sinovels Chapters 1539 and 1548: The Japanese National Assembly—not a single one of them is any good!
Chapters 1539 and 1548: The Japanese National Assembly—not a single one of them is any good!
Chapters 1539 and 1548: The Japanese National Assembly—not a single one of them is a match for us!
In the last month before entering Showa 63, the Japanese National Diet convened an emergency session!
The main topic was the "Culture-Based Nation" strategy, which has been hotly debated for almost a year. This strategy will become Japan's fundamental national policy for the next few decades, naturally attracting the attention of the entire population. And, of course, a small supplementary bill for special national debt was also mentioned.
Media reporters, braving the cold wind, had already gathered outside the Capitol Building, asking each other questions and waiting for the outcome of the meeting.
Another group of supporters, braving the cold wind, held up signs with slogans such as "Building a Nation Through Culture," "National Confidence," "Revitalizing Tradition," and "Yamato Breaking Boundaries," expressing their support for today's proposal.
"Shuichi-san, did you hire these people?"
As Naoki Nagayama rode through the crowd in his Toyota Century, he looked out the window at the supporters and asked with some curiosity,
"To generate buzz for today's proposal?"
I think so.
Shuichi Itō, dressed in a suit and tie, looked somewhat nervous. After glancing at him, he nodded.
"But I remember we were looking for celebrities to endorse our products?!"
"Hey Xiu-ichi, Naoki-san."
Kazuma Matsuno, in the passenger seat, immediately spoke up.
"In addition to artists, we also mobilized some traditional culture associations and small groups. The ones who are here now should be them."
"Then it should be correct~"
Itō nodded. As the person in charge of the bill, he naturally couldn't attend to every aspect, and many things were delegated to his subordinates.
"It seems everyone is very supportive!"
Seeing that there was no group opposing him, Naoki Nagayama was relieved.
If the bill to be voted on today were the consumption tax bill, the area outside the Capitol would probably be in an uproar!
"After all, it aligns with the interests of the majority."
The vehicle slowly came to a stop in the underground parking lot of the National Diet building. Naoki Nagayama and Shuichi Itō walked through the internal passage and soon arrived at the backstage of the National Diet building.
"Naoki-san, I'm going to have a final talk with the members of parliament who support me!"
"Haha, Xiu-san, ganbatte, today will definitely go smoothly!"
"Arigato."
After Shuichi Itō went to the members of parliament, Naoki Nagayama, led by Kazuma Matsuno, went to the audience section.
At this moment, the gallery was also full of people, and Naoki Nagayama quickly spotted the group surrounding Otomo Yoshimura. These were representatives from large companies and offices that were close to Naoki.
This "culture-based nation-building" initiative is definitely a huge boon for the entertainment industry.
"Naoki-san is here!" "Nagayama-san!" "Good morning!" "You've come in person!"
As Naoki Nagayama walked in, many people stood up to greet him, each with a warm smile on their face. He was even more popular than the prime minister.
Naoki Nagayama naturally greeted him with a smile, behaving very appropriately.
Finally, we arrived at the empty seat next to Yoshimura Otomo:
"Otomo-san!"
"Did Naoki come with Shuichi?"
Yoshimura Otomo asked with a smile,
"That guy actually wants to pump it up?!"
"It was just final communication."
Naoki Nagayama shook his head. Although he was about 70-80% confident, Shuichi Itō was still a little nervous at such an important moment.
However, Naoki Nagayama still had to save face for his old friend.
"Oh, right."
In the parliament hall below the observers' seats, Shuichi Itō was still communicating with the members of parliament, including a young member of parliament named Yoshihiko Noda.
What happened to Yoshihiko Noda in the end?
After Yoshihiko Noda asked Shuichi Itō for help, Naoki Nagayama handed the matter over to Ōtomo Yoshimura and then got busy with other things and didn't inquire about it.
"I still have some influence in Roppongi!"
Yoshimura Otomo's expression immediately improved.
"There isn't a single club I'm not familiar with. Even the major shareholder behind Carruene, I've had drinks with them and reminisced about the old days."
Upon seeing Yoshimura Otomo, he was about to recount his "great achievements" in Roppongi when Naoki Nagayama quickly interrupted:
"Alright, alright. I know that Otomo-san is still going strong despite his age, and he even has the title of 'Last Tiger of Roppongi'."
"Just tell me directly, how did you get Motoko Haraguchi to become the club's madam and then obtain the video evidence she had hidden?"
"Ha, that's easy!"
Yoshimura Daitomo's lips curled up.
"I bought Karuno!!"
"what?!"
Naoki Nagayama paused for a moment.
"You bought it?!"
"Yes. Wasn't it said that the sugar daddy wanted to replace the madam, which is why Motoko Haraguchi threatened Yoshihiko Noda? Now that we're the sugar daddy, Motoko Haraguchi's position is no longer in doubt! There's no need to record this anymore!"
"Forehead"
It seems that's indeed the case!
However, Naoki Nagayama seemed somewhat speechless and even a little disappointed.
He thought that Yoshimura Otomo would use coercion and enticement in Roppongi, then use his connections to exert pressure, and finally add a little bit of gang intimidation to create a dramatic operation that would force Haraguchi Motoko to give up the recording and the idea of threatening Noda Yoshihiko. That's what a story should be like!
Now, the simple statement "We bought Karuno" feels incredibly unreal.
After hesitating for a moment, Naoki Nagayama asked:
"how much is it?"
"It's not expensive, only 300 million."
Yoshimura Daitomo said,
"The major shareholder is very happy that we bought it. It seems my offer must have been too high!"
"Only three hundred million?"
Naoki Nagayama subconsciously felt that it was too cheap. Nowadays, he deals with billions or even tens of billions of dollars. For example, the special treasury bonds that are about to be passed today will be worth a hundred billion dollars!
A mere 300 million? That seems like a long time ago!
"Three hundred million is a lot! Karuno's total annual revenue is only a little over two hundred million."
Yoshimura Otomo was calculating for him.
"Karuna's annual rent is around 50 million, utilities are 10 million a year, and renovation costs are about 30 million. Then there are personnel costs, etc. A net annual income of 100 million would be quite substantial."
Karuno is considered a small, upscale club. In Roppongi, where competition is fierce, it's already difficult to maintain a stable income. Customers always crave novelty; otherwise, why would clubs keep popping up?
"I'm giving him three years' worth of net income right now, what more could he want?!"
"I see. It doesn't include real estate. No wonder it felt cheap."
Naoki Nagayama nodded, feeling that he seemed somewhat distant from the general public.
Even in the most extravagant and decadent Roppongi Hills, hundreds of millions of dollars is a very large sum of money!
In other words, with Shuyou's annual revenue now amounting to several billion, Yoshimura Daito had the confidence to buy it directly.
"After signing the contract, I went directly to Motoko Haraguchi."
Yoshimura Daitomo continued,
"Then they brought the video over."
"Are you sure Motoko Haraguchi didn't keep any of these secrets?"
"There must be, but what does it matter?"
Yoshimura Otomo looked down at Noda Yoshihiko.
"Haraguchi Motoko is one of us now. Perfect, if Noda Yoshihiko doesn't listen, we'll let her try to extort him again."
This means they've got a handle on Yoshihiko Noda!
Naoki Nagayama looked at Daitomo Yoshimura with satisfaction:
"Otomo-san, you're starting to look more and more like the mastermind behind everything!!"
"Naoki-san"
Yoshimura Daitomo was stunned for a moment, then suddenly got angry. He had clearly become so dedicated and prepared for everything for Naoki Nagayama's sake. And now this Naoki Nagayama dared to make fun of him?
"What a despicable child!!"
"Hahaha"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and said,
"Don't like this title? How about 'Old Fox'?"
"That won't work either? How about I call you the Hokage of the Tree Friends? The one who burns himself to light up his friends?!"
"Where leaves dance, fire will never die out—this is Otomo's 'Will of Fire'."
"."
Yoshimura Otomo listened as Nagayama Naoki uttered familiar, strange lines. It seemed he'd heard them before, perhaps while drinking.
For some reason, this sentence sounds incredibly profound at this moment, carrying a moving sense of sacrifice. The Will of Fire?!
It's decided, this phrase will henceforth be part of TreeFriend's corporate culture!
As people gradually gathered in the parliament hall, the time for convening an extraordinary parliamentary session had arrived.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Kenzaburo Hara walked onto the podium and struck the gavel.
"Distinguished members of parliament, please be seated. The plenary session of the Japanese National Assembly is now officially open!"
"Next, I will read out the agenda for today's extraordinary plenary meeting!"
"First item on the agenda: Voting on the 'Culture-Based Nation' Bill. Second item on the agenda: Voting on the Special National Debt Act."
"."
Generally speaking, the Japanese Diet rarely convenes an extraordinary session outside of regular Diet sessions. This is either because the cabinet has resigned and a new election is needed, or because a major event concerning Japan has occurred.
Today's situation has nothing to do with either of these two types. It's purely because the ruling party wants to establish the national policy of "building a nation through culture" before approving the budget next year. The special national debt is just an addendum to create another loophole for next year's budget.
Therefore, today's meeting actually aroused the dissatisfaction of many opposition party members. Some members were whispering to their friends while the speaker was speaking, just like in a classroom.
From this perspective, attending a House of Representatives class is actually just like taking a university lecture.
"Next, please have Representative Noda read out the summary of the 'Culture-Based Nation Bill'."
Speaker Kenzaburo Hara had long since mastered the art of ignoring the noisy members of parliament; after all, they could only grumble on and on, and the real decision had already been made before the meeting.
Yoshihiko Noda walked onto the podium with a beaming smile and began to read the Cultural Nation-Building Platform to all the members of parliament.
When the proposal was initially submitted for deliberation, it was actually Minister of Education Hatsune Narita who delivered the speech. Replacing him with Narita before the vote demonstrates his importance in the proposal and is also an excellent opportunity for him to enhance his reputation.
"Fellow members of parliament, the importance of building a nation based on culture."
The strategy of building a nation based on culture mainly consists of the following aspects.
"."
Yoshihiko Noda is a talent capable of giving speeches outside high-speed rail stations. Even now, facing all the members of parliament, his voice is still loud and clear, and his calm and composed demeanor makes it clear that he is someone who can handle things!
Half an hour later, Yoshihiko Noda's speech finally came to an end, and Speaker Kenzaburo Hara struck the gavel:
Do any of you members of parliament have any questions?
Although the proposal has undergone detailed evaluation and item-by-item review by the Legislative Council, members of Parliament can still ask questions and the proposal team must debate before the vote.
Now it's time for Shuichi Itō's team to perform.
"What are the sources of funding for the national strategy of building a culturally strong nation?" "How can we ensure that the funds are used for the cultural industry?" "How should the budget be allocated?"
"What new institutions need to be established?"
After a year of preparation, Shuichi Itō was now terrifyingly strong, calmly answering the councilors' questions, his face even bearing a defiant "That's it?" expression.
"That Shuichi-san, oh my god~"
Seeing his friend's reaction, Yoshimura Otomo shook his head.
"Still too young. Doesn't know how to conceal one's strength!"
"Haha, Xiu-san has worked so hard for so long, thinking of every possible problem. Now that you finally have a chance, how can you not show off your spirit?!"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and said,
"After all, he's only in his forties!"
"."
Yoshimura Otomo glanced at the situation below and sighed.
Fortunately, this time we've already reached an agreement with the ruling party, and even some opposition party members agree. So let Shuichi-san have his moment in the spotlight!
Inside the council hall, Shuichi Itō was still engaged in a lively debate with the assembled scholars, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Just as he finished answering one question and was about to answer the next one, he heard no more questions being asked!
Looking around, all the members of parliament were already seated; they no longer wanted to ask questions.
"whispering sound"
Shuichi Itō thought to himself,
"None of them can fight!"
"dong dong dong"
The Speaker's gavel struck again.
"The debate is over. Next, we will vote."
So the members of parliament stood up, skillfully lined up around the parliamentary hall, and began to vote. They were to place their handwritten ballots into the collection box in front of the vote counter. Then the vote counter would read out the ballots.
"Tsk tsk tsk, this is a modern country, is it really that hard to create a voting system?! Just press a button on the table, the computer tallies the results, and then it's projected onto the screen in less than five minutes!"
Naoki Nagayama pursed his lips; this was going to take almost an hour.
"Naoki-san, this is to show the sanctity of voting!"
Yoshimura Otomo seems to take it all in stride.
"Besides, any system can be manipulated. Only through such a primitive method, which everyone can see, can we avoid being deceived."
".well."
Naoki Nagayama could only watch as each member of parliament voted, the votes were counted, and the procession moved slowly.
Finally, just as Naoki Nagayama was about to yawn, the voting ended!
Speaker Kenzaburo Hara returned to the podium, holding the voting results in his hand:
"The vote on the 'Culture-Based Nation Act' has concluded. The results will be announced shortly."
"There are 465 members in the House of Representatives. 462 are present this time, and 3 are absent."
"The results of this vote were: 320 votes in favor, 142 votes against, and 3 abstentions."
"With more than two-thirds of all members of parliament voting in favor, the Cultural Nation-Building Act has been passed!!"
"."
After Kenzaburo Hara announced the results, Shuichi Itō, Yoshihiko Noda, and others raised their hands and cheered. Members of the other ruling party also applauded to celebrate their victory.
The atmosphere in the entire parliament hall was incredibly enthusiastic!
"We won!!" "It passed!!" "Hahaha!!!"
Shuichi Itō, sitting below, looked at Naoki Nagayama and Otomo Yoshimura in the spectator seats and waved his hand fiercely!
"It's approved!"
Naoki Nagayama smiled and clapped, feeling a sense of relief.
Yoshimura Otomo was overjoyed, clapping enthusiastically, and turned to Nagayama Naoki, saying:
"Naoki-san, tonight in Roppongi we're not leaving until we're completely drunk!!"
"."