You Need Not Love Your Government, Only Trust Your Government
Day 604, 07:33
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Published in Japan 
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by
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by Reiji Mitsurugi
Tensions are rising. The world is changing. People are growing restless. We here at the Taishou (that is, me, Reiji Mitsurugi) are concerned about the course that things are taking. A great discontent is festering among the people of the world, and the people of Japan are no exception. I have seen a disturbing trend of citizens speaking very harshly of the Japanese government. Not only that, but many of Japan's top leaders are buckling under the pressure. Members of the cabinet have fled the country, congressmen have resigned and done the same. Granted, those who cannot handle the pressures of the shepherd are unfit to guard the sheep, but it still reflects on the mood of the country.
The turmoil has forced certain changes within the government. One of these changes has directly impacted me and the Ashigaru Taishou. As seen here in the President's most recent address, I have been appointed to replace the Honorable Minamoto Yoritomo, and have been granted the cabinet-level title: Speaker of Congress. It is a tremendous honor and a terrible burden of responsibility. But it is one that I willingly take. For when a citizen acts in the best interests of the country, establishing a righteous administration, we may establish Heaven's Peace.
Because of this change, my new appointment, the Ashigaru Taishou will no longer function as the mouthpiece of the Japanese Imperial Army. My position as Press Secretary for the Army will be consolidated with my responsibilities as Speaker of Congress, and the national bulletin, Nihon no Koe, will publish reports on the Army's actions to the public.
This means that, once again, the Ashigaru Taishou will serve its original purpose: a newspaper for the soldiers. No longer will it have to be geared toward the general populace, we can once again publish articles of importance to the men and women of the Japanese Imperial Army. 万歳!
Now, I have always been honest with you, my gentle reader. Since the very first article published here in the Taishou, my Letter from the Editor (that is me, Reiji Mitsurugi), I have been dedicated to honest reporting. My actions in the Diet of Japan have been no different. Further, I am happy to report, the actions of my colleagues have been likewise honest. Those of us in the Diet, in the Cabinet and the President himself all labor tirelessly in the interests of the people who elected us. As I said in my previous article, everything we do, we do for our country.
There are those amongst us who doubt this fact. There are those who suggest that, somehow, we do not work for the interests of the Japanese people. That perhaps we work in self-interest. That perhaps we serve the interests of some foreign power as we labor in the capital. I state, plainly and clearly, that these suggestions are objectively wrong. We, the Japanese government, work for Japan. You, the reader. You, the people. You may not like us. You may not love us. You may very well hate us. But I do not ask for your kind words, your approval, your love or your affections. I ask only for your trust.
Nay, I beg for it.
I beg you, people of Japan, trust your government.
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I do trust in my government. No doubt about that. Maybe I haven't showed it yet, but those things in the forum are things that I regret. I have learned how things are now, with my own help.
The government of eJapan. I trust in you.
~Kitarou Yuki~
I don't trust the government and I'm in it
"Trust must be earned."
If the Government only presented itself plainly and honestly, the ordinary citizen of Japan - one who only has a passing interest in Politics, such as myself, would have an easier time believing it. I cite the recent gift of a Q5 Hospital to Hokkaido from an Indonesian based company as my reason for posting this reply.
-- Xavios Issadyth
Does the citizen believe that a hospital is not for the good of the people? Does the citizen somehow imply that ht procurement of a new hospital is somehow in the government's, rather than the people's, best interests?
I can't fathom how additional health care services might suggest a lack of trustworthiness on the part of the government.
Reiji, very few will doubt the benefit that results from having a new hospital bestowed to Hokkaido. The lines of communication are blurred in this world, because all kinds of information can be found. As a result, it is very easy to doubt.
From one perspective, the acceptance - or demand, even - of a good quality hospital from our allies could be interpreted as a bribe. On the other hand, it could simply be a gift for co-operating with eIndonesia's agenda.
It is rare for any ordinary citizen to know what words were exchanged behind closed doors between the government of eIndonesia and eJapan. The significance behind the discussions to concede Kyushu may be due to the concern that such an agreement may lead to war.
It does not help when some members of our congress imply that any one nation deserves to be taught a lesson. That kind of opinion and judgment should not be heard by the ears of a citizen, let alone spoken by a representative of the country. The road to retribution may not be the path that all citizens want to take.
I have to go back to my farm, but I want to say more.
Reiji, all the hospitals in the world could not heal the dull ache you feel from the shame of spreading your lies for a criminal government.
Trust is indeed earned, and it will take more time to rebuild that trust for some people than others. Most of the people from the administration I've known except a few unknown entities (Sorry Reiji 😛) and was in very good terms. After this I can trust eJapanese congress no more than I trust that of eUS or eRomania.
That free hospital further complicates the matter and just serves to deepen this division 🙁.
So it is with all these doubts building within our citizens in mind that I beg for the trust of the people. Whatever you may believe is happening here. Whatever conspiracy theories may be brewing in your mind. They are all false. Myself and my colleagues have done everything with the well-being of our people in mind.
We ask only for your trust in return.
"We ask only for your trust in return."
You get what people give. Not other way. You dont get what You want.
I don't understand your meaning, I apologize. English is my third language.
However, I warn once again that the government can only function with the trust of the people. Once we have lost that, only calamity and suffering will ensue.
You tell us that whatever we believe may be happening here - that the conspiracy theories that are brewing in our minds are false. Usually, I would agree. Usually, it is the case that the humble Conspiracy-Theorist is horribly incorrect with their broad and wild statements.
This time, however? They were right. Suddenly it becomes hard to give you the trust you ask for. Suddenly it becomes easier to doubt.
-- Xavios Issadyth
xavier
He is right. You can not just ask for trust you have to earn it back
Agreed the government is here for the people.
The current government is here to serve its own little clique and trade cartoon school girl pics with each other, and Reiji is their eager lapdog.
Songun Jackson = New JKR?
i don't trust or love yous
the government lied to us
These suspicions are silly. An org based in Indonesia is automatically working for their government? A gift of a hospital poses a danger of corruption? The President can hardly personally benefit from even so extravagant of a gift to our nation, any more than do the general citizenry.
Yes, trust is earned, but suspicion must also be justified, and not a single good reason has been put forth NOT to trust our government.
I thank the author for his considered sentiments.
And I thank the good Sophia Forrester for her characteristic wisdom.
If I may take the time to point out that everyone's suspicions /were/ justified, as what was suspected by everyone who was not "in the know" - what was /denied/ by the Government - turned out to be correct.
That is my gripe with this situation: the Government /clearly/ made a mess of a situation, /clearly/ lied to the public. (Ref: "Well, there you have it; the truth of the matter. I personally want to apologize to the Japanese people; it grieved me to have to lie to you, but it would grieve me more to know that we put eSK in danger" - Geno, The TRUTH of the Indo-Japan war).
Accept the fact that the Government /did/ make a mistake instead of continually glossing over the matter and asking for the citizenry of eJapan to trust you. The trust has been abused - admit this and move on. If the Government continues along this avenue of perceived innocence, it will only end in ruination for all involved. This has to be one of the largest political debacles in eJapan's history.
Disgusted with the Government's handling of this issue,
-- Xavios Issadyth
We have not abused any trust whatsoever. Any supposed lying that was done was not done for the personal gain of the government. Any alleged deceptions were not done to harm the people of Japan in any way. On the contrary, those who acted in this way, that you find so despicable, were doing so for your safety. They were doing so to honor your commitments to the protection of the Republic of Korea.
No one has profited from anything here. Everything that has been done, I will say again, has been done for our country.
That you can stand by and so self-righteously claim that you would not have acted in a similar fashion, that you would have let Japan fall into the fires of ruin. That you can do that makes me thank Heaven that you are not responsible for this country.
Give me the name of anyone in the government, anyone involved in this situation who has personally profited from the outcome of any such recent decisions and I will issue a full apology. No trust has been abused. The government is here for your safety, security and prosperity. And it will continue to serve the same purpose. So I beg you, once again, for your patience and trust.
Post script: I feel that I should add the following note so you understand why I am so adamant in my position.
Transparency is one the greatest policies a Government can take, and in an issue such as this, is what should have occurred regardless of Indonesia's demands. Keeping the public in the dark was an idiotic decision, as it is plain to see by the numerous citizens who left eJapan as a result (Which I also disagree with), and the huge amount of negative blowback.
Continue to write walls of text, Reiji, your nation is tearing apart at the seams.
Transparency is a cornerstone of the Kokawayoshi Administration that we take very seriously. However, no one can argue that there are not certain issues which the government must keep as closely-guarded secrets. Matters such as these, which threaten national security, cannot be released to the general public immediately.
Worry not, they WILL be released. However, we must wait until an appropriate time to declassify documents. Currently, there is a proposal to see the discussion and voting records of this particular matter released to the public before the next round of elections. Once this is given due consideration, I should hope your concerns are laid to rest.
And for my good friend Songun, all that is happening is a filtering of those who truly care for Japan and those who only care for stability and profit. When one flees in the face of a difficult decision, they were not fit to lead anyway. We are better off without them.
You could learn from such great leadership, if you had any capacity for learning.
As I appear to have lost the addendum I added to the previous post, allow me to restate what I was trying to say:
Firstly, it does not matter that the Government did not lie for personal gain - I simply do not care that it wasn't done for personal gain. The fact solidly and objectively remains: the Government lied. The result? An unimpressed public. You can easily see from the numbers of Citizens who left eJapan over this issue (which is a counterproductive route to say the least) and the amount of negative blowback the issue has received, that /something is wrong/. I'm hardly a radical - just someone unimpressed with the handling of the issue. If an ordinary citizen can find problems with their Government's actions, surely something is wrong?
Secondly, TRANSPARENCY. Transparency, transparency, transparency. Had the Government taken an attitude of transparency to this issue, all of this could have been avoided. Had the Government come out and stated their intentions, rather than keeping it "behind closed doors", most of the negatives surrounding this issue could have been avoided. I understand that it was one of eIndonesia's requirements in the deal that it remain undisclosed to the public - however, it was a idiotic decision in my eyes. Surely, as the eUSA already knew of the details, it was a point that could have been negotiated over?
Thirdly, you state "supposed lying" in regards to the Governments withholding of information from the public. I cited Geno /directly/ from eJapan's Forums as admitting and apologising for it - do you wish me to quote the /entire/ post?
Fourthly, the least of my concerns at this point, I am glad that you think that one such as I in charge would be bad for this country. It says a lot about my character, and about yours.
-- 'I have the honour to be, with high consideration, Sir, Your obedient servant',
Xavios Issadyth
(For the record, I thought that post had been lost - I did not understand that it was limited to 20 comments per page in standard view)
I mean no direct disrespect to the citizen. However, it is a fact of the matter that not everything can be public record. The government must, at times, keep things a secret in the interest of national security. These things will, one day, be declassified and become public record. But surely, surely, you must recognize that a government may, from time to time, be forced to keep something secret from its people.
SURELY?
No Reiji, if you would lie to your citizens about a secret everyone already knows, I feel sorry for the South Koreans who still honestly believe Japan plans to one day free them.
I do recognise that fact - there are, after all, some things best kept secret. I merely debate that this was not one of those times.
-- Xavios Issadyth
So long as you concede that certain things must remain secret, I am satisfied. However, I think your assessment of the current situation is incorrect. Perhaps because you are not privy to the same secrets that I am, you may have a different opinion about the validity of these secrets.
As such, I respect your right to a differing opinion. Once again, though, I can only ask for your trust that those of us in the Government of Japan, who do see all these secrets, are acting on your behalf. We keep secrets only for your protection and prosperity.
This government has a paternalistic, condescending attitude.
It is corrupt, and must be brought down; but how?
More unsupported allegations of corruption. Who are you? And on what do you base this claim?
Secrecy, even guided by the best of intentions, is the path to avarice.
I'm going to make my own article on this issue.
For now, I'll simply say that while I wasn't yet in possession of all of the facts when I made that above comment, I stand by the sentiment that we could be doing far more helpful things than suspecting our government.