personally, I think this is a fantastic idea," writes Shodo Harada, Roshi of the Sogenji monastery in Yokohama. "I don't expect many of my colleagues would refuse a call from the emperor himself to host all practicioners for a week-long retreat." More>

Nikkei Back in Play; Yen Stagnates
KYOTO - The Nikkei Stock Exchange resumed trading this morning, suffering surprisingly minor losses after two days of closure. The closure, which began as a precaution on the death of Emperor Shiro, extended into the mid-week as legalists argued about whether or not the exchanges' license had survived the emperor's death. The closure was resolved with a formal announcement from the Imperial House that the licensure of such organization properly relied on the State Ministry for Finance's Bureau of Securities, whose authority had not lapsed. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2471 NSD (▼.0001) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▼.2319) | August 2,2019

Fresh Start? Imperial Commission to Study Fate of the Colonies
KYOTO - Prime Minister Nemoto Kenji (MDP-Edo) announced at this morning's regular press conference that the government, under request from the Shibata Empress, will move ahead with the formation of an Imperial Commission on the Question of Colonial Autonomy. The ICQCA will have a thirty-person membership, to be determined by Ootsuka Ukita, speaker of the lower house of the diet. Both the Upper and Lower House, as well as the Imperial Court of Justice and representatives selected by the Empress herself are expected to attend. The Commission's is expected to run through spring, whereupon a final report should be produced and submitted to both houses and the Empress for additional consideration. More>

Central Bank Mulling Re-Valuation of the Yen
EDO - A senior official in the Central Bank, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed that the bank was considering re-evaluating the value of the Mujin Yen (MYN - ¥) in response to the rise in valuation of the currency globally - up around 250% overall since the spring. The move is being derided by critics as being protectionist. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2441 NSD (▼.0030) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▼.2319) | August 6,2019

Bombing in Seoul - IMA, RES Responding
SEOUL, CHOSON PANDO COLONY - A series of explosions rocked the territorial capital of the Choson Pando Region early today, killing 33 and injuring over 200 more in the densely-urbanized central district. The Choson Territory Police Agency (CPTA) is working in concert with IMA forces to re-establish security of the city and bring justice to the culprits. The blasts, beginning from 8 AM local time, coincided with funerary rites for the late Shinjo Emperor.

At noon local, the Choson Remnant Army issued a livestreamed statement claiming responsibility for the attacks, which had targeted governmental installations. The thirty-minute statement included a call to arms for other "loyal citizens of the Choson Pando" to join their cause, which was stated to be violent overthrow of the Mujin government from the region.

The palace did announce that a state visit to the Choson Pando region originally scheduled for October was now being reviewed for a possible earlier timeframe. This came on the heels of a statement from the Kensho Empress, who said that the attacks came as a "profound disappointment" and were an "inexcusable injustice, going against the very core of both the Mujin and Chosonjin people". When asked to clarify her comments about the disappointment, a palace spokesperson said that "the Empress was referring to the Commission for the Question of the Rights of the Colonies", announced over the weekend, in part a response to increased seperatist feeling in the Choson Pando and Java Territories.

The Red Enso Society have responded and are calling on both the IMA and the CRA to stand down from arms. RES Director-General Nakamura Satoshi tweeted "We mustn't forget that most of the victims today were civilians, who had nothing to do with the current political situation in Choson." More>

IMA "SANBAN JOG" Corps Deploys to Choson Peninsula
SASEBO - The Imperial Mujin Army's "San-ban Jinsokuna ota-Gun", or Third Corps Rapid Reaction Force, has been called into service in reaction to the current crisis in Seoul. Sanban JOG consists of three divisions, the 301st through 303rd "Independant Division", each of which are being deployed to the garrisons in Seoul, Jeosong City, and Kaesong to suppliment the IMA corps already in position. A spokesperson for the IMA clarified that the move of the Sanban JOG was "purely precautionary", adding that the forces are "not expected to be called into combat action". Abe Takanori, formerly the ambassador to the World Assembly, remarked that such deployments "are not actually all that unusual", clarifying that the various corps of the Rapid Reaction Force each spend about two thirds of each working year on deployment. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2443 NSD (▲.0002) | NIKKEI 103,085.96 (▼.2319) | August 8,2019

Empress, Colonial Relations Minister to Visit Seoul
KYOTO - The palace announced today that the State Visit to the Choson Pando region has been moved up to next week. The Kensho Empress is expected to arrive in Seoul on Monday, together with attendants and Colonial Relations Minister Abe Sakura. The visit was moved up in response to the bombing attack carried out Tuesday in the name of the Choson Remnant Army, a right-wing separatist faction claiming to be supporters of Yi Namki (Choson: Yi Nam-gi), the last confirmed member of the House of Yi, which had been the Choson royal house prior to the colonization of the CP in 1923. Other seperatist factions have broadly condemned the attack. A spokesperson for the Democratic Independance Organization (DIO), a centre-left seperatist group, said that his faction "continues to have faith in the Imperial Comission on the Question of Colonial Rule" and that they "hope that recent events will not negatively impact the process of turning the Choson Pando, rightly, into a self-governed region."

For her own part, the Empress has remained surprisingly tight-lipped about the situation. A terse statement by a spokesperson for the palace stated that she was "disappointed in the actions of a few violent individuals who cannot stomach proper procedure", and that "further outbursts of this nature will not be tolerated in any region".

Since the attacks, one of three divisions from the Sanban JOG Corps has transferred into the province, with the other two divisions expected to complete their moves by Friday evening. This adds around 30,000 IMA soldiers to the region, which was already secured by 50,000 active-duty soldiers in the Minami-Pando Gun, and 20,000 reservices in the Minami-Pando Anchigumi. More>

Sogenji's Harada-roshi: Please Exercise Restraint in Colonies
MARUYAMA - The head teacher of Sogenji Monastery, a Soto Zen school in Okayama Prefecture, and personal friend of the late Emperor Shinjo, spoke today before a congregated public and gave a Teisho inspired by the conflict in the Choson Pando Region. "The colonies are sins of our past, which cannot be changed. But while we determine the future we would like to have, and how to repent for our wars, we must nevertheless practice restraint on all sides."

The palace refused to comment on the Teisho, beyond clarifying that "The Kensho Empress attends Kenninji Temple when appropriate." More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2441 NSD (▼.0002) | NIKKEI -TRADING SUSPENDED- | August 12,2019

Nampo Defects to Rebels, Drag Along South Pongyang
CHOSON PANDO - Choson Remnant Army press officers issued a statement over the weekend claiming that the city of Nampo and its overall province, South Pongyang, had defected to their side. Kyoto Record reporters worked over the weekend to confirm the statement, which was corrobrated by a statement by Colonial Relations Minister Abe Sakura late Sunday Evening. "Officials in the city of Nampo government have made the peculiar decision to side with the terrorist organization known as the Choson Remnant Army," Abe said, "who have also claimed responsibility for the August 6th attacks in Seoul."

The Empress and her staff office were not available for comment. Defense Minister Iwaya Takeshi's office issued a statement that the "Sanban JOG and local milita are weighing options for response", confirming rumours that troops were mobilizing in the northern portion of the region.

A spokesperson for the moderate seperatist faction DIO also issued a statement, urging "all factions currently involved in the question of Choson Indepednence to practice restraint" and that the "Choson Remnant Army's criminal insurgency jeapordizes the common goal of a Choson homeland under Choson authority, rather than strengthening it."

The Choson militia organization Minami-Pando Gun issued its own statement independant of the Defense Ministry, stating that an attempt to raid a compound believed to house revolutionary leader Yi Namki (Choson: Yi Nam-gi) came up empty. More>

PSIA Chief warns of potential for Foreign Entanglements
KYOTO - Speaking at a press conference late sunday evening, Nakagawa Seimei, Bureau Minister for the Public Security Intelligence Agency, presented the initial findings of his agency with regard to the August 6th Seoul Bombings. Among key findings of the report were the idea that the CRA's primary asset was actually the Choson Diaspora - ethnic-Choson minorities living abroad since the 1923 Invasion.

"The formerly royal House of Yi was a large and prosperous family," Nakagawa-san explained, adding further that "many of the minor Yi princes and cousins are unaccounted for."

The report, which was merely the executive summary to a full report due out by the end of October, went on to conclude that "much of the CRA's current material resources would necessarily have to be imported."

When asked if the Bureau Minister thought that the situation in Nampo confirmed his suspicions, Nakagawa-san replied "there is no such thing as confirmation in intelligence, only corroboration", and later responded affirmatively to a follow-up question as to whether or not Nampo coordinated.

"We are not prepared to name specific states as having responsibility in this regard," a spokesman later clarified, "Nor are we necessarily saying that such foreign aid rises to the level of having been sponsored by a foreign state." More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.1954 NSD (▼.0487) | NIKKEI -TRADING SUSPENDED- | August 32,2019

Choson Situation Worsens - Minami-Pando Forces Defect!
CHOSON PANDO - Imperial Mujin Army forces assigned to the Sanban JOG unit, which was sent to the Choson Pando after the 8/8 attacks, came under fire from forces formerly belonging to the Minami-Pando Gun, a Choson Militia that was formally part of the IMA. Two soldiers are dead and a third was medically evacuated to a field hospital in Pyongyang. The fallen soldiers were Associate Officer Musashi Komura and Soldier Second Class Ota Hatsune. The IMA statement on the incident did not include the fallen or injured for the rebel MPG unit.

The Ministry for Defense also issued a statement on the incident today, stating that the remaining Minami-Pando Gun and Minami-Pando Anchigumi forces were being withdrawn from service and returned to their principal training bases, all of which are currently under Sanban JOG control. Additionally, military correspondants in the Ensokyu Region are reporting credible information suggesting that the Niiban JOG of the IMA have begin movements for deployment. Niiban JOG differs from Sanban JOG in being a dedicated force for amphibious operations. As well, the Imperial Mujin Navy's press office has also confirmed that Taiho is not the only IMN force involved in the conflict - Imperial Naval Infantry Battallion "Seoru", as well as Imperial Naval Infantry Intervention Group 2 Company have both been activated, defending the IMN naval facility at Incheon, and supplementing Sanban JOG in defending the city as more of that force moves north to replace the withdrawn MPG and MPA forces.

The Choson Remnant Army issued a statement praising the attack, stating that "The Joseong will remember those who have fallen in the defense of a proud people, long downtrodden," and further encouraging other members of the MPG and MPA to "make good the rebellion of your brothers and rally to the banner of the rightful rulers of the Joseong Kingdom, the House of Yi." The Democratic Independance Organization (DIO) also issued a statement, condemning the attacks as "Throwing more fuel on the fire". DIO President Paku Jonjin (Choson: Park Chong-chin) wrote that "the ultimate outcome of the Mujin Experiment in the Choson Pando will be an independant Choson State" and that "we must continue to be patient until we reach that goal."

It is estimated by the Bureau for Choson Affairs that the overwhelming majority of Mujin citizens living in the Choson Pando region, including ethnic Mujin and ethnic Choson individuals, would desire an independant state for the region. Support for the three major seperatist groups - the CRA, DIO, and the Choson Soviet - is less clear-cut. More>

MinFin: Expect Further Devaluation of Yen
KYOTO - Minister for Finance Harada Sohei remarked to assembled reporters that his ministry expects the value of the Yen to continue to fall globally. "To be fair, the value had increased severalfold over the past year, which could not be sustained," the minister said. Opposition finance critic Toyota Ryo issued a dissent, saying that "the recent increase in the value of the yen was the just result of a fair valuation of the Mujin economy", ascribing this week's downturn to "international backlash regarding the chaos in the Choson Pando." More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.1956 NSD (▲.0002) | NIKKEI -TRADING SUSPENDED- | October 3, 2019

Nemoto Shuffles Cabinet - Abe out as Colonial Affairs Minister!
KYOTO - Prime Minister Nemoto Kenji announced a new list of cabinet appointments, effective tomorrow morning at 8 AM, which included a number of backfilled cabinet positions. Most interestingly, Abe Sakura, until now the Minister for Colonial Affairs, was dismissed from the cabinet entirely. Her replacement, Amano Konomi. Konomi is a member of the Liberal Deomcratic Party for the Kyoto 1st District. The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement clarifying that the cabinet shuffle was "largely a matter of administrative efficiency". When asked if Abe had been ejected over her handling on the ongoing Choson Civil War, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said that "Minister Abe has an exemplary record as colonial affairs minister". Minister Abe's own spokesperson issued a clarifying statement, stating that Abe-san had urged for the change personally, citing unspecified health concerns. More>

"All options on the table" as Northern CP Tends Royalist
CHOSON PANDO - After the third straight day of attacks on cities in the Northern region of the Choson Pando (two mass shootings, in Pyongyang and Niitama), our Choson Pando beueau chief pushed for answers from the Ministry of Defense. At a press conference held in response, Rikugun-Chūjō Kandegawa Ryo, Lieutent-General in command of the Sanban JOG Rapid-Reaction Force that represents the bulk of the Ground Self-Defense Force contingent in the area, stated that "the question is not quite so simple as many at home seem to believe", clarifying that calls by populist voices to simply commence with bombing the rebel cities into submission were "not founded in strategic wisdom". When asked if this signalled that the GSDF would turn to policing tactics to re-secure the region, Kandegawa clarified that "all options are currently on the table". A present spokesperson for the Ministery of Colonial Affairs called on "all parties to return to the negotation table", stressing that the planned referenda on seperating from the Empire were slated to go ahead in "all three colonies" - Java, Sakhalin, and the Choson Pando.

An anonymous individual familiar with the matter said for the record that the Choson Pando uprising was risking the referendum going forward in that colony, due to concerns that the duress of the conflict would skew the vote.

A Ministry of Defense official confirmed yesterday's rumours that the two brigades of 3rd Independant Division Kobe were called to combat deployment over the next three weeks. Simultaneously, the Ministry has issued a statement that Nishi Anchi-Gumi (West Reservist District) forces were moved to active-duty status to compensate.

Initially believed to be operating independantly, the increasing evidence that the royalist Choson Remnant Army faction has foreign backing have lead to some in the Diet calling for a suspension of Article 9 over the last several weeks. Today a spokesperson for the Palace stated that the "Empress finds such pretentions rediculous" and that "an escalation of the conflict is not the key toward resolving it". More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.1951 NSD (▼.0005) | NIKKEI -TRADING SUSPENDED- | November 9, 2019

Nemoto: I would meet with Yi Oh-Seong
KYOTO - Prime Minister Nemoto Kenji, speaking to press after his return from an inspection of the loyalist city of Seoru, Choson Pando, remarked that he would be open to the idea of talks. Oh-Seong, a cousin of Yi Nam-Gi, has been serving as a senior minister with the provisional government established by the Choson Remnant Army in the rebel-controlled north. The statement was the latest signal, among many in the last weeks, of a potential change in tack for Imperial Policy. More>

[Enso and Mu]

The Kyoto Record

¥1=$0.2256 NSD (▲.0041) | The News Never Stops Moving | April 11, 2020

Nemoto, Yi Announce Northern Chosen Resolution
PYONGYANG - Prime Minister Nemoto Kenji and Yi Oh-Seong, Prime Minister of the provisional government of the Choson Pando region, held a joint press conference in the rebel capital of PYONGYANG early today, announcing cooperatively a formal resolution to end the Choson Pando Crisis. The resolution if passed by the diet and ratified with imperial assent, would see the creation of a Kingdom of Korea in the northern half of the region, and included a provision that the southern half would vote in a referendum no later than December of this year on whether to remain an Imperial Territory, to join with the Kingdom, or to set up a provisional government of their own. In the agreement, Yi's government agrees to remove their forces from the southern region, and to liberate prisoners they have been holding from among GSDF, ASDF, and MSDF ranks.

"The long-promised time of Korean rule over Koreans has finally come," Yi said, in an off-script remark toward the end of his prepared statement.

There is no word yet on restitution paid by either side toward the other, which were on the original list of demands from both sides. The Koreans had demanded payment on the basis of the original 1822 invasion and occupation, whereas the Mujin government were demanding payment on the basis of the rebellion itself constituting terrorist activity. An agreement on reparations is unlikely - both sides have claimed justifications against the claims of the other. An early draft copy of the resolution was leaked last night which suggested a possible symbolic reparations agreement, where both sides agreed to repay the other by the same amount. If the document is genuine, as many experts believe, some diplomacy experts suggest the provision was likely dropped due to its redundancy.

There is also no word at this late hour on whether or not the Shibata Empress would be willing to formally recognize Yi Nam-Gi's claim to the throne of the new Korea. While the palace had been pressing the two sides to come to a lasting peace agreement quickly, no comment has ever been issued by the palace on the matter of the Yi family's claim to royal lineage.

The resolution proposals were signed by both parties, with members of both the Zen and Seon clergy present in attendance. Kaizen Harada Roshi, a former Imperial Teacher who was sent at the request of the Empress, commented after the fact that "though the power of the state is diminished, the sangha remains whole and unbroken". Both the Rinzai Zen school and the Korean Seon school have been abundantly clear that the only path forward for these two nations was peace and rehabilitation.

In a move some see as premature, the Bureau of Embassies and Consulatesdispatched officials within minutes of the signing ceremony, presumably to begin talks surrounding the nature of the diplomatic relationship of the Empire to its former colony. More>