| 1 | !![[center: [- [[Characters/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope Main Character Index]] -]]][[center: [- '''Superpowers:''' [[Characters/TNOGermany Großgermanisches Reich]] ([[Characters/TNOHeydrich Heydrich's Germany]]) | [[Characters/{{TNOUSA}} The United States of America]] ([[Characters/TNOSixtiesUSAPresidents 1964-1968 American Presidents]] | [[Characters/TNO1972USAPresidents 1972 American Presidents]]) | [[Characters/TNOJapan Dai-Nippon Teikoku]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Major Powers:''' [[Characters/TNOItaly Regno d'Italia]] | [[Characters/TNOIberianUnion Iberian Union]] | [[Characters/TNOTurkey Republic of Turkey]] | [[Characters/TNOBurgundy Ordensstaat Burgund]]-]]] [[center: [-'''Other Countries By Region:'''-]]] [[center: [- '''Africa:''' [[Characters/TNOAfrica Northern & East Africa]] | [[Characters/TNOWestAfrica West Africa]] | [[Characters/TNOSouthernAfrica Southern Africa]] | [[Characters/TNOPostColonialCentralAfrica Post-Colonial Central Africa]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Asia:''' [[Characters/TNOAsia Mainland China & Oceania]] ('''State of Guangdong''' | [[Characters/TNOSixtiesGuangdongChiefExecutives 1964-1972 Guangdong Chief Executives]] | [[Characters/TNOGuangdongFlavorCharacters Guangdong Flavor Characters]]) | [[Characters/TNOSoutheastAsia Southeast Asia]] ([[Characters/TNOIndonesia Republic of Indonesia]]) | [[Characters/TNOSouthAsia South Asia]] | [[Characters/TNOMiddleEast Middle East]] | [[Characters/TNOCentralAsia Central Asia]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Europe:''' [[Characters/TNOEurope Northern & Western Europe]] ([[Characters/TNOBritain British Isles]] | [[Characters/TNOFrance French State]]) | [[Characters/TNOSouthernEurope Southern Europe]] | [[Characters/TNOEasternEurope Eastern Europe]] ([[Characters/TNOUkraine Reichskommissariat Ukraine]] | [[Characters/TNOMoskowien Reichskommissariat Moskowien]])-]]] [[center: [- '''Americas:''' [[Characters/TNOAmerica North America]] | [[Characters/TNOSouthAmerica South America]] ([[Characters/TNOBrazil United States of Brazil]] | [[Characters/TNOArgentina Argentine Republic]] | [[Characters/TNOUruguay Oriental Republic of Uruguay]])-]]] [[center: [- '''The Russian Anarchy:''' [[Characters/TNORussia West Russia]] ([[Characters/{{TNOWRRF}} West Russian Revolutionary Front]] | [[Characters/TNOKomi Komi Republic]] | [[Characters/TNOKomiCommunist Communist Party of Komi]] | [[Characters/TNOKomiPassionariyy Passionariyy Organization]] | [[Characters/TNOTaboritsky Taboritsky's Russia]]) | [[Characters/TNOSouthernUrals Southern Urals]] | [[Characters/TNOWesternSiberia Western Siberia]] | [[Characters/TNOCentralSiberia Central Siberia]] ([[Characters/TNOSiberianBlackArmy Siberian Black Army]]) | [[Characters/TNOFarEast The Far East]] ([[Characters/TNOHarbinThree Harbin Three]]) | [[Characters/TNOAfterMidnight After Midnight]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Miscellaneous:''' [[Characters/TNOAntarctica Antarctica]] | [[Characters/TNOMisc Miscellaneous Content]] | [[Characters/TNONonCanon Non-Canon Content]]]]-] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ! ''State of Guangdong'' |
| 6 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_guangdong.png]] |
| 7 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Guangdong Military Administration]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoiler_ija_holesummm.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 8 | %%[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the State of %%Liangguang]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tno_state_of_liangguang.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 9 | ->'''Official Name:''' State of Guangdong, Guangdong Military Administration[[note]]Kanton Gunsei Sōkan[[/note]] ([[spoiler:IJA takeover]]) |
| 10 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kanton Minseifu[[note]]Guangdong Civil Administration: The Legislative Council is, in theory, an apolitical advisory body appointed by the Chief Executive to advise and legitimize their actions as part of an unified political corpus - the Guangdong Civil Administration. In practice, of course, the capture of the Legislative Council by corporate interests have made political factionalism a fact of life. Those who remain loyal to the appointed Chief Executive Suzuki's vision, to the prerogatives of the state above that of moneyed interests, are seen as the executors of the Civil Administration in the Legislative Council.[[/note]] |
| 11 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Statism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | The State of Guangdong is an artificial Japanese colonial state carved out of China post-WWII, created for the sole purpose of becoming a playground for unchecked Japanese capitalism. The unnatural state is filled to the brim with crime, corruption, and poverty, all overseen by the established Japanese electronics Zaibatsus, their subsidiaries, and non-Zaibatsu corporations seeking new ground in Guangdong. While China and Japan view Guangdong as a farce and an inconvenience respectively, ambitious enterprisers see Guangdong as the perfect next step to their businesses: a place where corporate visionaries can become national ones. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Also see its recap pages [[Recap/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope here]]. |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 18 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: |
| 19 | ** The design of Guangdong seems to be inspired by China's Special Administrative Regions and Special Economic Zones; Guangdong's "[=LegCo=]" and "Chief Executive" are both used in OTL China's [=SARs=], while its status as a hyper-capitalist region focused on economic prosperity above all else mirrors China's [=SEZs=] (of which Guangdong is a part in real life). Japan's plans for Guangdong also mirrors China's plans for the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area megalopolis. |
| 20 | ** The [[spoiler:Guangdong riots are partially based on the real life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12-3_incident 12-3 incident]] in Macau and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_Hong_Kong_riots 1967 Hong Kong riots]], being exceptionally violent anti-colonial riots led by Chinese labour groups.]] |
| 21 | * AlternateCharacterReading: Cities in Guangdong, except Hong Kong and Macau, use the Japanese ''on'yomi'' readings of their Chinese names.[[labelnote:Full list of city names]]Kōshu (Guangzhou), Makao (Macau/Aomen), Momei (Maoming), Santō (Shantou), Sanbi (Shanwei), Tōkan (Dongguan), Shōkan (Shaoguan), Keishū (Huizhou), Kōmon (Jiangmen), Chōkei (Zhaoqing), Honkon (Hong Kong/Xianggang), Kōnei (Xingning), Seien (Qingyuan), Yōkō (Yangjiang), Unfu (Yunfu), Baishū (Meizhou), Kagen (Heyuan), Keiyō (Jieyang), Chōshū (Chaozhou), and Shingi (Xinyi)[[/labelnote]]. |
| 22 | * TheAssimilator: |
| 23 | ** In addition to Japanese settlers who have integrated into Cantonese culture, the Zhujin also include Chinese citizens who have assimilated into Japanese culture, adopting Japanese names and their language. Since 1956, the state has conduced censuses to keep track of civil servants and business owners deemed "reliable". |
| 24 | ** The various cities of Guangdong have been renamed to their Japanese equivalents and the many districts have had their Chinese or colonial names replaced with lazy geographic names. This is an attempt to assert Japanese culture over the region, much the same was as the British did in Hong Kong, albeit faster. However, most Chinese and even Zhujin just stick to the old names. The only new district name widely used by them is Port Shōri, formerly known as Victoria Harbor and one of the many names the Japanese have given to it. |
| 25 | * ArcWords: The phrase "The more things change, the more they stay the same" is repeated several times during events, to illustrate that no matter what path Guangdong takes [[spoiler:(except the IJA takeover)]], Guangdong does not fundamentally change, with the same power dynamics of the Japanese expats staying the most powerful, the majority of Chinese stay working in the same factories while the Zhujin continue to make up the middle class. |
| 26 | * {{Arcadia}}: {{Subverted}}. The Guangdong province was originally envisioned by Tōjō to be a humble place for Ichigo veterans to resettle and grow rice in their retirement. The present-day version of Guangdong has become the complete opposite place. |
| 27 | * ArmsDealer: The corporations in Guangdong get into experimenting with new weapons to sell to the rest of the Sphere, inventing rifles for the Malayan Emergency, main battle tanks in the Indonesian Civil War, self-propelled artillery in the Colombian Civil War, and helicopters in the Middle Eastern conflicts. In these proxy wars, the more in-game objectives are completed by these experimental units, the more economic benefits the corporations will receive. |
| 28 | * ArtisticLicenseHistory: |
| 29 | ** The State of Guangdong is an entirely fictitious invention of the mod that real-life Imperial Japan had no interest in establishing. The country is more of a fun thought experiment, meshing a 60's-80's Hong Kong setting with Japanese cultural influences from the same period and a tinge of CyberpunkForFlavor. |
| 30 | ** Some IJA generals present in Guangdong, like Takeda Goro, incorrectly wear uniforms from the Japan Self-Defense Forces. |
| 31 | * AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: An in-universe example, where the word "Zhujin" comes from combining "Zhu", Mandarin Chinese for pearl, and "Jin", Japanese on-yomi for people. |
| 32 | * AuthorityInNameOnly: Most of Guangdong's rural areas are relatively outside the government's political and economic control, barring some Kenpeitai raids for dissidents. Some Chief Executives expand this control, such as Sony's passage of the Industrial Development Ordinance, where Morita can integrate consenting citizens with relocation packages into corporate towns or Li can expand the government services in exchange for policing and taxes. |
| 33 | * {{Auction}}: Following the Yasuda Crisis, the titular corporation's remaining assets are put up on [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20230324211731_1.png auction]] for the other companies to buy out. This allows the other companies to severely weaken a rival and accumulate more support in the Legislative Council. The auction also allows the government, who came into possession of Yasuda's assets, to fill up their financial reserves and remove the associated maintenance costs. |
| 34 | * AwesomeButImpractical: Many of the "innovations" in military technology that the different companies are conceptualizing fall squarely into this category. |
| 35 | ** The Malayan Emergency involves the creation of "innovative" rifle designs: |
| 36 | *** [[https://i.imgur.com/QvTK6T1.png Sony's "modular" assault rifle]] is made to be compatible with both Japanese and Chinese produced ammunition types, and can be recalibrated to switch between the two on the fly. While such adaptability sounds interesting on paper, the IJA have no need to switch to Chinese ammo when their own supplies are plentiful, and with out this extravagant feature, Sony's rifle is no better than using a regular gun. |
| 37 | *** [[https://i.imgur.com/AD9hiYk.png Mastushita's rifle]] is designed to fire special saboted flechette rounds, however the specialized nature of this ammunition type presents a logistical problem, as it's too uncommon and expensive for widespread use, while providing no distinct advantage over normal bullets. |
| 38 | *** [[https://i.imgur.com/mZBFlGL.png Fujitsu's experimental rifle]] features a state-of-the-art scope electronic night vision and thermal optics. However because the technology to make the equipment truly portable doesn't exist yet, the scope requires a special 50 kg battery backpack to power it which is too burdensome to carry around for long distances, making it impractical for use in the field. |
| 39 | ** The Indonesian Civil War invites the production of main battle tanks. |
| 40 | *** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sony_tank_screen.png Sony's tank]] is equipped with an infrared scanner, which can pinpoint heat signatures under 100 meters away. And by "heat signatures", it means ''all'' heat signatures. When deployed in Indonesia, the scanner is blanketed in orange and distinct yellow spots are only produced when the enemy is already firing at the unit, making it functionally useless. |
| 41 | *** Matsushita Electric develops their [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matsushita_tank_screen.png MBT missiles]] to be wire-guided and it produces an impressive explosion when it makes contact. However, not only does the increased ammunition mean that the tank must be less armored, but a single stray shell can also destroy a tank from the same unit, wiping out both the enemy and themselves. |
| 42 | *** The [=MBTs=] produced by Fujitsu have a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fujitsu_tank_screen.png gyrostabilizer]] that enables them to fire while still moving, giving them more versatility on paper. Except that these tanks are being deployed in the dense rainforests of Indonesia, so this advantage will rarely be used. |
| 43 | *** Hitachi seemingly presents a more mundane upgrade with a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hitachi_tank_screen.png screw suspension]] that makes their tanks more mobile in rough terrain. Unsaid with this upgrade is shredding whatever land the tank crosses over, which could come back to haunt the Sphere if reinforcements or logistics are trying to follow them. |
| 44 | ** Self-propelled artillery are the next category of weapons produced during the Colombian Civil War. |
| 45 | *** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sony_spart_screen.png Sony's SPART module]] has an autoloader to increase the firing rate, but it is incredibly unreliable, where the rounds can lose velocity and cause friendly fire, melt the barrels' protective coating, and blow up the entire vehicle from even a small round penetrating the platform and hitting the ammunition belt or gas tank. |
| 46 | *** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matsushita_spart_screen.png Matsushita's SPART]] has a lightweight wheel suspension to reduce their travel time, but in order to make the most of this advantage, they need to push deep into enemy lines. From there, it's near impossible to logistically satiate their insane RPM. Until supplies arrive, the trucks are vulnerable to counterattack and have very poor evasive actions if caught by the enemy. |
| 47 | *** Fujitsu is imaginative enough to arm their [=SPARTs=] with a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fujitsu_spart_screen.png computer-assisted gun platform]] and, when deployed, it hits its target with extreme accuracy. However, when the enemy retreats to a more defensive position, the artillery cannot adapt because the trucks have terrible traversability, not even being able to scale a small hill. Short circuits are also a major problem, which renders the artillery useless and requires repairs that could take days to happen. |
| 48 | *** Hitachi presents a [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hitachi_spart_screen.png missile saturation turret]] that can fire fragmentation submunitions to bomb the enemy with unrelenting firepower. However, resupplying them with ammunition is extremely lengthy and costly, yet expanding their initial ammunition capacity is not a good option either because the extra weight means that more fuel must be consumed. |
| 49 | ** The final PTRG category, helicopters, are given a similarly ill-fated swing during the Middle Eastern proxy conflicts. |
| 50 | *** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matsushita_helicopter_screen.png Transport helicopters]] are Matsushita Electric's speciality, with the latest invention capable of carrying 10 passengers. The trade-off, though, is giving almost no armor or durability to the vehicle, making it extremely easy to shoot down, even compared to other helicopters of its kind. Many pilots joke that the vehicles are manned by undisciplined soldiers who have been given a suicide mission in all but name. |
| 51 | *** [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fujitsu_helicopter_screen.png Fujitsu's helicopter gunships]] have state-of-the-art guidance systems and weaponry that make them some of the most mobile artillery seen in history. There's one major problem: the cost. The price of one can be used to outfit several infantry companies, so these weapons see limited deployment. |
| 52 | *** The [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hitachi_helicopter_screen.png attack helicopters]] mobilized by Hitachi are some of the deadliest in the entire world, capable of destroying American and German choppers with ease. Unfortunately, not only are they just as expensive as Fujitsu's helicopters, they also require a complex system of electronics trademarked by Hitachi, so even the most minor inconvenience will require a Hitachi engineer to be called and brought over. |
| 53 | *** Shockingly, the rare subversion is [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sony_helicopter_screen.png Sony's chopper]], which is armed with a multitude of weapons and a multi-sensory electronic optical system, seemingly setting it up to be yet another impractical device. It does take a little practice to master, but otherwise, the helicopter accomplishes exactly what it promises with no significant drawbacks, being very flexible, lightweight, and fuel-efficient. |
| 54 | * BetterTheDevilYouKnow: The established MegaCorp powerbrokers of Guangdong range from ambitious to utterly ruthless, containing no small shortage of corrupt and exploitative leaders. They are, however, civilian businessmen in a [[CapitalismIsBad ruthlessly]] free market against the backdrop of a Pacific Rim dominated by the IJA, IJN, and totalitarian bureaucrats, and the better endings for Guangdong all involve managing the State while preventing the horrors common in the Sphere from taking root in Guangdong, most visibly in [[BastardUnderstudy Komai.]] |
| 55 | * BeyondTheImpossible: Theoretically, a country like Guangdong should be impossible, having no legitimacy or genuine national spirit to speak of. However, the people's resilience and struggle to survive the next day have made it work, [[spoiler:possibly even through the Oil Crisis and the Riots]]. |
| 56 | -->'''Stanley Ho:''' In all my years of travel, nothing exhilarates me as much as the rush of Guangdong. In my experience, I find that one learns more about their homeland the more they travel, and only here have I found such a resolute drive, a full-blooded desire to go beyond limits and tradition to achieve the impossible. You can appreciate the irony: Guangdong itself is an impossible creation, yet its people devote themselves to unending, relentless aspiration in spite of it. |
| 57 | * BilingualBonus: |
| 58 | ** The three Chinese characters on the flag stand for the three major cities of Guangdong or the "Three Pearls": Guangzhou (廣州), Macau (澳門), and Hong Kong (香港). Even better, their location on the flag represents their relative geographic position to each other, with Guangzhou being north of the Pearl River Delta, Macau being west, and Hong Kong being east. |
| 59 | ** [[spoiler:The traditional Chinese characters on the IJA flag translate to "Inspectorate General of Guangdong Military Government", reflecting the drastic change in regime.]] |
| 60 | * BodyHorror: Several events highlight the horrific working conditions most of the population is subjected to, with many workers missing their arms, hands, or other body parts due to industrial accidents. |
| 61 | * ButNotTooForeign: Especially around Kōshū (Guangzhou), Makao (Macau) and Honkon (Hong Kong), a mixed Zhujin culture has emerged, the result of Japanese influence and settlers displacing the native Chinese. As a result, while the people have little attachment to Guangdong as a political concept, neither are they keen to bow to the will of Nanjing or Tokyo. |
| 62 | * BystanderSyndrome: Many of the wealthy families in Guangdong ignore the social ills they witness by minding their own business, reasoning that it's not their problem and allowing the systemic abuse to continue. |
| 63 | * CapitalismIsBad: Mostly played straight. A major theme in Guangdong's story is the abuses and corruption brought on by uncontrolled Japanese capitalism, as wealthy mega-corporations exploit and prosper off the backs of abused Chinese laborers. Its worst effects are seen under Komai, who completely deregulates the economy and cuts all welfare spending through the Revised Social Recovery Ordinance. The various chief executives will have to deal with the resentment the state's policy of unrestrained capitalism breeds amongst the Chinese workers [[InternalReformist one way]] or [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans another]]. However, as bad as Guangdong's capitalism is, it has the unintended benefit of [[TheUnfettered being something outside the control of the totalitarian powerbrokers that dominate the Sphere]]. A major theme is the contrast between the Guangdong system of Dickensian cyberpunk and the "Manchurian" system of Fascist corporatist micromanaging by the "Reform Bureaucrats" and the Kwantung Army, with the latter almost always being worse, [[spoiler: and most of Guangdong's worst endings involve the "Manchurian System" being imposed either by Komai or the IJA.]] |
| 64 | * TheCityNarrows: Parts of Kōshu are walled off and ignored by the Japanese to hide the poorest districts of the city. In Sony's route, Yoshiko is taken by Lam to personally witness how filthy and impoverished this portion of Kōshu is and Li can implement a public housing scheme to move workers into new apartments, citing the huddled squalor of Chai Wan. |
| 65 | * LesCollaborateurs: |
| 66 | ** Guangdong's administration seeks greater cooperation from the Zhujin, the old business elite that dominated Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta before the war and now compose a middle class that has since adopted the Japanese language. However, most of the Japanese megacorporations aren't keen on giving the Chinese oligarchs and tycoons too ''much'' leeway, though Sony wants to expand legal protections and privileges for them. |
| 67 | ** The Legislative Council, which decides which laws can be passed, is made up of local elites who have been nominated to help the Chief Executive. The structure is based on the collaboration councils Japan used in Hong Kong during World War II. |
| 68 | * ContemptCrossfire: The Zhujin consist of Chinese people native to Guangdong who makeup the state's educated middle class and often receive more privileges than the average person. This naturally makes them despised by the native Chinese as foreign collaborators, while Japan sees them only as useful proxies to leash Guangdong to the Sphere. |
| 69 | * ControllableHelplessness: [[spoiler:If the IJA takeover Guangdong, the player will no longer be able to manually take focuses, with them instead being completed automatically, unable to even stop the IJA from destroying Guangdong that way as they are left to slowly watch everything unique about Guangdong being taken away from them.]] |
| 70 | * CorporateConspiracy: Hitachi is shown to resort to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_11_79.png intrigue and bribes]] to grow their influence on the Legislative Council, eventually resulting in a coup that ousts the current Chief Executive in favour of their CEO Komai should the conspiracy go unchecked. |
| 71 | * CorporateWarfare: The mega-corporations possess private security forces to secure their assets and can use them to disobey the government's rulings and regulations through force. In Matsushita's path, he partially merges these corporate security forces into the Guangdong Police Force through “liaison officers” to minor success. |
| 72 | * CorruptPolitician: A historic inclination towards (very) small government, massive volumes of financial transactions, and loose oversight have all created a culture of corruption within Guangdong's government. The temptation to accept 'tea money' is universal and makes the business of government far more difficult to conduct. Suzuki's successor will attempt to implement varying anti-corruption measures during their reign, the success of which is represented by a dynamic national spirit. The four levels of the spirit start with "The Finest Money Can Buy" representing entrenched systemic corruption, then "Corrupt" representing widespread corruption with marginal improvements, followed by "Passable" representing a significant decrease in corruption and finally "Asia's Finest" nearly eradicating the presence of corruption. |
| 73 | * CrapsaccharineWorld: Honkon is a massive financial hub that is big enough to rival Tokyo and has dizzyingly high skyscrapers to impress outsiders. However, the population is no less impoverished than the rest of Guangdong and some of the beggar population consists of Japanese businessmen who made a fatal mistake in the corporate world and lost everything, a grim warning for those who want to compete here. |
| 74 | * CrapsackWorld: Life in Guangdong is always awful for its Chinese citizens, regardless of the path, as they remain subjects of a colonialist corporatocracy. While the quality of life can improve under Morita's leadership, the systemic injustices will remain rampant throughout the course of the game. |
| 75 | * CyberpunkForFlavor: Leans into this aesthetic more heavily than even Novosibirsk. While it lacks the high-technology and cyberspace aspects due to the timeframe, Guangdong is set in the highly urbanized Pearl River Delta, ruled by a pervasive [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Japanese corporatocracy]] and rife with crime, poverty and government corruption, giving it all the trappings of a proto-cyberpunk state. Ibuka's path provides the clearest example, where, according to his vision, Guangdong becomes a cutthroat meritocracy that prioritizes the accelerated development of said high-technology over the well-being of its denizens. |
| 76 | * DarkIsEvil: Guangdong is normally a dark red on the map, [[spoiler:but the IJA coup will turn it into a dark crimson, conveying the evil of Nagano's military rule.]] |
| 77 | * DevelopersForesight: To ensure that the player doesn't dominate the Legislative Council and steamroll the rest of the game, a special event will fire if they reach more than 50 seats, prompting the opposing companies to peel support away from the Chief Executive, buying seats away from them and maintaining a fairer balance of power. |
| 78 | * DirtyCop: The Guangdong Police Force consists of little more than blue-clad, jack-booted thugs with endless pockets and little oversight. There are many instances of police officers extorting civilians for money. During the Yasuda crisis the number of bribes from the Triads and Yakuza only goes up as officers are desperate to maintain an income. Every Chief Executive recognizes it as a problem, either for moral reasons (Morita and Li) or because the current regime needs a proper security force against the Kenpeitai's influence (Matsushita and Ibuka). The only one who doesn't directly address it is Komai, since he relies on the Kenpeitai instead. |
| 79 | * TheDreaded: The Kenpeitai are feared across Guangdong for their kidnappings and "questionings" of suspected criminals. Even the Legislative Council has reason to be anxious about them, since they could pose a threat. Morita aims to reduce their influence, while Komai, a feared man himself, intends to empower them. |
| 80 | * DystopiaIsHard: All the repression and exploitation done by the corporations foments a simmering hatred in the Chinese and Zhujin, producing an unsustainable system for how a country should be run, something that even Suzuki points out. [[spoiler:By the end, it culminates in massive riots, with the Chinese organized by the Committee of Chinese Labor and the Zhujin organized by the Guangdong Federation of Tradesmen. Their strength and radicalism needs to be [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_12_4.png carefully managed]] by either negotiation or more extreme force. Failure to do so leads the IJA to intervene and overthrow the Chief Executive.]] |
| 81 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 82 | ** None of the Big Five, not even Komai, like the Japanese businessmen who immigrate to Guangdong during [[spoiler:the Oil Crisis]], as they are an obnoxious lot with an inflated ego about themselves. |
| 83 | ** [[spoiler:Every corporate leader is shocked by Komai's willingness to use unrelenting violence to put down the Guangdong riots, expressing only silence when he tells the Commissioner that his police force isn't doing enough to put them down and will use his own men to reinforce them.]] |
| 84 | * EvilVersusEvil: With a few exceptions like Morita, the Japanese conglomerates that dominate Guangdong are all exploitative companies that have oppressed the Chinese to use as cheap labor and are waging corporate wars against each other to beat out the competition. |
| 85 | * FamilyOfChoice: The nameless workers who slave away in the factories find some solace in each other, exchanging luxuries like alcohol with each other to make their lives a little more bearable. In a way, they're the only family they've got left, since they were taken from their homes. |
| 86 | * FictionalCountry: Even moreso than Manchukuo, Guangdong is a completely artificial state invented by the Japanese to make money, and has no real reason to exist. An important part of Guangdong content is forming the Guangdong national identity, making a state from nothing. This plays a major role in [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unknown_17_0.png "The Three Evils of Guangdong"]] mechanic, where the Chief Executive must build Guangdong's reputation to Japan and China as more than just a cynical corporate project infested with corruption. |
| 87 | * ForScience: |
| 88 | ** A somewhat unique part of Guangdong's gameplay is testing out the various "innovations" in military technology conceptualized by the various {{Mega Corp}}s. For this, a special "Research Regiment" is generated, which the player can then take into the various Japanese proxy-conflicts as a "volunteer regiment". But the goal with the Research Regiment isn't to win battles, but rather test out how their [[AwesomeButImpractical new fancy hardware (of often questionable usefulness)]] fare when used in battlefield conditions, so it actually doesn't manner if the regiment performs poorly in combat and end up losing a lot of men in pointless battles; the explicit victory condition is getting the testing of the equipment done in and off itself. |
| 89 | ** Another game mechanic to Guangdong is the product cycle, where the corporations can market and sell a new electronic innovation, with its success depending on its marketing and quality assurance. However, while the executives profit off of their inventions, more Chinese workers will toil to produce their goods in abusive and often dangerous working conditions. |
| 90 | * ForcedFromTheirHome: Entire villages and towns are forcibly relocated to make way for the extraction of natural resources like tungsten and germanium with those refusing to cooperate being dealt with by the Kenpeitai. |
| 91 | * ForeignRulingClass: |
| 92 | ** Japanese settlers in Guangdong enjoy preferential treatment while native Chinese are second-class citizens, if they have the fortune of being educated. A telling example is that Japanese people are allowed to work int he civil service, but not Chinese people. |
| 93 | ** In Komai's path, the Manchurian companies become a new elite class in Guangdong, given extra privileges to take over the economy and run local businesses out. |
| 94 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: Guangdong is the least respected member of the Sphere, as China views it as an illegitimate state occupying their territory and Japan has largely shifted their attention away from what they consider an "unnatural tributary". Even Manchuria looks down on Guangdong [[TemptingFate and is considered a far more prosperous puppet state to Japan]]. [[spoiler:This perception completely backflips once Guangdong survives the Oil Crisis, as the international community recognizes how resilient Guangdong is and its metamorphosis into a premier industrial capital, even though Guangdong is soon to be caught in the crosshairs of a confrontation between China and Japan.]] |
| 95 | * GadgeteerGenius: While the corporations' experimental weapons are of [[AwesomeButImpractical varied and questionable utility]], there is no denying that their consumer products are top notch. The Chief Executive can easily expand and sell new appliances in Iberia, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, where everyone is usually amazed at how effective and convenient Guangdong products are. It's even possible for the companies to get a foothold in the United States and Germany, despite their animosity with Japan, all because Guangdong products are too good to not buy. |
| 96 | * GameplayAndStoryIntegration: |
| 97 | ** Uniquely, Guangdong has no limits on how much it can spend with its economy because it pretty much serves as a nationwide playground for Japanese corporations to indulge in free-market capitalism and exploitation, so they are given free rein to do whatever they please to maximize their own growth. |
| 98 | ** Guangdong formally controls Hainan and the Leizhou Peninsula, but it's de facto occupied and governed by Japan. In-game, these regions are "annexed" by Japan and don't appear in any of Guangdong's map GUI. |
| 99 | * GhostTown: Many of Guangdong's rural towns have become desolate with its citizens, willingly or not, moving to the larger cities for work. [[spoiler:This gets {{subverted|Trope}} during the Oil Crisis with some border towns filling up again as people look to emigrate to the Republic of China.]] |
| 100 | * GoingNative: The term ''Zhujin'', normally referring to the educated native Chinese labour aristocracy and petite-bourgeoisie, also encompasses Japanese people who 'go native' and have more roots in Guangdong than they do back home--the most prominent example being Sony CEO Morita Akio. |
| 101 | * GoodPolicingEvilPolicing: |
| 102 | ** The Guangdong Police and the Kenpeitai are rival security organizations, a reflection of the ethnic rivalry between the native Chinese and the foreign Japanese. However, while the Police is filled with corrupt officers, it also has good cops who want to do as much good as possible and try their best to end the violent opium trade war being secretly conducted. By contrast, the Kenpeitai are unambiguously evil, being staunch supporters of Hitachi and engaging in even worse manners of corruption than the Police, notably engaging in the opium trade. The main reason why the Kenpeitai are even tolerated is because the Police are so ineffectual and they've been brought on as a temporary solution. |
| 103 | ** All the Chief Executives succeeding Matsuzawa will attempt to implement reforms to empower the GPF and weaken the Kenpeitai by drawing limits on what it can do. |
| 104 | *** Morita is the most ambitious in making the police force supreme over the Kenpeitai and, if successful, he will have the Kenpeitai restricted to their barracks while the police become functional members of Guangdong's communities. The Kenpeitai will agree to stick to counterintelligence and law enforcement, either with reduced power to interfere with local law enforcement or none at all, depending on the success of Morita's reforms. |
| 105 | *** Matsushita will strenghten the force of the police while creating networks of informants and capable secret services. However, the force remains unaccountable to the populous of Guangdong. |
| 106 | *** Ibuka takes the police and makes them a highly effective force using technology to root out dissent. |
| 107 | *** Only Komai will favor the Kenpeitai and encourage the police to follow the Kenpeitai in unrestrained violence to tame Guangdong. Using the false flag attacks and state of emergency as justification, Komai orders the police to be significantly militarized with lethal equipment under the assistance of the Kenpeitai and Manchurians "advisors". |
| 108 | * {{Greed}}: Befitting a corporatocracy, greed a major theme seen within Guangdong's story, as the ruling corporations look to extract as much wealth as they can from the region. Every single Chief Executive is in charge of these companies and greed is, at least, one of their primary motivations. Matsushita and Komai blatantly accept this, Ibuka has ambitions to create an "Engineer's Paradise" through the lens of exploitation and greed, and even the more benevolent Morita and Li hope to enrich themselves along the way of improving the general welfare. The only two leaders who aren't driven by greed are Suzuki and [[spoiler:Nagano]], both of whom are [[EvilColonialist evil colonialists]] trying to keep the region loyal to Japan. |
| 109 | * HistoryRepeats: |
| 110 | ** [[spoiler:There's a general feeling of DejaVu with the Oil Crisis, with many comparing it to the financial woes brought on by the Yasuda Crisis years ago.]] |
| 111 | ** [[spoiler:{{Invoked}} by Nagano in the IJA coup, who intentionally emulates the Rape of Nanking's brutality in Guangdong to tear the country down and massacre the rioters.]] |
| 112 | * HistoricalVillainUpgrade: |
| 113 | ** Almost all of the Chief Executives were just regular businessmen in OTL and not the corrupt, exploitative bosses they are portrayed here. In particular, Ibuka never supported social Darwinism as a means to run a country and Komai never tried to become a tyrant in real-life. The only exception to this rule is Suzuki, who was found guilty of being a war criminal in OTL. |
| 114 | ** [[spoiler:Many of the participants in Nagano's coup, including Takeda, Murai, and Watanabe, were regular Japanese military personnel in OTL, with no record of them committing a countrywide massacre as seen in TNO.]] |
| 115 | * HorribleHousing: Guangdong's lax building restrictions have allowed so many factories and houses to be poorly builty, which have a high risk of collapsing. Morita is interested in fixing the problem through a building code to improve designs and the material used, as well as build commuter towns so that people don't have to be crammed in city center apartments. Every other Chief Executive either doesn't care about the slum conditions or has them destroyed. |
| 116 | * {{Hypocrite}}: All Chief Executives, including Ibuka and Komai, worry about how Muto is willing to kill in the name of order, fearing it'll bring harm to Japan. But in their security-related focuses and later during the riots, the Chief Executives are perfectly willing to kill the locals in the name of order and, in Komai's case, even enjoy it. |
| 117 | * IAmWho: Guangdong is undergoing an identity crisis, as they're an artificial, Chinese state created out of Japan's spoils of war, leaving them caught between two national identities, while accepted by neither of their homes countries. Depending on who is Chief Executive, the idea of what Guangdong represents and who its people are changes: |
| 118 | ** In Morita's path Guangdong becomes known for "The Lion Rock Spirit" as the people dare to dream of a future, the Zhujin get a place they call home and the Chinese see a possible future for themselves. Guangdong begins to exist beyond solely corporate purposes. |
| 119 | ** Matsushita's path entirely entrenches corporate rule in Guangdong, the average person living entirely subsumed by it and their Japanese rulers. |
| 120 | ** Ibuka's attempt to turn Guangdong into a ruthless meritocracy makes the country renowned for its innovation, ostensibly not held back by race or class. |
| 121 | ** Komai turns Guangdong into an appendage of Manchuria, crushing the people's spirits entirely in pursuit of profit without a slight consideration of their wellbeing. |
| 122 | * InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn: [[spoiler:Guangdong must face the Oil Crisis and the Riots on its own, as Japan cuts financial support to manage its own economic difficulties, in addition to preparing for war with China. Whether or not Guangdong was able to establish fiscal independence will significantly affect their ability to manage the crisis. This lack of support particularly hits Morita's government, who used the support to fund his welfare policies.]] |
| 123 | * IndustrializedEvil: The presence of the Japanese corporations have inflicted horrific damage to the Guangdong province, as the cities are converted into soulless, industrialized cogs in a nationwide machine. A prime example of this than Kōshu, formerly Guangzhou and now a mess of neglected slums and bustling factories. The only Chief Executive who has qualms over this is Morita, who will implement pollution controls and end the merciless creep or urbanization. Otherwise, Matsushita and Komai embrace it to maximize profits, while Ibuka accepts this as a necessary cost to realize his vision. |
| 124 | * IndustrialGhetto: Unlike the Japanese-inhabited districts, the Chinese districts are downtrodden slums, whose inhabitants are living in squalor and barely make ends-meet to survive. Morita is the only Chief Executive who laments the suffering and does the most to mitigate the suffering out of all the possible paths. |
| 125 | * IslandBase: Whampoa Island, once a military academy led by Chiang Kai-shek, has been repurposed by the IJA as a military base so they can easily intervene in Guangdong, in case things ever get out of hand. |
| 126 | * KarmaHoudini: Many of the commanders in the IJA garrison are old officers who are long past their prime, having never faced justice for the atrocities they committed in the Second Sino-Japanese War and now answering to a smaller clique of officers, represented by Nagano. |
| 127 | * LanguageBarrier: |
| 128 | ** For some, a language barrier exists between those who exclusively know Japanese or Cantonese. There's also the matter of fluently speaking it so the other can comprehend what is said. |
| 129 | ** The Guangdong Police Force is often a victim of language barriers, as it comprises of Japanese and Chinese officers who may not understand orders or the people they are questioning. Morita tries to tackle this with extensive bilingual language training. |
| 130 | * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: |
| 131 | ** The collapse of the Yasuda bank and subsequent economic crisis presents the three other companies a unique opportunity to undermine Suzuki and compete for the remnants of Yasuda. Whichever company can gain the most from the auction of Yasuda's assets is in a prime position to take power for themselves. The crisis also presents an opportunity for Cheung Kong and Hitachi to join the Legislative Council and influence Guangdong's politics. |
| 132 | ** The escalation of the Western Insurrection with Long Yun poses an existential challenge to Guangdong, as the NPA seeks to liberate all of China from Japanese control. While paranoia, unrest and security concerns become widespread, the government in Guangdong also sees it as an opportunity to profit from selling various armaments to the Nanjing government, especially because Guangdong has developed an expanded weapons industries. They also take advantage of Nanjing's desperation for modern weaponry to test out various prototype weapons in the conflict and impress skeptical military officials within Guangdong and Japan. The government can also send advisors to Nanjing's armies from the police force as assistance against the NPA, further ingratiating themselves in Japan's eyes. |
| 133 | ** The advent of the Indonesian Civil War presents another opportunity for Guangdong to profit from arms trafficking, immediately sending weapons, electronically assisted artillery, and urban camoflauge to Jakarta and Pontianak so they can prepare. This can go further if Guangdong decides to sell weapons to both sides of the conflict. |
| 134 | * ManBehindTheMan: A consortium of Japanese corporations and local business magnates hold immense influence in Guangdong's Legislative Council. That being said, the Kenpeitai constantly remind both the citizenry and nominal rulers on who their real masters are. When Suzuki gets ousted, the corporate nature of Guangdong is exposed as all future Chief Executives are businessmen. |
| 135 | * MeetTheNewBoss: The Japanese overlords in Guangdong promote themselves as a vanguard of the pan-Asian cause who liberated China from the European colonizers in cities, like Hong Kong. Yet, the horrid socioeconomic inequalities show that little has changed with the change in management and the Chinese people are just being subjected to a different colonizing power. It's made even more obvious with the lazy geographic names given by Japan, like "West District" and "Green Beach Bay", with many seeing them as proof of the masquerade. |
| 136 | * MegaCorp: Guangdong's politics are dominated by the financial conglomerate Yasuda and the consumer electronics firms Matsushita, Sony and Fujitsu, who have pervasive control over the "Silicon Delta"'s [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unknown_18_1.png Legislative Council]]. Guangdong's mechanics include developing new consumer products to increase a company's market share and political influence as well as keep the state's finances balanced. |
| 137 | * MerchantCity: Shaoguan has spent much of its history attracting merchants with its taxes, in addition to being along the Guangzhou-Hankoy Railway by 1916, significantly bolstering by trade between southern Chinese ports and the rest of China. Now renamed to Shōkan, the city acts as Guangdong's northern most city and a pass for trade with China, [[{{Downplayed}} albeit]] stifled by checkpoints and custom stations when there used to be none. |
| 138 | * MergingMachine: If all of the PTRG objectives for the rifle are completed, Guangdong can unlock the [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_experimental_infantry_equipment_chimera.png 'NUE' Next Generation Rifle]], a design combining the bullpup configuration and electronic optics of the Fujitsu rifle, the saboted flechette ammunition and drum magazine of the Matsushita rifle, and the modularity and grenade launcher of the Sony rifle. |
| 139 | * TheMigration: |
| 140 | ** During the Yasuda Crisis, many Japanese businessmen and the families, like the Yasukawas, seek refuge in Guangdong with opportunity in the home islands closing. This is repeated during the Oil Crisis, leading to a new wave of immigrants and in both crises the new arrivals are extorted for money by the custom officers. The Oil Crisis also sees many Chinese emigrate to the Republic of China to look for better opportunities. |
| 141 | ** [[spoiler:Both ways during the Oil Crisis. Much like the Yasuda Crisis before, many Japanese businessmen and their families immigrate to Guangdong due to the "dwindling opportunities" in China. Meanwhile, entire towns in Guangdong migrate to the Republic of China in the hopes of better job opportunities, having lost everything in their home country.[[note]]Ironically, it's mentioned that there is greater migration from China to Guangdong at the game's start, which ends up reversed during the Oil Crisis.[[/note]]]] |
| 142 | * MobWar: The struggles between the Yakuza and Triads, on top of serving as proxies for the Japanese elite and Chinese workers respectively, mirror the strife emerging across Guangdong's society. It also doesn't help that the central government isn't powerful enough to stop them for good. Three of the four Chief Executives directly address this: Morita teams with the Triads to fight the Yakuza by buying the Makao casino license, Matsushita collects evidence to blackmail both sides into submission, and Ibuka reluctantly recruits the Yakuza to destroy the Triads. |
| 143 | * MultinationalTeam: Under Morita's direction, Guangdong can assemble a cabinet of both Japanese and Chinese individuals, appropriate to his goal of making Guangdong a home for the Zhujin and his reformist ambitions that loosen the grip of the Japanese corporations. |
| 144 | * MultipleEndings: All four main leaders of Guangdong have at least two endings, one where they achieve their personal goals and another where they fail. [[spoiler:They also share a failstate for if they lose control during the Oil Crisis and the IJA is called in to restore order; a nightmare scenario for all of them ''and'' Guangdong's people compared to the Rape of Nanking. If Komai is the one overthrown by the IJA, the situation is even more unstable, as they crack down even harder given the level of protest against Komai.]] |
| 145 | ** Matsushita can either succeed in his goal of gaining his family's respect as an independent businessman [[spoiler:or be reduced to a puppet of either Ibuka or Morita in his cabinet]]. |
| 146 | ** Morita can either succeed in his plans to reform and legitimize Guangdong or [[spoiler:be forced to turn to authoritarian methods to weather the Oil Crisis, alienating the very Chinese he claims to champion and setting up a showdown with Ibuka over Guangdong's future]]. |
| 147 | ** Ibuka's journey is the most unusual; [[spoiler:he will have a personal crisis upon realizing the true nature of his meritocratic, Darwinist vision and either recoil from it, going through a personal transformation that will lead him to embrace more humanitarian policies he recognizes may not win him the people's love or the state business success but might save his soul, or double down, becoming a brutal dictator of an Orwellian police state as he ruthlessly begins crushing his enemies to remain in power. Which of these is his ''personal'' better ending is in the eye of the beholder.]] |
| 148 | ** Komai can either remain the servant of his Manchurian masters, or [[spoiler:[[ThePuppetCutsHisStrings break free of them]] and become an uncontested dictator with Guangdong as his fiefdom]]. |
| 149 | * NeonCity: Befitting its cyberpunk aesthetic, Guangdong's cities are lit by thousands of neon lights. |
| 150 | * NightmarishFactory: The typical factory in Guangdong is an unkempt, unforgiving place comparable to a hellhole and they live up to that reputation. Many Chinese people toil in these places with few benefits or safety regulations, with many of Guangdong's labor laws inherited from Japanese legal code through the Labor Standards Ordinance and weakened by the ruling corporations. |
| 151 | * NoOSHACompliance: Work accidents are commonplace in Guangdong because the corporations rarely invest in safety regulations. At one point, a worker loses his friend when he gets pulled into an undescribed machine. How this problem is addressed depends on the Chief Executive: |
| 152 | ** Suzuki tries to modernize the legal codes and pass some token reforms through the Revised Labor Standards Ordinance, but it suffers from a lack of enforceability amongst the corporations and will be repealed or delayed during the Yasuda Crisis. |
| 153 | ** The status quo in working conditions is largely maintained in Matsushita's path, but he does offer the Limited Labor Standards Ordinance which offers token benefits and closing loopholes to appease the workers. |
| 154 | ** The conditions of the factories worsen in Ibuka and Komai's paths as the former begins implemented a draconian and hypercompetitive workplace with squashed benefits for the "lacking", while the latter squashes any remaining regulations and benefits for the workers. |
| 155 | ** The only Chief Executive who can improve working conditions substantially is Morita through the Amended Labor Standards Ordinance, significantly improving safety and compensation within the factories in his own path. |
| 156 | * NobleTongue: Japanese is the official language of the State of Guangdong, being the language used by its ForeignRulingClass, and reinforced by the corporations and civil service being run by Japanese people. During Morita's path this can be {{subverted}}, where Cantonese can be made a working language or even a full on secondary official language, allowing for greater participation within government for the Chinese population. |
| 157 | * OlderThanTheyLook: Most Chinese workers have wrinkles from being overworked in dangerous working conditions, making them look much older than they should be. |
| 158 | * OneNationUnderCopyright: |
| 159 | ** Guangdong's government is formally a civilian government (called the Guangdong Civil Administration) advised by the Guangdong Legislative Council, but said government has in practice been completely taken over by corporate interests when the corporations took over the [=LegCo=] and drastically increased its power. Most of the seats in the [=LegCo=] are held by ''openly corporate-appointed'' representatives rather than political representatives. By the time Matsuzawa leaves, ''all'' of them are; None of the leaders will get rid of the corporatocratic system, with all of them dominating the markets in their respective paths. [[spoiler:There is only one path to subvert this status: Nagano Shigeto, whose IJA coup completely obliterates the foundations of Guangdong's former government and turns the region into a glorified military base preparing for war against China.]] |
| 160 | ** The most blatantly corporate of them all is Matsushita, who doesn't even hold the notion of turning Guangdong into anything beyond a corporate playground, unlike the other three. Government employees can be permitted to hold secondary jobs in corporations and, even if the formal division of state and company is kept, Matsushita's end game still makes Guangdong completely subservient to corporate interests and the ruling Japanese class. |
| 161 | ** [[spoiler:Whether for the Manchurian companies or his own personal dictatorship]], Komai will subsume all of Guangdong under Hitachi's sphere and destroy any other company, big or small, that stands up to him. If successful, Hitachi will hold a complete monopoly over its society and becomes intrinsic to its political structure. |
| 162 | * PaperTiger: Guangdong has the potential to grow into a major economic hub within the Sphere, alongside its highly successful consumer electronics industry. However, it has very little in the way of military protection, since it relies on the surrounding Chinese states to protect it. If the NPA invades them, Guangdong can only rely on its IJA garrison and police force to defend it. |
| 163 | * PlayingBothSides: Guangdong may sell weapons to both sides of the Indonesian Civil War, despite the risk of ire from Tokyo and Guangdong's Japanese demographic. This will culminate in Guangdong's government inviting representatives of both factions to Kōshu to bid on weaponry in a massive auction. However, the government may also decide against doing this and remind Tokyo of the help that Guangdong has provided. |
| 164 | * PointOfDivergence: Morita and Ibuka were best friends in real-life, working together to turn Sony into the corporate giant it is today. In this timeline, Ibuka betrayed Morita by signing up with Fujitsu rather than saving Tokyo Telecommunications together. The two have since become bitter enemies. |
| 165 | * PoliceAreUseless: The Guangdong Police Force is hopelessly inept and corrupt, unable to stop the gang war between the Triads and the Yakuza. It's so awful that, even though the IJA are officially forbidden to act in domestic affairs via the Status of Forces Agreement, their military police in the Kenpeitai manage most of the security affairs; the Kenpeitai are intended to be a temporary solution, but until the Police get their act together, they might just stick around. |
| 166 | * PoliceBrutality: |
| 167 | ** The Japanese corporations are allowed to employ "liaison officers" in the Force for security purposes, with varying degrees of brutality depending on who they work for. Of special mention in one of Matsushita's events, Hitachi's men are exceptionally cruel, acting more like soldiers than security officers and happy to employ deadly force. |
| 168 | ** [[spoiler:The Guangdong Riots inevitably start an uptick in police violence, either from the Guangdong Police Force or the Kenpeitai. Not coincidentally, the more evil Chief Executives are inclined to use more brutal means, maiming and killing the rioters.]] |
| 169 | * PoliceState: |
| 170 | ** The State of Guangdong has a meager native police force, but the Kenpeitai has unrivalled surveillance and control of its people. [[spoiler:Failing to deal with the riots that spring up in the wake of the Oil Crisis makes this even worse, causing the [=IJA=] to impose martial law under an ultranationalist general and begin razing the Pearl River delta to restore order, also serving as a Japanese spearhead for the coming Great Asian War.]] |
| 171 | ** Ibuka will empower the Guangdong Police Force and attempt to sideline the Kenpeitai, creating a police force wielding significantly more advanced technology to enact surveillance on the population and uphold Ibuka's meritocracy, with some suspecting that they might even know about a target before they act. |
| 172 | ** Komai who works hand-in-hand with the Kenpeitai to use excessive force to police Guangdong, often towing the police alongside, and can similarly adopt surveillance tactics to combat dissent. |
| 173 | ** Matsushita empowers the GPF to preserve the status quo, turning them into a powerful force with networks of informants and elite officers to quell protest. |
| 174 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Most in the Japanese elite are racist against the Zhujin and Chinese, privately using racial slurs and gossiping about their supposed inferiority. |
| 175 | * PollutedWasteland: Guangdong's opening event introduces the player to a Pearl Delta covered in smog produced from the factories. Guangdong's lax corporate restrictions have led to widespread pollution and environmental abuse, leaving their natural resouces and agricultural sector vulnerable. Imported filtered water is a popular product due to the fact the no stream, whether tap or river, is clean from pollutants in Guangdong. Everyday dozens are brought into hospital with respiratory issues due to the poor air quality. Depending on who becomes Chief Executive, this situation might improve (under Morita or Matsushita) or only get worse (under Ibuka or Komai). |
| 176 | * PrisonersWork: Looking at past amendments, it can be gathered that the big four of Guangdong make use of contracted incarcerated labour, [[EvenEvilHasStandards although attempts at expanding their use of it have been rejected]]. If Komai takes over, this standard is ejected and Guangdong indulges in prison labor domestically and abroad in Manchuria. |
| 177 | * ThePromisedLand: {{Exploited}} as Guangdong presents itself as a home for Japanese businessmen who want to start anew and prosper without having to compete with the Zaibatsus that dominate Japan. |
| 178 | * ProtectionRacket: With no effective law enforcement, the gangs of Guangdong are free to oppress the citizens, extorting money from them under the threat of violence or murder of their loved ones. |
| 179 | * PunchClockVillain: Some police officers in Guangdong are relatively even-handed to the Chinese laborers who get deported to the cities, with one officer reprimanding a foreman for being so cruel. |
| 180 | * PuppetState: Guangdong was carved out of China in 1950 after the signing of the Kanton Protocols. It was originally envisioned by Tōjō as a farmer-settler state, but it has since deformed into a corporatocracy ruled by four Japanese companies led by a Chief Executive historically appointed by Tokyo and barely keeps up the pretense of a nation-state. The Chinese and Japanese populations ostensibly live in harmony with each other, but reality shows that the Japanese are the true ruling class, propped up by the Imperial Japanese 23rd Army as its garrison. [[spoiler:Any façade of an independent state is {{Subverted}} and demolished if the Chief Executive is overwhelmed by the Guangdong Riots and the IJA militarily intervenes, abolishes the government, and establishes a glorified military base in preparation for war with China.]] |
| 181 | * QuantityVersusQuality: During the Western Insurrection and the Indonesian Civil War, Guangdong will have two options for its refugee policy. It can either have an open border policy that accepts many unskilled workers or a closed border policy that limits new arrivals to a few educated specialists. |
| 182 | * {{Realpolitik}}: Given the interest of Guangdong's ruling corporations to sell electronics, the country's leadership are quick to make deals to deliver their products to various nations, even the United States and Germany, when the embargoes are lifted. |
| 183 | * RedScare: Befitting a corporatocracy and colonial regime, red scare tactics are often employed against labor movements, regardless of their actual ideology, in an attempt to delegitimize them. |
| 184 | * RegimeChange: |
| 185 | ** Midway through the game, Manchuria will back Komai's Hitachi coup to overthrow the sitting Chief Executive and turn Guangdong into a proxy for the Manchurian companies to exploit and enrich themselves. |
| 186 | ** [[spoiler:If the Guangdong Riots aren't resolved by the time Japan's frustration boils over, they approve Nagano Shigeto and the IJA to depose the Legislative Council and install a brutal military regime in its place.]] |
| 187 | * TheRemnant: |
| 188 | ** Unlike the English, who were all expelled after the end of World War 2, there is still a small community of Portuguese settlers that live in Macau who were not removed because of Portugal's neutrality. There were meant to be events referencing this, but they were [[WhatCouldHaveBeen cut for time and space reasons]]. |
| 189 | ** The Ministry of Agriculture include men who still desire Tōjō's original vision for Guangdong to be a place of retirement for war veterans. |
| 190 | * RightHandVersusLeftHand: The Tokyo-aligned Japanese politicians (like Suzuki) and IJA soldiers really don't get along with Guangdong's corporatocracy, because the former wants to rein in Guangdong back under Tokyo control. [[spoiler:This tension can culminate in the IJA couping the corporate Chief Executive and doing a mass purge of Guangdong's corporate elements, turning Guangdong into a truly loyal Japanese bastion.]] |
| 191 | * TheRival: Following the Pan-Asian Economic Conference, Manchukuo and Guangdong become economic rivals seeking to [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_13_9.png outperform]] each other, proving which of their economic systems is superior and scoring a political win for any one of the Chief Executives. This seems to change if the Manchurian-backed Hitachi coup occurs and turns Guangdong into an added appendage of Manchuria, with a matching economic system. [[spoiler:However, it becomes DoubleSubverted Komai betrays them to assert his own independence and reignites the rivalry.]] |
| 192 | * RuleOfSymbolism: The Zhujin demographic are represented by a ''Bauhinia'', specifically the species ''Bauhinia × blakeana''. Politically, it is the same flower design used for the historic Hong Kong Urban Council, reflecting the geographical history of Guangdong. Biologically, the flower is a hybrid that isn't produced naturally, befitting the Zhujin's fusion of Japanese and Chinese culture. |
| 193 | * ShrinesAndTemples: Shinto shrines have been erected in Guangdong under the orders of Japan, ostensibly to spiritually link the citizens of the Sphere to the Empire, but it's really just a cynical propaganda move. In later years, the shrines have fallen into disrepair and a lack of attention, with the only consistent visitor to them being the Consul-General. Otherwise, they've been left to collect dust. |
| 194 | * SkyscraperCity: Honkon has become a major financial and business hub after the Japanese takeover, with gleaming skyscrapers housing the vicious corporate world where battles are fought and fortunes are made at the expense of the locals slaving away in the factories. |
| 195 | * TheStarscream: To Manchuria. Like other, historical colonies, Guangdong and Manchuria were created for ideological ends, under the belief that profit could serve Pan-Asianism ([[CrapsaccharineWorld which could serve profit]]). However, Guangdong soon embraced free-market capitalism and became a more blatant corporatocracy, and is more or less on track to far surpass the aging and obsolete state-directed Manchurian model, ushering in "the Silicon Years". |
| 196 | * StayInTheKitchen: At least for the Japanese in Guangdong, it's expected for the men to work in the factories, while the women stay behind in the households and perform the domestic duties. A Japanese woman is lucky to even be considered for a desk job and most factories wouldn't dream of hiring one. |
| 197 | * SuccessionCrisis: After the shattering of Yasuda and the downfall of Suzuki, Guangdong enters a temporary period of political turmoil, as Morita, Matsushita, and Ibuka compete to become the country's next leader. Though Matsuzawa is formally put as its Chief Executive, it's obvious to everyone that he won't be sitting in the chair for long and that his appointment is just to buy time for someone else to take over in the long-term. |
| 198 | * SuckySchool: Many rural schools are in appalling condition with overworked staff and overcrowded classrooms in derelict buildings. Uniforms, books, desks and other things within a classroom are often in disrepair. Morita and Ibuka, ironically for two mortal enemies, are the only ones to significantly address this, greatly valuing education in their respective visions. |
| 199 | * SuddenlySignificantCity: Momei has spent most of its history in relative obscurity,, but it suddenly rose to significance after a Japanese expedition found oil deposits beneath its soil, leading to a vast resource extraction industry to fuel the industrial needs of the Pearl Delta, all under the watch of Kenpeitai and IJA garrisons. |
| 200 | * SuperficialSolution: Subject to the horrors of Guangdong, many attempt to commit suicide to avoid a life under the corporations. This is so widespread that the government has started handing "anti-suicide" nets to the corporations so that the workers can survive their suicide attempts and remain employed by the corporations. The people of Guangdong have since gotten numb to the sight of individuals being pulled out of the nets. This policy can change in two directions: Morita can implement actual solutions to mental health and negate the need for suicide nets, but, on the other end of the spectrum, Komai can remove the nets and drop any pretense of valuing the workers. |
| 201 | * SurpassedTheTeacher: While Guangdong is far from a picture of ethnic, political, or class harmony, [[HatedByAll nobody likes Manchuria or its mooks in the form of Hitachi]], and from the Suzuki administration Guangdong always competes with Manchuria economically. Part of the point is to prove that Manchuria's colonial model is obsolete in the modern business world - and usually, Guangdong is right and succeeds. |
| 202 | * TechnologyPorn: Guangdong's product launches all use real-life products of their respective companies from the year of their release, giving each a unique graphic and description. |
| 203 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: Guangdong has a tense relationship with the Republic of China, despite supposedly being being brothers in the pan-Asian cause. The Republic of China sees Guangdong as an illegitimate state occupying a territory that belongs to them, while Guangdong reciprocates the hostility over being disrespected. Whenever their security services need to work together, they struggle. Japan must often act as a ThreateningMediator to get them to cooperate, usually in suppressing cross-border criminal activity like smuggling and trafficking. |
| 204 | * TimedMission: Guangdong has an annual GDP target set by Japan and tens of thousands of Japanese investors who expect returns on their investments. Failure to meet these targets will significantly hurt the ruling Chief Executive politically. |
| 205 | * ToxicInc: Most of the Japanese compares are producing heaps of pollutants that are poisoning the air and water that people rely on. Only Morita and Li Ka-shing have qualms about this and they can implement regulations on air quality and water purity. |
| 206 | * TheTriadsAndTheTongs: The Triads, who have long ruled the Hong Kong underworld, have unsurprisingly grown in strength since the State of Guangdong was formed, and with it their strength and influence among the Chinese underclass. Growing voices advocate for courting them instead of spending considerable resources curtailing them. |
| 207 | * TheUnfettered: In a Sphere dominated by totalitarian Fascist dictatorships that tightly micromanage every aspect of life, Guangdong stands out for being brutal for the opposite regions, as a minarchist corporate playground with most of the rudimentary business regulations not existing. This creates no shortage of hardship for all involved, from the out of touch Japanese and mixed race elite to the put-upon worker, [[spoiler: but it also gives Guangdong much more capacity to peacefully reform than other regions under the sway of the Japanese Empire]]. |
| 208 | * UnwantedAssistance: The Republic of China doesn't want Guangdong to assist in the Western Insurrection because it would hurt their own legitimacy, having to rely on a much smaller, artificial colony to stave off Long Yun's campaign. |
| 209 | * UrbanHellscape: Guangdong is infamous for its flashy urban centers, juxtaposed with the mass poverty faced by most Chinese residents and the presence of infamous crime syndicates, like the Triads and the Yakuza. |
| 210 | * UrbanSegregation: |
| 211 | ** Guangdong's cities are largely divided into Chinese, Zhujin and Japanese communities, with the latter being wealthier that the others. Exhibit A is Kōshu (Guangzhou), a hub for technological production and the capital of Guangdong, hiding the fact that the Japanese settlers to congregate in the healthier, neon-lit sections and isolated from the Chinese districts covered in smog from the factories. |
| 212 | ** {{Exaggerated}} in Ibuka's path, where he plans to segregate cities by occupation in the pursuit of efficiency, regardless of the emotional cost of separated families and lost homes. |
| 213 | * VehicularKidnapping: The Kenpeitai kidnap people in unmarked vehicles with black out windows. |
| 214 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: ZigZagged. At game start, Guangdong has the admiration of developmentalists around the world for its economic development model, but it is also widely disrespected by the other Sphere members, alongside those who demean it as an artificial corporate colony. Guangdong can partially improve its reputation, especially if it can outpace Manchuria, as it is recognized as a giant in consumer electronics and a major economic hub within the Sphere. However, many still oppose the state, [[spoiler:as seen by the violent anti-government Riots]] and the impending confrontation between China and Japan. |
| 215 | * WarForFunAndProfit: The megacorporations conduct a series of [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unknown_19_6.png military product tests]], where they invent a fancy new weapon and have it utilized in far-off proxy wars through "research regiments", all to prove their usefulness to the rest of the Sphere and get them to purchase these inventions via arms trafficking. For each conflict, the regiments must satisfy a list of objectives, with the profitability of the venture increasing with each goal being met. |
| 216 | * WarRefugees: |
| 217 | ** Once the Western Insurrection escalates, thousands of refugees try to escape the conflict by migrating to Guangdong, put in horrible refugee camps along the roads. The government may choose to accept them all to fill up labor shortages or only accepted skilled laborers. |
| 218 | ** The Indonesian Civil War results in hundreds of thousands being displaced, some of which end up in Guangdong, depending on if the government accepts all of them or just the skilled laborers. |
| 219 | * WretchedHive: Even compared to Kōshu and Honkon, crime in Makao is especially bad. It is a nerve center for the underworld, with Yakuza and Triad bosses using street violence and corruption to tighten their grip on the underworld and terrorize the citizens, while propping up a vast casino industry to enrich themselves. It also doesn't help that nearby Honkon pressures people into a life of crime in Makao, either exploited to the brink of desperation or having lost all their wealth in the ruthless market. In Ibuka's path, this can be undone with his aggressive crackdown on crime and gambling, with all of the great casinos demolished and replaced with office blocks. On the other hand, Morita can take advantage of this and help his Triad allies by buying the Makao casino license and running the Yakuza out of town. |
| 220 | * {{Yakuza}}: Rivals to the Triads, the Yakuza are moving in, bringing drugs and crime with them, as the locals despise their alien customs compared to the Triads, even though they're marginally less autocratic and willing to share wealth with local communities. |
| 221 | * YouLoseAtZeroTrust: A dynamic national spirit shows Guangdong's fiscal health, along with a quotation from an average investor about how they feel about said investments. There are five levels in increasing severity culminating in a mass exodus of investors which will destroy the Chief Executive's reputation and incur debuffs. The five levels are "Sound", "Caution", "Warning", "Problematic" and "Emergency". |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | !! Chief Executives (1962-1964) |
| 225 | |
| 226 | [[folder:Suzuki Teiichi]] |
| 227 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_guangdong_suzuki_teiichi.png]] |
| 228 | ->'''Role:''' Chief Executive[[note]]Head of State[[/note]], Minister of Foreign Affairs[[note]]Foreign Minister[[/note]] (Hardline Kaya cabinet) |
| 229 | ->'''Party:''' Kanton Minseifu[[note]]Guangdong Civil Administration: The Legislative Council is, in theory, an apolitical advisory body appointed by the Chief Executive to advise and legitimize their actions as part of an unified political corpus - the Guangdong Civil Administration. In practice, of course, the capture of the Legislative Council by corporate interests have made political factionalism a fact of life. Those who remain loyal to the appointed Chief Executive Suzuki's vision, to the prerogatives of the state above that of moneyed interests, are seen as the executors of the Civil Administration in the Legislative Council.[[/note]] |
| 230 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Statism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 231 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]A decorated IJA officer and former head of the Cabinet Planning Board, Suzuki Teiichi was intimately involved in the construction of Japan's wartime economy and the subsequent economic planning for the Japanese New Order in Asia. An esteemed member of the House of Peers since 1943, Prime Minister Ino has named Suzuki the next Chief Executive of the State of Guangdong in order to use his Chinese experience, military connections, and economic expertise to bend Guangdong's corporations to the will of Tokyo.\ |
| 232 | His hands-on and statist approach to running Guangdong's freewheeling economy rankles the Four Companies of Guangdong, which have become accustomed to running Guangdong with minimal interference. However, the culture of corruption fostered by years of weak oversight from Tokyo - and the backing of Yasuda Bank, per Prime Minister Ino's instructions - is enough for Suzuki to keep the Four Companies in line for now.\ |
| 233 | Suzuki sees a territory blinded by greed, forgetful of its obligations and unaware of the consequences of its actions. While he has no special affection for the Chinese in Guangdong, he is keenly aware that without the resources from Tokyo to maintain a strong security apparatus (as in Manchukuo), naked repression is not a sustainable solution to Chinese dissident activity. For the good of Japan, Suzuki will lay the foundations of a new, stronger Guangdong - and bring the corporate behemoths and their executives to heel.[[/labelnote]] |
| 234 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' (Minister of Foreign Affairs) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]To many an outside observer, Suzuki Teiichi's appointment to be Japan's Foreign Minister is a surprising revival to a career thought dead after his dramatic fall from grace amongst Guangdong's capitalist tycoons. But Suzuki always maintained that he was a victim of circumstance, a loyal patriot fulfilling Tokyo's wishes in a hardship posting, simply caught in the blast radius of Yasuda's implosion - and it seems Prime Minister Kaya believes Suzuki's side of the story.\ |
| 235 | For Suzuki himself, the position to Foreign Minister is not simply redemption, or a simple promotion - it is the pinnacle of his career, a chance to redraw the economic and political map of Asia to his liking. Twenty years ago, he missed his chance to become the first Minister of Greater East Asia, building the Co-Prosperity Sphere under Tōjō; now, he will rebuild it under Kaya.[[/labelnote]] |
| 236 | |
| 237 | The current Chief Executive of Guangdong, an IJA officer who formerly served as Tojo's economic advisor. Backed by Tokyo and the Yasuda Bank, Suzuki seeks to rein in Guangdong's corporations and build a more efficient state aligned with Tokyo's interests. However, his political backers are not as secure as they initially seem... |
| 238 | ---- |
| 239 | * BackForTheFinale: [[spoiler:If the IJA takeover happens, Suzuki is depicted reacting to the news with laughter, gleeful at the misery being inflicted upon the people who he believes have wronged him.]] |
| 240 | * BerserkButton: Upon hearing a Manchurian minister call Guangdong a "trifle" to Manchuria's own projections, Suzuki's blood boils and he becomes more determined to one-up them. |
| 241 | * BigBrotherIsWatching: Frustrated by the failures of the Guangdong security forces, Suzuki becomes intrigued at a proposal from France for "an all-seeing warden". Seeing that Guangdong does not have the manpower or professionalism for a proper security force, Suzuki senses that Guangdong's technology could be used to root out dissent. |
| 242 | * BullyingADragon: After the Yasuda crisis, Suzuki tries to bully the other corporations into submission so he can keep Guangdong and its finances under his control, an astoundingly stupid idea since his main power base in Yasuda has just been crippled. This ends badly when he's ultimately ejected from the Legislative Council. |
| 243 | * TheBusCameBack: Suzuki can eventually wash up ashore in Kaya's cabinet should Kaya become Prime Minister and chooses to form a cabinet out of hardliners. |
| 244 | * CigaretteOfAnxiety: Whenever he gets anxious, Suzuki pulls out a cigarette to calm himself down. |
| 245 | * CompanionCube: Suzuki treats his old suitcase as a companion he's had since his time in the Army and the House of Peers. Seeing it again is the only bittersweet part he feels about being dethroned in Guangdong and returning to Japan. |
| 246 | * ControllableHelplessness: In the Yasuda Crisis, Suzuki remains in power for a short period of time and has another focus tree to complete, but anything he does will be in vain and Suzuki's term will inevitably end with a vote of no confidence. |
| 247 | * CorruptPolitician: Suzuki has kept most his clique loyal to him by donating them sizable "gifts" to buy their allegiance. He can also build last-minute support for the RLSO by bribing Yasuda votes to his cause. |
| 248 | * EmptyPromise: As the stock market crashes in the Yasuda Crisis, Suzuki tries to reassure the press that the government has sufficient reserves to restabilize the market, hiding just how bleak the entire situation is. |
| 249 | * EnemyMine: |
| 250 | ** To strengthen Guangdong's policing, Suzuki can ally with either the Japanese Yakuza or the Chinese Triads to rein in the criminal underworld. |
| 251 | ** During the Yasuda Crisis, Suzuki is desperate to maintain illusory control of the streets and aligns with the Yakuza, since the Police and Kenpeitai are over stretched. In exchange, Suzuki grants less restrictions on their operations and even appoints a few of their members into bureaucratic positions. |
| 252 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 253 | ** While Suzuki is intent of fulfilling Japan's goal of colonisation, he isn't fond of the Kenpeitai's worst excesses and suggests to Miyazaki to tone them down for more inconspicuous methods. |
| 254 | ** He is mildly disgusted with himself about resorting to bribes so that the RLSO can pass, but he justifies it as necessary for a greater outcome. |
| 255 | * EvilColonialist: Frustrated by the lack of oversight Japan has in managing the greed and corruption of Guangdong's corporations, Suzuki vows to bring Guangdong back under Japanese control and strengthen Tokyo's oversight over the corporate state. This also means he gives no second thought to displacing thousands of Chinese people from their homes and destroying their settlements for the goal of profiting from resource extraction. |
| 256 | * EvilOldFolks: Suzuki is a racist Japanese imperialist and is 73 years old, making him the eldest character in Guangdong. |
| 257 | * FascistButInefficient: Suzuki is tasked by Japanese Prime Minister Ino to bring the corporations back under control, meet Tokyo's arbitrary GDP targets and curb the native Chinese' dissent towards Japanese rule. None of these are easy tasks and Suzuki has so far failed to complete any of them. If anything, his attempts to clamp down on the corporations makes them motivated to get rid of him, which they do after the Yasuda Crisis. |
| 258 | * ForgettableCharacter: [[spoiler:By the Oil Crisis in Matsushita's path, the reigning Chief Executive becomes so ingrained in Guangdong's identity that almost no one remembers Suzuki. To most, it's as if Matsushita always was the Chief Executive.]] |
| 259 | * HonorBeforeReason: Facing political fallout from the Yasuda Crisis and unable to get support from the Four Companies, Suzuki can decide to stand alone than ask for support from the Kenpeitai, Yakuza, or Triads. Suzuki ends up paying for it when the police force loyal to him sinks further into corruption and further ruins his reputation. |
| 260 | * ICantDoThisByMyself: Needing the capital to mitigate the Yasuda Crisis and unable to tax the population, Suzuki has no choice but to turn to the Four Companies for help after spending years of badgering them. Suzuki is very reluctant to do so and it completely backfires when they not only refuse, but decide to hold a vote of no confidence. |
| 261 | * ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: In an effort to stabilize Japanese rule over Guangdong, Suzuki pushes through token labor rights through the assembly using massive amounts of bribes - draining Guangdong's treasury. Whilst the act passes and marginally placates the Chinese workers, once the Yasuda crisis comes around this lack of funds massively compromise Guangdong's position. |
| 262 | * KarmaHoudini: Suzuki will never receive punishment for his actions during the Second World War or as Chief Executive of Guangdong. The most he gets is losing the latter position, but he still gets a comfortable life back in the Home Isles. |
| 263 | * KickTheDog: Suzuki frequently grants permits to various mining corporations to excavate the land for profits, forcibly evicting the inhabiting villages with the bare minimum of compensation. Those forced from their homes are then relocated to cities in order to satiate the demand for cheap labor among Guangdong's factories. |
| 264 | * LackOfEmpathy: Suzuki admits to himself that he has no sympathy with the Chinese laborers who suffer most in Guangdong, considering their cheap labor too good to pass up for resource extraction. |
| 265 | * NeverMyFault: Suzuki knows he shares some blame for Guangdong's dire financial situation after the Yasuda Crisis, since passing the RLSO placed a major drain on their reserves. However, he mentally tries to deny this out of anxiousness and to cope with the downward spiral of his reign. |
| 266 | * ObstructiveBureaucrat: His more hands-on approach to the economy is an irritant for the Legislative Council and the four corporations, who are more used to running completely unchecked. However, they initially can't do anything against Suzuki because of corruption and Yasuda's support for him. |
| 267 | * TheOneThingIDontHateAboutYou: Suzuki's meddling in the economy was despised by the other large corporations, [[spoiler:but Matsushita concedes he was right to have Chief Executives control prices on essential items. In his Reconciliation path of the Guangdong riots, he must reinstate this power in the Consumer Goods Control Amendment.]] |
| 268 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Suzuki is one of the most Japanese ethnocentric leaders in Guangdong, alongside Matsushita. |
| 269 | * PragmaticVillainy: |
| 270 | ** While he has no special affection for the Chinese, Suzuki is keenly aware that without the resources from Tokyo to maintain a strong security apparatus, naked repression is not a sustainable solution to Chinese dissident activity. To offset the issue, he makes the fateful decision to offer token worker rights in the proposed Revised Labor Standards Ordinance, burning lots of financial and political capital in the process, which ultimately spells his doom in the wake of the Yasuda crisis. |
| 271 | ** He expresses reluctance to accept Ino's request for the corporations to develop experimental weapons to be used in proxy wars. It's not because he has an issue with arms trafficking, but because the corporations in Guangdong are more suited to producing electronics than weapons. |
| 272 | * PutOnABus: Suzuki retires a year into the game, after a vote of no confidence by the corporations during the Yasuda Crisis. He returns to Japan where he lives a life of retirement, [[spoiler:only being mentioned if the IJA abolish Guangdong during the Riots.]] |
| 273 | * ReassignedToAntarctica: Even though he was part of the victorious Tōjō cabinet from World War II, Suzuki went largely passed over for opportunities that could grant him greater political power until Ino sent him to govern Guangdong, using flattery to disguise the fact that it was just a means of getting rid of a loose end. Suzuki saw through this, but accepted the opportunity anyway in the hopes of earning favor back in Tokyo. |
| 274 | * RetiredMonster: After retiring from Guangdong, Suzuki moves to a quiet residence in Tokyo, unrepentant of the crimes he committed, but too discredited to ever influence Guangdong politics again. [[spoiler:It all changes when the IJA overthrow the Chief Executive and Suzuki comes back to the spotlight with a torrent of mail asking about his experience, eager to know more about the men who previously betrayed him.]] |
| 275 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: Suzuki in OTL was a Japanese lieutenant general who served as a military attaché to China during the interwar period, was a close aide to Hideki Tojo, and served as an economic minister during WWII.[[note]]He was nicknamed the "suit-wearing general" (背広を着た軍人) because he worked more on politics and economics than military affairs, and he did indeed primarily appeared in civilian suits rather than military uniforms.[[/note]] In TNO, he was placed in the position of Chief Executive of the State of Guangdong due to his experience with interacting with the Chinese, military connections, and economic expertise. |
| 276 | * SmallNameBigEgo: In the Manchurian economic conference, Suzuki expects to be treated as an equal member to the other Sphere members and writes a long script for his presentation about Guangdong's projections. When the lecture actually begins, most of the seats are empty and the few crowd members quickly lose interest. |
| 277 | * TaughtByExperience: |
| 278 | ** Suzuki's decades in the IJA had taught him that logistics officers should strive to document every item and delivery on a regular schedule. So, when he investigates the Minezaka firm with its IJA purview, he finds the irregular deliveries to be highly suspicious. Compared to the other military contractors in Guangdong, this kind of activity suggests that either Minezaka is a minor part of the IJA's logistics, or something is being covered up. |
| 279 | ** His time in the House of Peers showed the scale of political corruption in Tokyo. With this, he reasons that a financial juggernaut like Yasuda ought to have plenty of connections in Tokyo, either with the government or the various other factions vying for power. This prompts him to begin looking for government archived documents to try and figure out Matsuzawa's angry phone call. |
| 280 | * ThisCannotBe: With only twelve votes in the Legislative Council, Suzuki gets fired as Chief Executive, leaving him shocked that everyone, even Matsuzawa, has left him in the dust. |
| 281 | * TooDesperateToBePicky: |
| 282 | ** Suzuki is doubtful about Ino's plan to get the Guangdong corporations to make weapons, thinking that the IJA he knew and served would not turn to such amateurs. However, Suzuki is too desperate for a political win, so he takes the offer. |
| 283 | ** Unable to turn to Yasuda for help against the vote of no confidence, Suzuki is forced to bribe Legislative Council members from either Sony, Matsushita, or Fujitsu to gather more votes. He feels disgraced about groveling to them, but he's too desperate by that point. |
| 284 | ** Out of options to relieve the Yasuda Crisis and save his career, Suzuki can turn to more unorthodox and unsavory options for support, including the Kenpeitai, Yakuza, or Triads. |
| 285 | * UndyingLoyalty: In the context of Guangdong's politics, Suzuki is the only Chief Executive to be wholly loyal to Tokyo, which means attempting to rein in the unruly corporations. He starts 1962 reporting to Tokyo about Guangdong's economic and security figures at the expense of the Chinese, unlike the corporations who have their own goals in mind. This is also part of his motivation for aligning with Yasuda, who has extensive connections with the Japanese government. |
| 286 | * VillainousBreakdown: As the Legislative Council holds a vote of no confidence against Suzuki, he begins to lose his composure and desperately resorts to any means to retain his power. |
| 287 | * VillainousLegacy: While most of Suzuki's goals are undone by the Yasuda Crisis and his successors, it is largely agreed upon that he had the right idea of starting an economic race with Manchuria and proving who has the superior economic system. |
| 288 | * WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency: To get back some goodwill, Suzuki shelves his plans for shortened lunch hours and mandates one extra day of paid leave on a bi-monthly basis for the laborers, with propaganda calling it a generous move on his part. |
| 289 | * WeHardlyKnewYe: Once the Yasuda Crisis hits Guangdong, Suzuki's already tarnished reputation goes down the drain and he's forced to resign from his position. |
| 290 | * WhatWereYouThinking: A self-inflicted example, if Suzuki tries to persuade Yasuda and Matsushita to support the RLSO. Matsuzawa will interpret this as an attempt by Suzuki to circumvent their partnership and appease his rival, leaving Suzuki to berate himself about what he was thinking. |
| 291 | [[/folder]] |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[folder:Matsuzawa Takuji]] |
| 294 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matsuzawa_takuji.png]] |
| 295 | ->'''Role:''' Representative Director of Yasuda Bank's Guangdong Branch, Chief Secretary[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Suzuki cabinet), Chief Executive[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Suzuki succession) |
| 296 | ->'''Party:''' Rippoukai - Zaikaiha (Yasuda)[[note]]Legislative Council - Business Faction: The ascendancy of Guangdong's corporations in economic life came with a corresponding need for their interests to be represented in politics. The members of the Legislative Council - supposedly apolitical and independent - proved to be easily swayed by promises of money, status, and power offered by the corporates, in exchange for their loyalty. These individuals - now more loyal to their corporate benefactor than their Chief Executive - form the backbone of Corporate political influence in Guangdong.[[/note]] |
| 297 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporatocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 298 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]'In every crisis, lies great opportunity', so the Western saying goes - unless you're Matsuzawa Takuji, in which case the more apt Eastern aphorism might be 'the carp on the cutting board.' With Yasuda Bank being taken apart by its creditors, the political establishment, and the media in Tokyo, Matsuzawa had his hands full simply putting the company's affairs in order in Guangdong. That is, until the former Chief Executive abandoned ship, with the remaining tycoons pushing the poisoned chalice into Matsuzawa's hands.\ |
| 299 | With communications from Tokyo all but severed, Matsuzawa has not been formally appointed by the Japanese government to his position. Nor does he have the luxury of waiting: the aftershock of Yasuda's collapse and the political turmoil in Tokyo has left Guangdong's budget deep in the red, scaring investors even as the local populace turn to crime and vice to make up for lost wages. The remaining tycoons jockey for position with honeyed words and convenient 'plans', no doubt aiming to become Chief Executive themselves once the dust clears.\ |
| 300 | Although Matsuzawa savors the clarity of knowing that his assignment to Guangdong was the work of a corrupt cabal working against him, the fallout from their schemes has led to his entire life's work crumbling to dust around him. There is no coming back from this, no matter how innocent he was; he is a dead man walking, and all he can do is to keep it all together until the curtains close.[[/labelnote]] |
| 301 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' (Chief Secretary) [[labelnote:Click to Show]] The Representative Director of Yasuda Bank's Guangdong branch since 1959, Matzuawa Takuji runs the financial conglomerate's operations in Guangdong - which are but one part of a sprawling financial network that stretches from Tokyo to Calcutta. Yasuda's prominent position as the only one of the Big Four zaibatsu among the Four Companies means that Matsuzawa also serves as the de facto second-in-command of the civil government, the Chief Secretary, on top of his corporate duties.\ |
| 302 | After a distinguished career in the Home Islands managing major corporate clients and the Ministry of Finance, Matsuzawa was rumored to be a prime candidate to join the board of directors, making his assignment to Guangdong a surprise - most so to Matsuzawa himself. Yasuda's recent turn towards breakneck overseas expansion (as encouraged by Prime Minister Ino's government) might partially explain things, but many still wonder as to the true reason why Matsuzawa was sidelined - and whether it simply reflects differences over business strategy, or something more.[[/labelnote]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | The Representative Director of Yasuda Bank's Guangdong Branch, also serving as Chief Executive Suzuki's second-in-command as the Chief Secretary. After the Yasuda Crisis and Suzuki's disgraceful exit, Yasuda's rivals will force him onto the Chief Executive seat, in a bid to get rid of Yasuda for good. |
| 305 | ---- |
| 306 | * AuthorityInNameOnly: Matsuzawa's position as Chief Executive is largely powerless, as his company and support base are falling apart and his appointment was done at the whims of the other corporate leaders to be a sacrifice who makes their unpopular decisions. Chiefly, the handling of the Yasuda Crisis by Matsuzawa is largely directed by either Ibuka or Morita and their respective plans, dealing with the financial repercussions and the ensuing protests. |
| 307 | * BackForTheFinale: If [[spoiler:the IJA takes over Guangdong]] near the end of the first decade, Matsuzawa is given a final event showing him reacting to the news with a smirk and a wry comment about the affair. |
| 308 | -->'''Matsuzawa:''' ''"Sometimes, politics is a nasty business."'' |
| 309 | * BystanderSyndrome: If trusted by Suzuki after finding evidence of Yasuda's corruption, Matsuzawa admits that all of it is true. Though he's not personally involved with it, Matsuzawa will not go out of his way to stop it either because it would be economic and career suicide to do so. |
| 310 | * CorruptPolitician: Matsuzawa's Yasuda conglomerate is one of the Big Four Zaibatsus in Japan and the largest of the corporations in Guangdong. As such, Matsuzawa's pockets are deep, allowing him to buy favors in the Legislative Council and accumulate more power for himself. For instance, in the aftermath of the Yasuda crisis, Matsuzawa can use his position as Chief Executive to pressure an accountant to overvalue Yasuda's assets for the upcoming auction and illicitly tip the auction in a particular company's favor. |
| 311 | * CreatureOfHabit: Though he finds a new job at a credit union in Japan and adopts their customs, Matsuzawa still listens to the radio to keep an eye on foreign news like he used to in Yasuda. While he claims that knowing the news is half the battle, many suspect it is his attempt to cling to past regrets. |
| 312 | * DeathSeeker: A non-lethal example, but Matsuzawa considers his forced retirement to be the same as death. He knows that he's lost all of his usefulness with the collapse of Yasuda and just wants to get out of politics after he completes his purpose. |
| 313 | * DespairEventHorizon: Losing everything in the Yasuda Crisis, Matsuzawa becomes despondent and tired about the whole situation. When Suzuki tries to call for his support against the vote of no confidence, Matsuzawa's well-mannered tone is completely gone and the most he can promise is "I'll see what I can do." |
| 314 | * DoNotGoGentle: Matsuzawa is disheartened to hear of succeeding Suzuki and being given the mountains of paperwork he must now handle as Chief Executive, but he's determined to do as much as he can to spite the people who put him in charge. He does find some comfort knowing, regardless of what becomes of Yasuda, he can still salvage Guangdong's finances. |
| 315 | * TheDragon: Matsuzawa serves as Suzuki's second-in-command for running Guangdong's civil government. |
| 316 | * DrowningMySorrows: With Yasuda in turmoil during the financial crisis, Matsuzawa begins downing his imported sake to cope with his terrible situation. |
| 317 | * EtTuBrute: If Suzuki accuses him of participating in Yasuda's corruption, Matsuzawa will be shocked and angered that his supposed ally would turn on him so easily and believe that he would do such a thing. The only reason Matsuzawa doesn't cut ties with him for good is because they need each other to keep their careers afloat. |
| 318 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He may be an opportunistic and corrupt businessman, but he does love his wife and children, keeping a framed photo of them and worrying about their survival during the Yasuda Crisis. |
| 319 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Matsuzawa is wary about unleashing the Kenpeitai on the Yasuda Crisis protests, pointing out that they don't have the authority to do so without the police commissioner's permission. |
| 320 | * GoodFeelsGood: {{Subverted}}. Matsuzawa feels no satisfaction with following Morita's plan and potentially opening distribution centers to keep every Chinese citizen fed. He can only think about how much a drain it's putting on the economy and dismisses a letter of gratitude from the Chinese consulate-general, stating that "The gratitude of China means nothing". |
| 321 | * HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Matsuzawa once had a promising career in the Yasuda, having graduated from the Imperial Universities and on the path to leadership in the home offices. It all changed when Matsuzawa was unexpectedly reassigned to Guangdong and left at a dead end job. This is accelerated when Yasuda suddenly crashes and Matsuzawa is thrust into the position of Chief Executive to act as an interim leader after Suzuki is deposed. Once his time in Yasuda and as Chief Executive finishes and he returns to Japan, he finds work in a small city credit union, though he he comes to peace with this outcome and diligently works there. |
| 322 | * IGaveMyWord: If he chooses Ibuka's plan to mitigate the Yasuda Crisis, Matsuzawa will reaffirm his promises to the minor corporations that their prior contracts will be honored and policies like tax cuts will be implemented in their favor. |
| 323 | -->'''Matsuzawa:''' "Yasuda may be dead, but I am still here. My word is still my bond." |
| 324 | * KickTheDog: Whilst still believing in the core fundamentals of the plan, Matsuzawa can repeal the RLSO to secure the hole in Guangdong's finances if he goes with Ibuka's plan for the Yasuda Crisis. |
| 325 | * KickedUpstairs: In the aftermath of Suzuki's downfall, the position of Chief Executive is thrust upon Matsuzawa by the other three major tycoons, knowing that he would be too busy trying to clean up his predecessor's mess and leaving Yasuda vulnerable to be auctioned off. |
| 326 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: When Matsuzawa refuses to undervalue the Yakuza's interest on their properties, Yokoi is visibly frustrated, but he eventually backs down, since harassing the Chief Executive too much would not be ideal. |
| 327 | * LethalJokeCharacter: His leadership of Guangdong is intended to be temporary, only to serve as a fall guy for the Yasuda Crisis, until the other three companies can recover. However, his position isn't totally powerless and he can still move events to shift the balance of power, such as giving the emergency budget to either Sony or Fujitsu. |
| 328 | * LongGame: Thanks to Yasuda's dominance across the Sphere, Matsuzawa has enough breathing room to lie low and patiently wait for an opportunity to bring Guangdong to Yasuda's fold. |
| 329 | * MorallyBankruptBanker: Matsuzawa is a major figure within the Yasuda banking Zaibatsu and a careerist who turns a blind eye to the corporate abuses endemic to Guangdong, which can be further seen when he becomes Chief Executive. |
| 330 | * MortonsFork: Matsuzawa is stuck in an unwinnable situation to deal with the influx of refugees in Guangdong after the Yasuda Crisis. He can try to accommodate the recent Japanese immigrants, but this will mean firing many Zhujin and Chinese people to make more room for jobs, pissing them off. Alternatively, he can abandon these refugees to appease the Chinese and Zhujin, while still pissing off the Japanese. Either way, someone's going to get left behind. |
| 331 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: He may only serve as a caretaker Chief Executive, but he can still manipulate the Yasuda auction to control the value of some assets and use intimidation to keep it secret. When an accountant threatens to leak his plan, Matsuzawa orders some of his men to track him down and assault him to teach a lesson. |
| 332 | * OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Years after leaving Guangdong in disgrace, Matsuzawa is still a competent director who can work through credit files and balance sheets like a breeze. Despite this, everyone still holds his failure against him and he has no credibility outside of Japan. |
| 333 | * OnlyFriend: Matsuzawa is the only leader in the Legislative Council who supports Suzuki, serving as his primary support base. |
| 334 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When he picks up a clue to Yasuda's corruption, Matsuzawa raises his voice in frustration. This briefly shocks Suzuki, who is eavesdropping and isn't used to hearing Matsuzawa get so worked up. |
| 335 | * PassedOverPromotion: Matsuzawa has a stellar resume, having graduated at the Tokyo Imperial University, served as a second lieutenant in Manchuria, rapidly rose through the ranks of Yasuda during the late 40's and 50's, and became General Manager for General Affairs at the age of 45. However, he was suddenly reassigned to Guangdong in 1959 as a Regional Director, snubbing his meteoric rise. Suzuki is unsure if his reassignment is because Yasuda needed a front man for their schemes or because Matsuzawa angered his superiors and got punished. |
| 336 | * PenPushingPresident: After succeeding Suzuki as Chief Executive, Matsuzawa inherits all of his stacks of paperwork, his messy office, and his unpopular decisions to prevent financial insolvency, which he [[TheDeterminator eventually manages to work his way through]]. |
| 337 | * PetTheDog: |
| 338 | ** When given the choice of supporting Suzuki and accepting his promise to grant Yasuda more privileges or getting his family to safety during the Yasuda Crisis, Matsuzawa picks the latter. Not that this does any good for Suzuki, since it retracts all support for him in the vote of no confidence and leaves him with only twelve seats. |
| 339 | ** If he meets with Morita to shift the Yasuda auction in their favor, Matsuzawa will admit that he's worried about the workers he's supervising, in which he considers an offer by Morita to send them to Sony and Cheung Kong so that they won't remain unemployed. |
| 340 | * PragmaticVillainy: |
| 341 | ** Matsuzawa supports Suzuki's proposed RLSO, but only because Yasuda's business won't be affected by it and there's no reason to sour his partnership with Suzuki, despite concerns over other companies not being as profitable and the possible impacts on Yasuda. |
| 342 | ** In the midst of the Yasuda Crisis, Matsuzawa is willing to act fairly and provide some subsidies to the people so that he won't soil his reputation too much. |
| 343 | ** Matsuzawa can act surprisingly fair during the auction of Yasuda's assets, sacrificing potential financial gain to avoid a controversy. |
| 344 | * PutOnABus: Matsuzawa exits Guangdong's narrative in 1964, when a new Chief Executive is confirmed and Matsuzawa's interim leadership comes to an end. He finds work in a minor bank branch in Japan, having fallen from grace [[spoiler:and only appearing again when the IJA take over Guangdong.]] |
| 345 | * ReassignedToAntarctica: For not ingratiating himself with Ino and the corrupt Yasuda clique that backs him, Matsuzawa was sent by Yasuda to expand their influence in Guangdong, potentially to move him out of the Home Isles. |
| 346 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: Matsuzawa Takuji was the president of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuji_Bank Fuji Bank]] from 1975-1981, having joined the company when it was still known as the Yasuda Bank, the center of the Yasuda Zaibatsu before its dissolution. In TNO, he becomes the representative director of the Guangdong branch of Yasuda Holdings, and can be elected to the position of Chief Executive in Guangdong. |
| 347 | * SacrificialLion: Following the Yasuda Crisis and the collapse of his company, a power vacuum is created in the Legislative Council, leaving it to Cheung Kong or Hitachi to fill in the gap. |
| 348 | * TheScapegoat: After Suzuki gets fired, Matsuzawa is made the new Chief Executive so that he can be scapegoated for every unpopular decision he needs to make to save Guangdong from the Yasuda Crisis, while the other three corporations can fill in the power vacuum. |
| 349 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Matsuzawa makes a quiet exit from Guangdong after his business as interim Chief Executive is finished, taking whatever assets Yasuda has left and boarding a midnight flight to Tokyo, not to be missed by his peers. |
| 350 | * SelectiveEnforcement: When Matsuzawa employs Tsuchida to crackdown on the Triads, Tsuchida brings up cracking down on the Yakuza in a separate meeting running protection rackets but Matsuzawa turns him down saying that a gang war would be worse. |
| 351 | * ShortLivedLeadership: Matsuzawa's position as Chief Executive only lasts a year from 1963 to 1964, as he is only a caretaker with Yasuda dead and the other three corporations looking to gain an advantage from the situation. |
| 352 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: Matsuzawa's alliance with Suzuki is a cold one and both hope to gain something from each other. Matsuzawa aims to improve his standing and get a chance at getting home, whereas Suzuki looks to use Matsuzawa's financial connections for his own benefit. The alliance becomes particularly fragile if Suzuki accuses him of participating in Yasuda's corruption and strains their relationship. |
| 353 | * ThrowTheDogABone: If Matsuzawa decides to support Morita's plan for managing the Yasuda crisis, he will give subsidies to support Chinese and Zhujin businesses. |
| 354 | * UnexpectedSuccessor: Nobody, especially not Matsuzawa, could've anticipated that he would become Suzuki's successor. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision heaped on Matsuzawa by the other three corporations, purely so that they can get rid of a rival. |
| 355 | * VillainTeamUp: Matsuzawa is the only one of the four tycoon leaders to entertain the idea of Suzuki bringing Guangdong under greater Japanese control, stating that his proposals might have some merit. |
| 356 | * VillainousFriendship: Matsuzawa is one of the few people who is genuine friends with Suzuki, being his only reliable ally in the Legislative Council. When Suzuki resigns and Matsuzawa takes over in the midst of the Yasuda Crisis, he is reluctant to repeal the RLSO and subvert his friend's legacy, even if the money supporting it can be invested elsewhere. Even after everything, Matsuzawa still has faith in what Suzuki has accomplished; he just thinks it was poorly timed. |
| 357 | * YouCantGoHomeAgain: Matsuzawa was assigned by the Yasuda corporation to represent their interests in Guangdong, but he considers it nothing more than a banishment. Now, he just wants to somehow find a way back home to Japan. |
| 358 | * YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Matsuzawa is self-aware that his shelf life as Chief Executive is limited. He's gotten old and Yasuda is effectively destroyed after its crisis, so he'll inevitably be relegated to an observer role at best and told that his stride is over. |
| 359 | [[/folder]] |
| 360 | |
| 361 | !! Chief Executives (1964-1972) |
| 362 | |
| 363 | See [[Characters/TNOSixtiesGuangdongChiefExecutives Chief Executives page]] |
| 364 | |
| 365 | !! Cabinet Members |
| 366 | |
| 367 | [[folder:Li Ka-shing]] |
| 368 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unknown_952.png]] |
| 369 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote: 70's Portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_li_ka_shing_70s.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 370 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote: 70's Portrait (Failure)]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_li_ka_shing_70s_failure.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 371 | ->'''Role:''' President of Cheung Kong Holdings, Chief Secretary[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Morita cabinet) |
| 372 | ->'''Party:''' Rippoukai - Minseiha (Cheung Kong)[[note]]Legislative Council - Civic Faction: Money will never not be a part of Guangdong's politics. But the logic of money is not infallible, argue some, and sometimes the impulse to maximize profit must be balanced against the need to preserve stability. Whether they be more paternalistic corporate men or unreconstituted believers in a civil society backed by more than just greed, these individuals in the Legislative Council back a heterodox theory of economics that balances State interests with corporate prerogatives.[[/note]] |
| 373 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Paternalism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 374 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]A man of humble origins and means, Li Ka-Shing cuts an unlikely presence as Guangdong's only major tycoon of purely Chinese origins. Few would have guessed that the elementary school dropout and struggling factory owner would become the representative of the Chinese side of Guangdong's Zhujin community - and neither would have Li, were it not for a chance meeting with Morita Akio in 1952 that changed his life forever.\ |
| 375 | As the head of Cheung Kong Holdings - a sprawling local conglomerate with its fingers in retail, distribution, light manufacturing, and real estate - Li's commercial success has been intimately tied to Morita's rise in Guangdong. From business partners in the 1950's to their eventual formal alliance as Li diversified into new industries, it is an open secret in Guangdong that the two are political allies, with Li keeping tabs on the pulse of the Chinese and Zhujin population while Morita pitches their reform program to the Japanese expatriate community.[[/labelnote]] |
| 376 | ->'''70's In-Game Biography''' (Chief Secretary - Success)[[labelnote:Click to Show]]Against all hope, this outcome was what Li Ka-shing had dared to hope for. He has done it. The people of Guangdong, of the Three Pearls and beyond, have been brought up from their former squalor to a new era of prosperity; even better is that within that prosperity has come an opportunity: for riches untold to his name.\ |
| 377 | Morita Akio's second-in-command has gone through many trials and tribulations. But he knows that his biggest trial is yet to come, and he is resolved: he will not let it undo whatever he has achieved thus far. He will not let himself be returned to the destitution of his plastic factory days.\ |
| 378 | Never again.[[/labelnote]] |
| 379 | ->'''70's In-Game Biography''' (Chief Secretary - Failure)[[labelnote:Click to Show]]Li Ka-shing asks himself: was any of this worth it? Was it all a mistake?\ |
| 380 | Sure, he's made any amount of money, presided over a sea change in the way Guangdong is run. Sure, neither Suzuki Teiichi nor Sun Yat-sen would recognise Guangzhou as he and Morita have made it, here at the end of the New Order. But compared to the hateful faces of his people and the loss of the lives and happiness of his loved ones, are such massive changes, the sign of an alleged 'great leader', truly worth it?\ |
| 381 | Well, it does not matter. It is the decision Li Ka-shing has made. Making money is all that he has left. He might as well go full-time on it. There's nothing else he can do—unless he wants to waste one second more on his thoughts and succumb to the pain swirling unceasingly in the back of his mind.[[/labelnote]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | The President of Cheung Kong Holdings and Guangdong's only corporate tycoon who's of Chinese descent. Once a struggling factory owner, Li struck a fruitful partnership with fellow struggling businessman Morita Akio, turning both Cheung Kong and Sony into Guangdong-born corporate giants. He now acts as Morita's closest political ally, providing Morita with a Chinese perspective on Guangdong's future. |
| 384 | ---- |
| 385 | * AbsenteeClubMember: Li joins Morita's protest against Ibuka's regime by skipping his meetings with the other corporate leaders. |
| 386 | * AffluentAscetic: Li lives in a relatively modest, two-story house overlooking the South China Sea. It's small compared to the mansions owned by the Japanese socialites, but Li's content to live so humbly. |
| 387 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: [[spoiler:In a Sony playthrough that sides with Li over Morita on policy, Li's wife and son are kidnapped by dissidents in the events preceding the riots, mirroring the kidnapping of his son, Victor, in 1996 by a Hong Kong gangster.]] |
| 388 | * BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Despite receiving backlash by the Japanese, Li is content with aiding the Zhujin and Chinese demographics, believing that he couldn't have achieved his success without their help. |
| 389 | * BenevolentBoss: Of the Big Five, Li is the least abusive of them. |
| 390 | ** Not wanting his employees to go through the same hardships as he did, he acts significantly more benevolently than his fellow tycoons. In one instance he gives a basket, from his wife, to his chauffeur and instructs him to give it to his family, despite the chauffeur's objections. |
| 391 | ** In another instance Li will personally view workers construct new roads to Guangdong's outer cities to keep people honest and the employers from abusing their authority. He also tells his driver that he finds it important to see the fruits of his plans and that the time saved by the new route will make them a lot of money. |
| 392 | ** When Morita's economic reforms finish, Li will be on the ground in Guangzhou inspecting a new office tower being built and contemplating how soon all of Guangdong will be eating out of his hands. During this he looks upon a labourer on a lunch break, which happens to be Lee Chun, and reflects upon his time on the street and how hard he and Morita had to climb to get to where they are now. Taking a second look at the labourer, Li wonders if this could be the next tycoon of Guangdong and vows that it is the duty of a successful businessman to help those less fortunate. |
| 393 | ** Li's plan for how to deal with villages located on top of mineral deposits is to offer them employment to work on the land themselves rather than forcibly relocate them like previous governments, even if it comes at the cost of teaching them how to operate the new machinery. |
| 394 | ** Li advocates higher wager for workers across the board, implementing a minimum wage in Morita's path and give more to the people so they can provide for themselves, much like he also benefitted from his partnership with Morita during his past at Sony. He also pushes for limiting work hours and implementing mandatory, improving work conditions and productivity. |
| 395 | * BigFancyHouse: {{Downplayed}}. Li lives in a modest two-story house with a maid that pales in comparison to the mansions and palaces of the Japanese, but it remains leagues better than any housing owned by the Chinese and Zhujin. |
| 396 | * BigGood: Li serves as this for the common worker in Guangdong, being the CEO most concerned with improving their welfare. |
| 397 | * BrokenPedestal: Li is seen as a representative of the Zhujin middle class among the Big Five and a guarantor of their interests, alongside Morita. However, the end of the 60's sees an erosion of this reputation, as the people starting perceiving Li as yet another dominant corporate leader, only interested in himself. [[spoiler:This is most prominent if Morita goes with Li's Oil Crisis plan during the former's path, as the austerity measures ruin Li's public image. This turns into a major plot point when Komai exploits this and orders Li's family to be kidnapped.]] |
| 398 | * CategoryTraitor: [[spoiler:Li gets accused of being a traitor in the beginning of his personal crisis, with many Zhujin and Chinese citizens accusing him of cozying up to the Japanese and betraying his promise of advocating Zhujin interests in the Legislative Council.]] |
| 399 | * ColorMotif: Hot pink. As a color often connected to compassion, it reflects Cheung Kong's concern for the Chinese citizens who have long been neglected by the Legislative Council and it also closely matches with Sony's red, symbolizing their partnership. |
| 400 | * DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:If Li's personal crisis is not properly handled, his wife is murdered and his son is severely maimed. This leads Li to confine himself to his office and work to all hours at Cheung Kong to distract himself from the grief he feels over these tragedies, as making money becomes the only thing he has left.]] |
| 401 | * DrowningMySorrows: Li joins Morita in drinking whiskey to cope with the Public Order and Stability Ordinance in Komai's path, exasperated by Sony and Cheung Kong's fall from relevancy. |
| 402 | * EveryoneHasStandards: One of the few times he disagrees with Morita is the latter's willingness to conduct business with Speer's Germany, if embargoes with them are lifted. When Schmidt and Abs come to Guangdong, Li makes a point not to attend. Unfortunately, [[{{Downplayed}} even Li]] falls victim to the same hypocrisy, as Cheung Kong still has some exports to Germany and Li gives up on convincing Morita to change tune. |
| 403 | * ExhaustedEyeBags: [[spoiler:Li stops caring for himself when his family gets kidnapped, developing eye bags in the process.]] |
| 404 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Li is a close colleague to Morita, starting all the way back to 1955. Notably, if Suzuki invites Li to discuss bringing Zhujin businesses in line in exchange for better treatment, Li will be accompanied by Morita. Despite Suzuki's objections, Morita refuses to leave stating "if you want to work with us, you need to deal with both of us. |
| 405 | * HistoricalRelationshipOverhaul: In OTL, Li had no relationship with Morita. The radically different circumstances in this timeline changes this, as Li randomly found an exiled Morita in front of his factory and took him in, becoming business partners and lifelong friends from this point onward. |
| 406 | * HonestCorporateExecutive: Li left Sony and founded the Cheung Kong corporation to provide and sell needed goods to the Chinese people languishing in Guangdong. For Li, his mission is to do both good and good business that will enrich himself. |
| 407 | * HumbleHero: If he passes his Labour Standards Ordinance, Li will not boast about his own accomplishments but will instead praise the many individuals that make up Cheung Kong and emphasise the needs for them to feel like they belong in Guangdong. |
| 408 | * HyperCompetentSidekick: Li is forced to become this if [[spoiler:Morita's personal crisis is not handled properly]], taking over more and more of the governance of Guangdong as [[spoiler:Morita focuses only on Sony and retreats more and more from the Legislative Council.]] |
| 409 | * InSpiteOfANail: Though Hong Kong is under Japanese, not British, occupation in this timeline, Cheung Kong still becomes a powerful conglomerate, under the leadership of Li Ka-shing. |
| 410 | * InternalReformist: Already personal friends with Morita, Li wholeheartedly supports his crusade to curb the influence of the corporations and improve the living conditions of the Chinese people. |
| 411 | * ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: [[spoiler:Li develops seconds thoughts about the austerity measures he advocated for in the Oil Crisis, taking his attention away long enough for his family to be kidnapped. He rues that he didn't monitor the enemies he was making, as well as the broken promises he has presented to the Chinese people who now loath him.]] |
| 412 | * ItsPersonal: |
| 413 | ** Li grew up in poverty, so seeing impoverished children grow up in Guangdong is a deeply personal worry for him. |
| 414 | ** [[spoiler:If his personal crisis is successfully resolved and the police reports Komai's involvement in it, Li will swear to enact revenge against Hitachi through rumors and media campaigns, even if Ōmori warns that they can't directly accuse Hitachi of the kidnapping.]] |
| 415 | * MouthOfSauron: [[spoiler:When Morita isolates himself after bungling his personal crisis, Li will be left to carry out his usual responsibilities and represent him on the Legislative Council.]] |
| 416 | * NeverBeHurtAgain: [[spoiler:In the bio for his good ending, after having achieved a new age of prosperity with Morita, he vows that he will not let himself be returned to the destitution of his plastic factory days.]] |
| 417 | * NervousWreck: Li is this when he first meets Komai, frequently stuttering and sweating, which doesn't earn him much respect from Komai. |
| 418 | * NumberTwo: Li is Morita's closest confidant, having helped him recover from the loss of Tokyo Telecommunications and building the new Sony conglomerate together. |
| 419 | * OpposeWhatYouSuffered: Forced to work 16-hour shifts in plastic factories to survive as a teenager, Li seeks to create a Guangdong that is more fair to the average Chinese labourer. |
| 420 | * OrphansOrdeal: Li's father died of Tuberculosis when he was fifteen, which forced him to leave school and work 16-hour shifts in plastic factories. |
| 421 | * OvertRendezvous: Li introduced Morita to an eatery in Hong Kong where they prefer to meet over more private locations like the Sony headquarters. Morita also trusts Li to keep any eavesdroppers out. [[spoiler:This is subverted by the end of Morita's path, especially if their personal crises are resolved correctly, as the two no longer have the time to go to simple eateries and rather spend their time in corporate headquarters, arriving and leaving via helicopters, reflecting their rise within Guangdong.]] |
| 422 | * PapaWolf: Li dearly loves his family [[spoiler:and, when they are kidnapped in his personal crisis, he devotes all of his energy and resources into finding them, to a point where Morita has to advise him to take a break before he falls into unconsciousness. If he fails and his son nearly gets killed by the terrorists, an enraged Li will want to kill the only person the Police have arrested.]] |
| 423 | * PeacefulInDeath: [[spoiler:In the IJA coup, Li bleeds to death during his arrest and before he can face trial, yet he looks oddly peaceful to a nearby Morita.]] |
| 424 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: [[spoiler:Li can heed the demands set by the Guangdong rioters for better living standards, promising them better worker safety and expanded regulatory bodies to monitor abuses.]] |
| 425 | * RousseauWasRight: Li is an idealist who believes that it's every person's duty to help the less fortunate, where every good deed is destined to be reciprocated. |
| 426 | * ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: {{Invoked}} by Li if Morita fails to pass more than 2 social ordinances. Li states its not about the money or power, but knowing the people have a chance to support themselves and is disappointed he can't answer that. |
| 427 | * SelfMadeMan; Li started life as a poor factory owner, who's opportunities were limited by his subpar education. However, studying harder and working with Morita allowed him to climb the ranks of the social hierarchy, where he's now been able to found his own company and be recognized as one of the Big Five. By 1962, Li is ''the'' Zhujin in Guangdong and has the ambitious goal of becoming the wealthiest in whole state, while supporting the people of Guangdong "eating out of his hand". |
| 428 | * SimpleYetOpulent: Li appeals to both the Chinese and Zhujin citizens with more down-to-Earth marketing that nonetheless features impeccably dressed salespeople on the ground and frequent use of pink. |
| 429 | * TheStoic: When Morita proposes reforms to the civil services to allow natives to achieve higher ranks, the two of them are taken aback by the sheer scale of pushback from their Japanese counterparts. During a meeting with the tycoons on the topic, Li keeps his poker face despite urges to shoot nervous glances at Morita or throw water over Komai because doing so would reveal weakness. |
| 430 | * TokenMinority: The only Chinese tycoon among the otherwise homogenously Japanese [=LegCo.=] executives. |
| 431 | * UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler:While the corporate leaders are being arrested and sent to a show trial, Li doesn't get the chance of a dignified end, as he's beaten to death by Japanese soldiers and gets his head smashed by a car roof three times. His corpse is hurled into the armored car with Morita as a last disrespect.]] |
| 432 | * WasItReallyWorthIt: [[spoiler:As stated in the bio for him in his bad ending, while Li has vastly improved living and working standards for the Chinese living in Guangdong and has also achieved financial success beyond his wildest dreams, he has lost his wife and his son is stuck in hospital, being left with a swirling pain in the back of his mind as he dedicates himself to his work.]] |
| 433 | * WeHelpTheHelpless: During Morita's reforms of workers' rights, Li will expand the Cheung Kong conglomerate to include an insurance firm for the disabled. During the opening ceremony he gives the usual business rhetoric about opportunity, but closes the speech by telling the audience to think of their new job as an opportunity to look after their clients. Two Cheung Kong employees, one Chinese the other Zhujin, discuss the speech at lunch afterwards where one of them explains how it is her dream to protect her family and is delighted at the new opportunities this presents. |
| 434 | * WhenYouComingHomeDad: [[spoiler:If Li loses his wife in his personal crisis, he isolates himself from his son and focuses solely on working at his company through sleepless nights, all so he can provide for his son.]] |
| 435 | -->'''Li:''' ''"I won't lose this company. If not for my sake, then for my son's."'' |
| 436 | * {{Workaholic}}: A very dark example of this. [[spoiler:While trying to find his kidnapped family, Li isolates himself and works for days on end, slowly suffering from sleep deprivation and overworking. Morita comments that this is the worst condition he's ever seen Li in, to the point he and Ho take turns monitoring him. In Li's personal bad ending, he buries himself in the work of Cheung Kong to distract himself out of grief after losing his wife.]] |
| 437 | * WorthyOpponent: Other than his initial contempt for him being a newcomer, Ibuka dislikes Li the least out of the Big Five, knowing that he worked to earn his success and thus is a model for his meritocratic vision. [[spoiler:If the Oil Crisis hits a Fujitsu-run Guangdong, Ibuka earnestly asks Li at one point why he opposes him, which the latter reacts to with disgust and assertion that they are not friends.]] |
| 438 | [[/folder]] |
| 439 | |
| 440 | [[folder:Stanley Ho]] |
| 441 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_stanley_ho.png]] |
| 442 | ->'''Role:''' Financial Secretary[[note]]Economy Minister[[/note]] (Morita cabinet) |
| 443 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Paternalism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 444 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]] Stanley Ho is a 'legitimate trader' of prodigious talent and of murky origins, a long acquaintance of Morita Akio and Li Ka-shing, and the darling of Guangdong society - to the extent that a part-Chinese, part-European man can climb in a world dominated by the Japanese. Born to Dutch Jewish and Chinese parents and initially destined for a bright future in British Hong Kong, Stanley was driven to Macau during WWII, and rebuilt his wealth by working - and then running - export-import businesses of luxuries (both legal and illegal) to Mainland China.\ |
| 445 | At first glance, a man of Stanley's background would be wholly unwelcome in the Co-Prosperity Sphere. And yet, the Japanese find themselves strangely open to his charms - whether it be by his cosmopolitan wit, his access to fine luxuries, his peerless manners on the dance floors of Makao, or the encouragement of some of his less legitimate 'partners' in the Triads.[[/labelnote]] |
| 446 | |
| 447 | A smooth-talking "legitimate trader" who serves as the Triads' main representative in Guangdong, Stanley Ho is a long-time friend of Morita and Li who has made a fortune off smuggling both legal and illegal luxuries to Mainland China. Ho can potentially become the Finance Secretary of Guangdong should Morita be elected as Chief Executive. |
| 448 | ---- |
| 449 | * AffablyEvil: He has links to the Triads and the criminal underworld, but his easy-going, smooth-talking charisma allows him to get away with it. |
| 450 | * TheCharmer: Ho is noted by many to be exceptionally charismatic, being able to even charm the Japanese such as Suzuki, despite Ho being part-Chinese and part-European. |
| 451 | * CigaretteOfAnxiety: [[spoiler:Ho smokes a cigarette as he and Morita worry about Li's health during his personal crisis, taking turns on surveilling Li's wellbeing.]] |
| 452 | * EtTuBrute: If Matsuzawa cracks down on the Triads, Ho will be taken aback and his calm demeanor disappears. Despite trying to argue that it will hurt local businesses, he fails to convince Matsuzawa and leaves the room in silence. |
| 453 | * ExhaustedEyeBags: Ho can escape Fujitsu's persecution in Operation 489, but he develops eye bags from the sheer exhaustion of evading them with Morita and Li's help. |
| 454 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:If the IJA take over Guangdong, Ho spends his entire time in the Kōshu tribunal making fun of his prosecutors. Brought face-to-face with a firing squad, Ho refuses to wear a blindfold before telling his executioners that they better not miss.]] |
| 455 | * GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Ho is arrested in Ibuka's Persistence ending, but he's not too upset with the outcome, knowing that Yokoi's drug ring will also be targeted next and that his rival will soon follow a similar fate.]] |
| 456 | * NeighborhoodFriendlyGangsters: Ho has been a trusted ally of Morita and Li since the 1950's, when they were still trying to get "Sonus-Li Electronics" off the ground, by providing them the seed money to mass-produce Morita's [=TR-56=] radios and, following their messy legal battle with Ibuka, helping to shelter them from Fujitsu's debt collectors with enough resources and capital left to start over. In Morita's route, Ho continues to support struggling entrepreneurs by investing in Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s production of hanafuda cards, giving Yamauchi Hiroshi the big break he needs to revive the company and enter the lucrative gambling and entertainment industry . And while Commissioner Ōmori [[TeethClenchedTeamwork has some reservations about working alongside a Triad boss]], Ho is one of his and Morita's strongest allies in their mission to clean up Guangdong's underworld [[spoiler:and becomes instrumental in Morita and Li's personal crises, tasked with investigating either the Kanton Sasshin Fund or the kidnappers of Li's family, respectively.]] |
| 457 | * NothingIsTheSameAnymore: [[spoiler:Thanks to Morita's intervention, an arrested Ho is released in Ibuka's Reconciliation path, but the man feels hollow in his newfound freedom. He could return to his business, but Ho has a feeling that he will never have his old life back.]] |
| 458 | * OddFriendship: Ho is a crime boss and a surprisingly longtime acquaintance of Morita and Li in the higher echelons of Guangdong society. Morita will need to back Ho and his plan to win the Makao casino license if he wants to clean out the criminal underworld and run the Yakuza out of town. |
| 459 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: |
| 460 | ** Hearing about Matsuzawa's potential hard stance against organized crime will shock and enrage Ho, being one of the few times he drops his charismatic, suave demeanor. |
| 461 | ** [[spoiler:If Ho is called up to help find Li's kidnapped family, he drops his friendly persona and no longer has his trademark smile, showing that he means business for the mission.]] |
| 462 | * PetTheDog: In Morita's route, Ho pitches in on Yamauchi's company, lending him a hand to become one of Guangdong's biggest gambling companies. |
| 463 | * ProperlyParanoid: Ho is carefully guarded by his security, even when casually meeting with his old allies, like Morita. It's because he is rightfully vigilant for Yokoi's spies who are looking for a weakness in their Triad rivals. |
| 464 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: Stanley Ho is best known in OTL for founding and owning STDM (''Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau''), which held a decades-long gambling monopoly in Macau. TNO's portrayal primarily focuses on him as a representative of Guangdong's triads, a connection that he did not have in real life; his TNOTL business also revolves around commerce (which he did engage in during WWII) rather than his OTL's STDM-branded "entertainment". |
| 465 | * TheRival: Ho is the foremost rival gang leader to Yokoi and the Yakuza, with Morita's path dedicated to teaming up with him against Yokoi. |
| 466 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:After the IJA arrest Morita and kill Li, Ho attempts to flee the country. Unfortunately, he gets caught on the border and sentenced to death by firing squad.]] |
| 467 | * StereotypeFlip: While most Chinese people in Guangdong are dirt-poor and treated like second-class citizens, Ho is a well-connected Chinese businessman with extensive links to the Triads. This exceptional status also makes him hated by the Japanese elite. |
| 468 | * TheTriadsAndTheTongs: Ho is the main representative for the Triads residing in Guangdong. |
| 469 | * VenturousSmuggler: Ho makes most of his money by exporting and importing both legal and illegal luxuries to Mainland China. In Morita's path, the government may turn a blind eye to his contraband, as a part of their unorthodox alliance to undermine the Yakuza. |
| 470 | [[/folder]] |
| 471 | |
| 472 | [[folder:Ōmori Kan]] |
| 473 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_omori_kan_plowix.png]] |
| 474 | ->'''Role:''' Guangdong Police Force Commissioner[[note]]Security Minister[[/note]] (Morita cabinet) |
| 475 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Paternalism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 476 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]As Chief Executive Morita seeks to revamp the division of labor between the Guangdong Police Force and the Kenpeitai, it has become abundantly clear that new leadership is required at the top. Ōmori Kan - a senior Home Ministry bureaucrat with abundant experience in both police and military liaison positions in Japan - has been handpicked to lead a complete restructuring of the Guangdong Police after a lengthy selection process led by the Chief Executive himself.\ |
| 477 | The appointment of an outsider without extensive pre-existing ties in Guangdong has raised eyebrows in the Legislative Council and in Kenpeitai command, wary that the police will develop an autonomous streak. They are right to worry - and they will soon learn that Ōmori is not a man that can be bought easily, and a man to be ignored at their own peril.[[/labelnote]] |
| 478 | |
| 479 | The Commissioner of the Guangdong Police Force under Morita. Ōmori is a former Home Ministry bureaucrat who is invited to Guangdong to completely restructure its police force from a band of brutes to a force of professionals. |
| 480 | ---- |
| 481 | * BearerOfBadNews: [[spoiler:At the the start of Li's personal crisis, Ōmori worriedly presents Morita and Li with a stack of letters written by Chinese and Zhujin citizens complaining about the recent austerity programs, with one poster demonizing Li's role in slashing welfare to combat the Oil Crisis.]] |
| 482 | * CategoryTraitor: [[spoiler:When the IJA take over Guangdong, they sentence Ōmori to life imprisonment on the basis that he introduced a textbook ''Basics of Cantonese'' to the Police Force. For daring to show compassion to Chinese people, the Kōshu tribunal accuses him of forsaking his duties and selling out his ethnic group, hence why he gets a harsher punishment than Miyazaki and his Kenpeitai goons.]] |
| 483 | * GoingNative: It is rumoured that Ōmori has exceeded expectations and became fluent enough in Cantonese that he can hold technical conversations, read and understand books and write documents indistinguishable from local Chinese. |
| 484 | * InternalReformist: Ōmori is personally tasked by Morita to completely reorganize the Guangdong Police, specifically with regards to its relationship with the Kenpeitai, ties to the criminal underworld, and its ill-treatment of the Chinese and the Zhujin. |
| 485 | * LedByTheOutsider: More than a few people are befuddled to see Ōmori lead the Guangdong Police, since he has few pre-existing ties to the nation. |
| 486 | * PragmaticHero: When searching for police recruits who would be incorruptible and strong, Ōmori realizes that his criteria might be too selective to build up the Guangdong Police and may compromise on his principles by lowering them. |
| 487 | * PutOnAPrisonBus: [[spoiler:Ōmori is imprisoned for life by the IJA, if they overthrow Morita's government, accusing him of betraying his duties to the Empire of Japan.]] |
| 488 | * RedeemingReplacement: Ōmori hates the role that the Kenpeitai has as unprofessional brutish thugs that have no understanding of the rule of law and deligitimise law enforcement in Guangdong, asking Morita and Li to enact extensive reforms to keep the Kenpeitai in their barracks and the Guangdong Police to take their place. |
| 489 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: In OTL, Ōmori was a President of the National Defense Academy in Japan. In this timeline, he will apply his bureaucratic expertise in reforming the corrupt Guangdong Police into a legitimate and well-respected security force. |
| 490 | * SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler:Ōmori is the only surviving member of the Morita cabinet in the IJA coup, given only a life sentence with the possibility of parole.]] |
| 491 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: Ōmori expresses concerns over working alongside Stanley Ho due to his connections with the Triads. Despite this, they are forced to work together if they want to have a chance at succeeding. |
| 492 | * UncertainDoom: If Hitachi coups Sony, Ōmori is never seen again and his fate is never clarified among the Sony cabinet; Morita and Li still appear in flavor events, while Ho can reappear [[spoiler:at the Kōshu tribunal]]. |
| 493 | * TheUnfettered: Ōmori is a man full of ambition and drive, which worries many that he'll make the Guangdong police ''too'' autonomous. |
| 494 | [[/folder]] |
| 495 | |
| 496 | [[folder:Yokoi Hideki]] |
| 497 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_yokoi_hideki_plowix.png]] |
| 498 | ->'''Role:''' Financial Secretary[[note]]Economy Minister[[/note]] (Matsushita, Ibuka and Komai cabinets) |
| 499 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporatocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 500 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]] Rugged industrialist. Vulture capitalist. Underhanded entrepreneur. Yokoi Hideki's reputation is as large as the portfolio of business interests he manages across the Sphere - acquired in lockstep with Japan's expansion across Asia. Building a fortune selling uniforms to the Japanese military during the Second World War, Yokoi leveraged his network of military contacts to purchase 'liberated' European real estate and investment properties in Asia at bargain prices - building a business empire from the loot and plunder of conquest.\ |
| 501 | Though Yokoi takes great pain to appear respectable, he is often seen by Japan and Guangdong's business elite as unsophisticated new money. Few dare say so to his face, however, lest they end up receiving a visit from Yokoi's 'friends' in the Yakuza - and Yokoi understands that fear works as well as respect in almost every instance.[[/labelnote]] |
| 502 | |
| 503 | An opportunistic businessman who serves as the Yakuza's main representative in Guangdong, Yokoi Hideki made his fortune by purchasing the newly-"liberated" real estate and properties made possible by Japan's victory in the Second World War. Despite his animosity with the old business elite, who see him as a unsophisticated new money upstart, Hideki can potentially become the Financial Secretary of Guangdong under Matsushita, Ibuka or Komai. |
| 504 | ---- |
| 505 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: Yokoi's real estate ventures in TNOTL Guangdong mirrors his international acquisitions later on in his OTL life. |
| 506 | * ArmsDealer: Yokoi made a fortune selling uniforms during the Second World War. |
| 507 | * AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:One of the few saving graces in Ibuka's Persistence ending is the comfort that Yokoi will be arrested for his drug practices, much to the gangster's horror.]] |
| 508 | * BadassBoast: When Matsuzawa asks him to get the Yakuza to stop interfering with the valuing of Yasuda's assets, Yokoi will remind him that he knows plenty of worse people in Guangdong. |
| 509 | * CigarChomper: Yokoi likes smoking cigars and sometimes [[SecondFaceSmoke blowing the smoke into the person he's talking to]]. |
| 510 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Yokoi's business empire is built on the loot and plunder from Japan's conquests in World War 2, having bought 'liberated' European real estate and investment properties in Asia at bargain prices. |
| 511 | * CriminalCravesLegitimacy: Despite his well-known connections to the {{Yakuza}}, Yokoi goes to great pains to make himself appear to be a respectable businessman. |
| 512 | * TheDreaded: Yokoi's connections to Yasuda and the Yakuza, along with a tendency to orchestrate violent attacks, have made him a feared and respected mob boss in Guangdong's underground. |
| 513 | * EnemyMine: Despite having no love for each other, Yokoi comes to a truce with Ibuka and works under the Guangdong police to take out their mutual enemies in the Triads. Beneath their cooperation, both sides are secretly plotting to betray each other at the first convenient moment. This ends up happening if the Triads are crushed, with cases of Yakuza-related violence rising afterward. |
| 514 | * EverythingIsRacist: If Morita fails to intimidate him into giving up the Makao casino license, Yokoi will go on the media to portray himself as a victim of government repression, blaming it all on Morita's recent trend of reverse discrimination on the Japanese. |
| 515 | * IHaveYourWife: Yokoi is able to act with impunity because he can threaten the family members of anyone who would dare oppose them. This also may be the reason why a Zhujin bureaucrat doesn't attack too harshly on the Yakuza's shell companies in Morita's path, wanting to ensure his family's safety from retaliation. |
| 516 | * InsuranceFraud: Yokoi's Yakuza associates run protection rackets and, during the Yasuda crisis, burn down buildings where Yokoi is the beneficiary, regardless of the human cost. |
| 517 | * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:If the Triads were destroyed, but Ibuka has a change of heart, Yokoi will continue ruling the underworld, confident that the government will no longer harass his drug trafficking and that no serious competitors remain.]] |
| 518 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: After the Yakuza's influence across Guangdong gets shut down by Morita and Ho, Yokoi may accept their deal to give up the Makao casino license and stay out of Guangdong, cutting his losses to avoid further legal scrutiny. |
| 519 | * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: With the Triads destroyed in a successful Operation 489, Yokoi waste no time to fill the power vacuum and become the indisputable head of the underworld, to the point he can blatantly dump drugs and bodies without fear of government retaliation. |
| 520 | * NouveauRiche: Yokoi is commonly viewed by most of Japan and Guangdong's business elites as unsophisticated new money, although few would dare say this to his face. |
| 521 | * AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Yokoi quickly agrees to Suzuki's request that the Yakuza stop their most abhorrent practices, much to the latter's surprise, but on the condition that Guangdong remains friendly towards Yakuza business interests. |
| 522 | * OpenSecret: Everyone knows that Yokoi is running protection rackets in Guangdong, but Suzuki never adequately responds to it and Matsuzawa may turn a blind eye against his business, stating that he's got more important things to worry about than starting a gang war. |
| 523 | * OpportunisticBastard: After the Hitachi Coup, Yokoi switches to Komai's Financial Secretary, eagerly helping him restructure the Tax Bureau and praising Manchuria's Reform Bureaucracy as a model to aspire to all. In turn, Hitachi will give the Yakuza a leg up using the economy. |
| 524 | * PerpetualFrowner: Yokoi wastes little time on pleasantries or friendliness, having a permanent frown plastered over his face. |
| 525 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: |
| 526 | ** Regardless of how the confrontation with Morita, Li and Ōmori plays out, Yokoi will call Li a "Chinese asshole" and even go so far as to make a death threat against Li if Yokoi decides not to back down saying he has killed plenty of Chinese. |
| 527 | ** Likewise if Ho wins the auction for the casino license then Ho will report to a celebratory Morita and Li over the phone about Yokoi's plan to bring it the Legislative Council and how he said it would be of no use giving it to the Chinese. |
| 528 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: Yokoi Hideki in OTL was a Japanese venture capitalist who made huge profits in post-war Japan via rabid acquisitions of real estate properties, and was famous for being involved in many controversies[[note]]Most notably the Hotel New Japan fire in 1982, which killed 33 and resulted in him being sentenced to jail time for corporate manslaughter[[/note]] and outrageous international ventures[[note]]Most notably, he once attempted to buy the Empire State Building[[/note]]. His TNOTL portrayal primarily focuses on him as a representative of the Yakuza, which is opposite of his Yakuza relations in real life; though he was speculated to be connected to the Yakuza in real life, he's actually better known for being screwed over by the Yakuza than having good ties with them. |
| 529 | * TheRival: Yokoi is a rival gang leader to Ho, in which Ibuka backs him to take out the Triads. |
| 530 | * SoreLoser: If he loses the Makao casino license to Ho, Yokoi will furiously object to the results and call the Legislative Council to challenge the legitimacy of the auction. |
| 531 | * UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: Unlike every other major character in Guangdong, the fate of Yokoi is never revealed after the IJA take control of Guangdong during the riots. WordOfGod states that Yokoi manages to get off scot-free due to being Japanese.]] |
| 532 | * WhiteCollarCrime: In large part due to Yokoi's business background, the various Yakuza groups in Guangdong have expanded their operations to various white-collar crimes through a collection of shell companies. |
| 533 | * {{Yakuza}}: Yokoi is affiliated with the Yakuza and is the person each Chief Executive turns to if they want to make a deal with them. |
| 534 | [[/folder]] |
| 535 | |
| 536 | [[folder:Tsuchida Kuniyasu]] |
| 537 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tsuchida_kuniyasu.png]] |
| 538 | ->'''Role:''' Guangdong Police Force Commissioner[[note]]Security Minister[[/note]] (Matsushita, Ibuka and Komai cabinets) |
| 539 | ->'''Ideology:''' Colonial Government[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 540 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Tsuchida Kuniyasu, the new Commissioner of the Guangdong Police, has his work cut out for him. The Police are chronically underfunded, understaffed, and deeply corrupt - a state of decrepitude tacitly acknowledged under previous Chief Executives, who preferred to turn to the Kenpeitai as their instruments of blunt power.\ |
| 541 | Now, as the Chief Executive reasserts their authority in Guangdong, they turn to Commissioner Tsuchida to get the ball rolling. A competent enforcer and administrator in his own right, Tsuchida brings familiarity with both Guangdong's way of doing business and the key figures of the Corporate elite - a man who can be trusted to clean up the police and to do things their way, without being beholden to the IJA or the Kenpeitai. Guangdong shall be brought to order under law and copyright, and Tsuchida is intimately familiar with both.[[/labelnote]] |
| 542 | |
| 543 | The new Commissioner of the Guangdong Police under Matsushita, Ibuka or Komai. Tsuchida is familiar with Guangdong's way of conducting business and seeks to reform the Guangdong Police into more effective law enforcers that are loyal to the Chief Executive, while also being completely independent from the IJA or Kenpeitai. |
| 544 | ---- |
| 545 | * BaldOfEvil: Tsuchida is balding and aiding the oppressive corporations that rule Guangdong. |
| 546 | * BearerOfBadNews: |
| 547 | ** [[spoiler:Once the police fail to stop the initial wave of riots, Tsuchida will break the news to Matsushita along with the report that some of the rioters captured their weaponry. He does provide a silver lining that the police still have the advantage and that the main corporate assets can be protected with the assistance of corporate security.]] |
| 548 | ** [[spoiler:Tsuchida reports to Komai on how the riots are getting out of hand, nervously analyzing his boss' reactions to the report and detailing their increase in frequency, participants, and violence.]] |
| 549 | * BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:At least from the IJA's perspective after their coup. During Tsuchida's trial, they comment on his stellar resume and their disappointment that he's gone soft on the rioters, so they sentence him to life imprisonment, with a slim chance of parole later on.]] |
| 550 | * ByTheBookCop: {{Downplayed}}. Tsuchida will attempt to enforce the rules against crime syndicates, unlike his predecessor, but is often dissuaded by his superiors. |
| 551 | * DoWrongRight: Tsuchida is determined to reform the underfunded and corrupt police force. Not because they're oppressive and enforcing an unequal social hierarchy, but because they're too ineffective to uphold said structure. |
| 552 | * EnemyMine: Tsuchida would happily toss every Yakuza member behind bars for their crimes, but he's forced to work with them in Ibuka's path because the Guangdong police are incapable of taking down the Triads on their own. |
| 553 | * InternalReformist: Matsushita and Ibuka assign Tsuchida to reform the deeply underfunded and corrupt Guangdong Police, relying on him to get it into shape without being restrained by the IJA or the Kenpeitai. |
| 554 | * ALighterShadeOfBlack: Tsuchida doesn't care much for making Guangdong a fairer or more humane regime, but he at least tries to clean up the Police's corruption and opposes the even more blatantly violent Yakuza, Kenpeitai, and IJA. |
| 555 | * ProperlyParanoid: |
| 556 | ** While investigating the Triads and Yakuza in Matsushita's path, Tsuchida operates with a high degree of secrecy when presenting Matsushita with the police report. He patiently waits for the rest of the cabinet to leave before sharing the intel, saying nothing and leaving the padded and secure file on Matsushita's desk, which the Chief Executive waits until night to open. Given the gangs' influence, along with the fact that Yokoi, Matsushita's Financial Secretary, has connections to the Yakuza, this over-the-top secrecy is justified. Furthermore, if Matsushita endorses allying with one of the groups, then secrecy will have to be upheld amongst the police leadership as many of the rank-and-file may be on the payroll of the Triads or Yakuza. |
| 557 | ** Tscuhida is rightfully worried about displeasing Komai in the latter's path, meeting his orders to the letter and not wanting to be purged for any outspokenness, like Hitachi has done so many times. [[spoiler:During the riots, he even wonders to himself if complaining about his broken air conditioning would constitute treason, given Hitachi's disproportionate hatred for any discontent about their regime.]] |
| 558 | * PutOnAPrisonBus [[spoiler:Tsuchida is sentenced to life imprisonment by the IJA if they overthrow Matsushita, Ibuka, or Komai. They accuse him of letting public order break down in Guangdong and neglecting his duties, which is cited to justify his punishment.]] |
| 559 | * RepressiveButEfficient: If Tsuchida's reformation of the Guangdong Police comes to fruition, it would turn into an effective security force that will bring order to Guangdong through law and copyright, all to secure Matsushita's regime. |
| 560 | * ResignInProtest: [[spoiler:With the Emergency Powers Ordinance reaching the Legislative Council, Tsuchida personally requests Matsushita to also expand the police commissioner's emergency powers to handle the Guangdong riots, threatening to resign after multiple times of Matsushita expressing hesitance and accusing Tsuchida of undermining his authority.]] |
| 561 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: A President of Japan's National Defense Academy from OTL, Tsuchida is given a new job in an entirely different land in this timeline, tasked with wrangling the Guangdong Police Force to Matsushita, Ibuka, or Komai's will. |
| 562 | * UnderestimatingBadassery: [[spoiler:Tsuchida initially envisions the riots as a handful of crowded streets with a few placards in Komai's path. When he takes a helicopter ride over the manufacturing district, he is shocked to see the sheer scale of people protesting, a displeasurable feeling that is worsened when a police cordon suddenly collapses and is swallowed by the crowd. Realizing that the situation was worse that he originally believed, Tsuchida draws up new plans of dealing with the riots]] |
| 563 | [[/folder]] |
| 564 | |
| 565 | [[folder:Miyazaki Kiyotaka]] |
| 566 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_miyazaki_kiyotaka.png]] |
| 567 | ->'''Role:''' Head of Guangdong Kenpeitai[[note]]Security Minister[[/note]] (Suzuki and Matsuzawa cabinet), Chief Secretary[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Komai cabinet) |
| 568 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporate Statism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 569 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' (Head of Guangdong Kenpeitai) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]One would be mistaken to see Colonel Miyazaki Kiyotaka as another enforcer of Japan's will in Guangdong, or a relic of Japan's past triumphs. Unlike the new IJA recruits rotated into the Three Pearls - or the ancient general officers sent out to pasture - Colonel Miyazaki is a twenty-year veteran of the China Campaign still in his prime. Starting as a non-commissioned Kenpeitai officer during WWII, Miyazaki has spent nearly all of his career on the Chinese mainland, hunting KMT remnants and dissidents in Manchukuo, the Republic of China, and now in Guangdong.\ |
| 570 | To the Chinese residents of Guangdong, he is an implacable predator, coming after those who test the patience of the police and the Japanese once too often. To the Japanese, he is a tireless defender of law and order, a swift and final arbiter for any problem too intractable to buy off. All know that Colonel Miyazaki is a dangerous man - a man with power, and almost limitless authority along with it.[[/labelnote]] |
| 571 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' (Chief Secretary) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Every would-be strongman needs an enforcer - the man with the means and the temperament to do the dirty work, to crack skulls and purge miscreants. Colonel Miyazaki is well-versed in the means, and his reputation for brutality precedes him. Having been relegated to the sidelines under the previous Chief Executive and their attempt to build a local security apparatus, Miyazaki's appointment as Chief Secretary under Komai speaks to the iron fist hiding just beneath Komai's polished exterior.\ |
| 572 | Miyazaki watched, first with apprehension and then with frustration, as the Kenpeitai were called into service again and again on the bidding of corporate masters - who didn't have the stomach to do what had to be done. But Chief Executive Komai understands Miyazaki's methods and their necessity - and in turn, the IJA colonel has sworn loyalty to Hitachi and its Manchurian backers.[[/labelnote]] |
| 573 | |
| 574 | The ruthless and brutally efficient head of the Kenpeitai in Guangdong, Colonel Miyazaki Kiyotaka has had a long career in putting down Chinese dissidents and remnants of the KMT all over mainland China. Now assigned to oversee Guangdong, Miyazaki Kiyotaka resents the corporate men ruling the state for their relatively soft stance on crime. The only exception to this is the equally brutal Komai, who will appoint Miyazaki as his Chief Secretary should he take power following a Hitachi coup. |
| 575 | ---- |
| 576 | * BadLiar: Miyazaki is an unconvincing liar and cannot keep his cool when pressed. During the investigation of the Hitachi coup, he gets suspiciously angry when asked about his involvement in the Manchurian emergency landings. If the Chief Executive sends a detective to interrogate him further, Miyazaki will first tell the detective to leave and stop wasting his time before escalating when the detective persists, insulting the detective's appearance and threatening to get Nagano involved without ever disproving the accusations. |
| 577 | * BreakTheHaughty: While Miyazaki is an unapologetic and greedy individual, exposing the Kenpeitai's connections to the opium trade will make him panic and forced to work for days to manage the controversy. In the end, he's forced to call his allies in Xinjing, admitting his failures and begging for assistance as part of their contingency plan. |
| 578 | * TheBrute: He is described as having a muscled physique underneath his khaki uniform. |
| 579 | * CreepyCleanliness: Miyazaki's office is kept in immaculate order, making him seem ever more formidable. |
| 580 | * TheDragon: Having been sidelined by the previous Chief Executives, Miyazaki's support for Komai is rewarded with an appointment as Chief Secretary, acting as Komai's enforcer in the dirty work of crushing dissent with well-reputed brutal force. |
| 581 | * TheDreaded: Miyazaki is feared by the Chinese residents of Guangdong as a hunter who tracks down those deemed too troublesome to the current status quo of Suzuki's regime. |
| 582 | * GeneralRipper: Miyazaki is well-known for his brutality and he ends up becoming disillusioned with the megacorporations, barring Hitachi, because they aren't ruthless enough in crushing internal enemies. |
| 583 | * HatesSmallTalk: Miyazaki has no time for pleasantries, asking Suzuki bluntly to get straight to the point and ask what he wants when Suzuki comes into his office to make a request. |
| 584 | * HyperCompetentSidekick: Despite being Suzuki's subordinate, Miyazaki wields near limitless authority with his position, which makes him one of the Chief Executive's most dangerous enforcers. |
| 585 | * JustFollowingOrders: Upon being asked by Suzuki to review some of the more unsavory actions of the Kenpeitai in favour of more inconspicuous actions, Miyazaki is apathetic at best, simply telling Suzuki that he will have to bring it up with his superiors. |
| 586 | * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Despite everyone else facing punishment by the IJA in the Kōshu tribunal, Miyazaki is not tried on the same level and given a lighter pass for his crimes and any blame he could've received for letting the riots happen. When Ōmori and Tsuchida point out the double standard, the judge excuses Miyazaki for not neglecting his duties in the former case and completely dodges the accusation in the latter case.]] |
| 587 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: |
| 588 | ** If the opium trade war was successfully dismantled, Miyazaki will cut the Kenpeitai's support for Hitachi's coup and quietly withdraw his soldiers from the Kōshū Hakuun International Airport, as the investigation finds more hints of his involvement with it and Nagano orders him to shut down Komai. With his withdrawal, Komai is unable to get support from Manchuria and makes his coup even more untenable. |
| 589 | ** If 5 security focuses are completed by Morita before presenting his proposal to expand the Guangdong Police's authority, Miyazaki will have no choice but to accept, knowing that the Kenpeitai are completely outclassed by that point. |
| 590 | * MadeOGold: Miyazaki has an intricately carved golden ashtray with a dragon on it, befitting his role as a corrupt power player involved with the Yakuza. |
| 591 | * NeverMyFault: Miyazaki takes no responsibility if the Kenpeitai's role in the opium trade is discovered, instead berating the captain who let the conspiracy be exposed and proclaiming that he is surrounded by idiots. |
| 592 | * PerpetualFrowner: Miyazaki rarely smiles and the few times he does is when the Kenpeitai or Hitachi have made a major victory. |
| 593 | * PoliceBrutality: Miyazaki and his jackbooted Kenpeitai thugs always use the most brutal methods to keep order in Guangdong. In one instance, during a meeting with the Chief Executive and tycoons during Yasuda crisis protests, Miyazaki offers to make the Kenpeitai either clear the streets or round up dissident leaders, it is made explicitly clear both of which will involve extensive brutality. |
| 594 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Miyazaki is prejudiced against the Chinese, calling the Guangdong police force his "mongrel colleagues". |
| 595 | * PragmaticVillainy: Whenever Komai starts veering too far into treasonous action, Miyazaki can be quick to dip because he doesn't want to get in trouble for it. |
| 596 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: In real life, Miyazaki was a Sergeant Major in the Kenpeitai during [=WW2=] and after Japan's defeat, he was designated a war criminal, eventually returning to Japan in 1951, where he became an author and wrote a number of novels based on his experience and was also a lover to Creator/YukioMishima. In this timeline where Japan is victorious in [=WW2=], Miyazaki remains in the Kenpeitai and does not take up a literary career. |
| 597 | * TheSpymaster: Miyazaki started his career as a non-commissioned Kenpeitai officer and has spent most of his life hunting down dissidents throughout China. Guangdong is his latest camping ground. |
| 598 | * SurroundedByIdiots: When the Guangdong Police try to shut down the opium trade and nearly discover the Kenpeitai's involvement in it, Miyazaki will be furious about nearly suffering from a politically fatal blow, ranting that he is surrounded by imbeciles who threaten his career and standing. |
| 599 | * TheUnapologetic: Despite the Kenpeitai's role in inflaming a race riot in Ibuka's path, Miyazaki takes no responsibility for the violence, rejecting the Chief Executive's advice to restrain his men and seeing no issue for what they've done. |
| 600 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: Miyazaki's ruthlessness is admired by the Japanese, who view him as a stalwart defender of the law. |
| 601 | * VillainousFriendship: Miyazaki is the only person to give a warm welcome to Komai upon his arrival in Guangdong. |
| 602 | [[/folder]] |
| 603 | |
| 604 | !! Other Important Politicians |
| 605 | |
| 606 | [[folder:Takashima Masuo]] |
| 607 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_takashima_masuo.png]] |
| 608 | ->'''Role:''' Consul-General of Japan in the State of Guangdong, External Secretary[[note]]Foreign Minister[[/note]] ([[spoiler:Nagano]] cabinet) |
| 609 | ->'''Party:''' [[spoiler:Imperial Japanese Army - Martial Law[[note]]Martial law is in effect.\ |
| 610 | Remain in your homes.\ |
| 611 | Compliance is mandatory.\ |
| 612 | Offenders will be shot.[[/note]]]] |
| 613 | ->'''Ideology:''' Colonial Government[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 614 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show (Warning: Unmarked Spoilers)]]The right man for the right job; Consul-General Takashima Masuo has found himself at the head of the External Secretariat in the wake of the Imperial Army's intervention. A bureaucrat at heart, and a loyal one at that, he has served valiantly in the various China offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.\ |
| 615 | In dire times like these, he is perfect for the job.\ |
| 616 | Anyone can tell that this intervention will be a diplomatic disaster. Those in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be going through a storm of panicked cables. No matter. For decades, the military has remained above the rabble of civilian politics, and it will remain so. No matter what the Prime Minister says, and no matter what China says, the military is supreme.[[/labelnote]] |
| 617 | |
| 618 | The Consul-General of Japan in the State of Guangdong, acting as Tokyo's main representative in the region. A loyal bureaucrat at heart, Takashima holds kingmaker power with his ability to directly contact Tokyo and shape their opinion and policies on Guangdong. |
| 619 | ---- |
| 620 | * BearerOfBadNews: |
| 621 | ** As Tokyo's representative, Takashima can repeatedly report bad news to the sitting Chief Executive about Japan exploiting some benefit from Guangdong without offering anything in return. |
| 622 | ** As the Oil Crisis intensifies, [[spoiler:Takashima is called back to Tokyo and informs the Chief Executive and Nagano on the phone of impending cuts of economic support from the Foreign Ministry and the Greater East Asia Ministry along with the orders from military high command to have much of the Guangdong Kenpeitai reassigned elsewhere in the Sphere.]] |
| 623 | ** Takashima also acts as this when [[spoiler:the riots intensify and Tokyo begins to doubt the claims the Chief Executive makes about the situation being under control, claiming that they are looking at their options and warning the Chief Executive that he needs to do better. A follow up phone call from Takashima states the Tokyo is scared to death, hyperbolically claiming that they believe Mao is being resurrected in the countryside and Dai Li is wandering Guangdong's slums. During the final phone call he informs the Chief Executive that they have worn Tokyo thin and are eager to intervene. Takashima has stated that once his own reputation faulters, there is nothing more he can do to help.]] |
| 624 | * BeleagueredBureaucrat: |
| 625 | ** Takashima is usually described as being exhausted and weary from his dealings with Japan as the main representative for Tokyo in Guangdong. |
| 626 | ** During the Yasuda Crisis, Takashima repeatedly tries to get Japan to assist Guangdong through the economic and political tribulations it faces. According to the Chief Executive, this has made Takashima exhausted by the time they conduct the formality of an economic review for the coming year, something which neither are eager for. |
| 627 | * BeneathTheMask: [[spoiler:He hides it under a mask of calmness, but Takashima is secretly anxious about what Nagano is going to do after he deposes the Chief Executive.]] |
| 628 | * BrutalHonesty: |
| 629 | ** Takashima spares little kind words if the Chief Executive fails to reach the annual economic targets, expressing Japan's disappointment expressed by Japan and spending the rest of the meeting diligently working with the Chief Executive to recover for the next year. |
| 630 | ** [[spoiler: In a time of crisis like the Guangdong Riots, Takashima starts speaking with less tact. If the Chief Executive spends too much time suppressing the Riots, Takashima doesn't unconditionally accept his pleas that he's trying his best, once remarking that he hopes that the Chief Executive is lying and commenting that his best efforts aren't enough in another call.]] |
| 631 | * CigaretteOfAnxiety: [[spoiler:With the stress of the Guangdong Riots, the sitting Chief Executive thinks that Takashima has begun smoking cigarettes, practically smelling it over his exhausted tone on the phone.]] |
| 632 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: |
| 633 | ** Despite being colleagues, Takashima is wary about Nagano and his trigger-happy nature. When meeting the Chief Executive and discussing the matter of intelligence sharing from the IJA garrison, Takashima happily admits that Nagano is out doing drills instead of listening in and potentially losing his cool. |
| 634 | ** [[spoiler:Takashima is horrified at the possibility of the IJA intervening in Guangdong, which becomes a very tangible possibility during the Guangdong riots. This standard is also why Takashima doesn't condone the IJA coup, even if the Chief Executive makes a negotiation deal favorable to the rioters; he's quick to remind Nagano that military intervention would could be treasonous.]] |
| 635 | * ExhaustedEyeBags: Takashima's portrait shows him with these, being tired from having to go back and forth from Guangdong as a loyal servant of Japan. They become especially notable during the economic review for the Oil Crisis, where he catches almost no sleep for several months. |
| 636 | * TheFace: [[spoiler:Takashima serves this role to the IJA regime, liaising with Tokyo and representing the regime to the public, telling blatant lies to make their reign more palatable. Takashima also stands out as the sole civilian bureaucrat amongst a cabinet of military generals, with him being barely respected by Nagano.]] |
| 637 | * GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Takashima is an avid smoker and his office is filled with cigarette smoke, adding to the oppressive nature of the Japanese consulate building, in spite of its ornate decorations. |
| 638 | * HiddenDepths: Takashima is a massive fan of golf, with it being his main hobby whenever he is not busy with bureaucratic work, excitedly talking away about golfers and courses as he ignores the boredom of the Chief Executive meeting him. |
| 639 | * HonestAdvisor: Takashima acts as this for Morita at the end of his path, when the Chief Executive is making a diplomatic visit to Tokyo and given the VIP treatment for the first time ever. Takashima gives advice to Morita on how to act and what he should do, given Morita's inexperience with greeting diplomats and politicians for the cameras. |
| 640 | * {{Hypocrite}}: While chatting to the Chief Executive, he laments that the exclusivity and the racial policies of the Americans would forbid him from being able to play a game of golf in Augusta, while completely ignoring the racial hierarchies and discriminatory practices that can be widely seen in Guangdong. |
| 641 | * InsistentTerminology: He insists to the Chief Executive that he be referred to by his formal title. |
| 642 | * JustFollowingOrders: [[spoiler:If the IJA takeover Guangdong, he serves in his new appointment dutifully as a loyal servant despite being aware that the 23rd's actions in Japan will cause a diplomatic crisis, submitting that the military has authority over him.]] |
| 643 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: If Sagawa confesses to his crimes, Takashima will know to give up on pressing Tokyo's demand that Sagawa be extradited to Japan and allow Sagawa to be indicted in Guangdong. |
| 644 | * MinorMajorCharacter: He doesn't appear as frequently as the Chief Executives, but he's one of the most powerful figures in Guangdong. If the political scheming gets too out of hand, Takashima can bring everyone back in line by threatening to write a report on them and getting Japan involved. |
| 645 | * MouthOfSauron: Takashima works hard relaying information between Japan and Guangdong, advocating on behalf of both of them when discussing with leadership. |
| 646 | * ObstructiveBureaucrat: |
| 647 | ** As Tokyo's representative in Guangdong, Takashima repeatedly badgers the Chief Executive to balance their own agenda and plans with Japan's own interests, no matter how inconvenient. [[spoiler:For example, during the Oil Crisis in Morita's path, he and Nagano pressure Morita and Matsushita to accomodate the incoming Japanese immigrants, so Japan's economic and political interests are satisfied.]] |
| 648 | ** [[spoiler:If the negotiations with the rioters start offering the right to unionize or above, Takashima will consider obstructing the Chief Executive's work and reporting them to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.]] |
| 649 | * OldFriend: Takashima is good friends with Japanese artist Hirata Shōdō, the biological father of Matsushita Masaharu. Tellingly, Takashima is the only person who Hirata can confide to, confessing his hopes for Masaharu to visit one of his exhibitions. |
| 650 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: |
| 651 | ** Takashima usually presents himself calmly and neutrally, befitting his role as a diplomat. [[spoiler:However, his outrage can be stoked in the case of Chinese involvement in the Riots. If the Chief Executive has significant evidence for it, he will furiously scold Song and Wang for their manipulation and warn of the consequences for them and China, if they continue. Meanwhile, he will turn his anger on the Chief Executive if little evidence is presented, astounded by the incompetence and audacity to accuse another Sphere state without substantial proof.]] |
| 652 | ** [[spoiler:Takashima drops his calm demeanor if the Police are caught investigating China's affairs in Guangdong, where Takashima privately denounces the Chief Executive behind Japan's public statements of disappointment. Takashima goes as far as to make a veiled threat about Nagano's absence to startle the Chief Executive.]] |
| 653 | * PetTheDog: |
| 654 | ** As long as the Chief Executive reaches the economic goals of a particular year, the meeting between him and Takashima is short and full of compliments from the latter. |
| 655 | ** After a meeting, Takashima invites the Chief Executive to his private residence for dinner, offering to continue the discussion in a more relaxed setting and commenting that he has a chef who can make an amazing tempura. It conflicts with the Chief Executive's schedule for another meeting, but it is a generous offer that the Chief Executive can optionally accept. |
| 656 | ** [[spoiler:While not worth anything tangible, Takashima earnestly apologizes to Morita about Japan's inability to help Guangdong during the Oil Crisis.]] |
| 657 | ** [[spoiler:As much disfavor Guangdong attracts from Japan, Takashima can act in the Chief Executive's favor in the case linking the Chinese Consulate to the Riots. Notably, if only circumstantial evidence is presented, Takashima is inclined to side with the Chief Executive, as he'll only dismiss the case if Japan's frustration reaches above 60% instead of 50%.]] |
| 658 | ** [[spoiler:Takashima will be relieved if an assertive Matsushita successfully resolves the Guangdong riots, expressing genuine gratitude for his hard work and putting a good word for him to the rest of the Sphere.]] |
| 659 | ** [[spoiler:During the phone calls with the Chief Executive as the latter fails to maintain control of the riots, Takashima earnestly pleads with the Chief Executive to get the situation under control sooner rather than later. During the last phone call before intervention, Takashima has stated that he has even gone the extra mile of staking himself and his reputation to help prevent an IJA intervention and give the Chief Executive a little bit more time.]] |
| 660 | * PragmaticVillainy: |
| 661 | ** If Japan's approval is high enough, Takashima will help the Chief Executive stop the Hitachi Coup because it would threaten Tokyo's economic investments in Guangdong. |
| 662 | ** [[spoiler:He opposes Nagano's plan to have the Army break up the Oil Crisis riots in Morita's route, citing the destruction it would wrought on Japan's economic interests.]] |
| 663 | * PropagandaMachine: [[spoiler:If the IJA takeover happens, Takashima's role in Guangdong turns into this, serving as a government spokesperson to the general public to "spin the casualty and damage reports into something palatable".]] |
| 664 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Takashima is far from a good guy, but he does serve this role from the Chief Executive's perspective: |
| 665 | ** While the Tokyo government will offer no respite to Guangdong in the wake of the Yasuda crisis, Takashima will acknowledge the difficult circumstances and give the Chief Executive a reprieve from the pre-crisis GDP goal. Similarly during the Oil Crisis, he waives the pre-crisis GDP goal for Guangdong again in light of the external factors beyond the Chief Executive's control, hoping that the crisis is temporary and Guangdong can get back on track. |
| 666 | ** He also acts as a neutral mediator [[spoiler:if the Chief Executive accuses the Chinese consulate of aiding the Guangdong rioters and hosts a court trial for it. If the Chief Executive has enough evidence to develop a rock solid case, Takashima will act on their behalf, berating the Chinese consulate for their deception and promising to the Chief Executive that he will prevent any further manipulations by Nanjing. Even having circumstantial evidence will be enough to convince Takashima to bring the matter up with Tokyo and Nanjing, provided that the Japanese frustration with the riots isn't greater than 60%.]] |
| 667 | * RedOniBlueOni: Takashima is the blue oni to Nagano's red oni. Both are the main representatives for Japan's interests, but Nagano is a violent war criminal who will explode at any notion of compromising with the Chinese. By contrast, Takashima is more reserved and polite, even if he's not too keen on disrupting the pro-Japanese status quo. |
| 668 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: The real-life Takashima was a Consul-General who handled diplomatic affairs with numerous countries, including the Soviet Union and the United States. He's retained this position in real-life, but deals mostly in Guangdong, a fictitious country that never existed in OTL. |
| 669 | * SoulCrushingDeskJob: The Chief Executive suspects he is unhappy about his job, since most Japanese diplomats would prefer an assignment to China or Manchuria. Being stationed in Guangdong has not been a thrilling or enticing experience for him. |
| 670 | [[/folder]] |
| 671 | |
| 672 | [[folder:Song Zhiguang]] |
| 673 | ->'''Role:''' Consul-General of China in the State of Guangdong |
| 674 | The ambassador of China to Guangdong. Like most of his countrymen, Song sees Guangdong as little more than an artificial state created to serve Japanese interests and resents the Four Companies for their poor treatment of his fellow Chinese. |
| 675 | ---- |
| 676 | * AssInAmbassador: He is the Chinese ambassador for Guangdong and can barely hide his contempt for the artificial state. |
| 677 | * LesCollaborateurs: Song is a Chinese diplomat who was born in Guangdong and currently collaborates with the Japanese colonial regime. [[spoiler:{{Subverted}} when it's revealed that he's just a CPC mole.]] |
| 678 | * DrowningMySorrows: If Komai takes over Guangdong, Song will indulge in alcoholism to cope with the horrors that Hitachi will unleash on the country. |
| 679 | * EnemyMine: |
| 680 | ** If Guangdong has done enough to improve the quality of life of its Chinese citizens and subsequently raise China's opinion, Song can be asked by the reigning Chief Executive to help investigate the Hitachi coup plot. In such a case, he will he help on the basis that a Hitachi coup could threaten China and its people. |
| 681 | ** [[spoiler:Song is a communist, but he'll tolerate a truce with the Republic of China to bring down Guangdong from within.]] |
| 682 | * TheExile: [[spoiler:Unlike most of the cast in Guangdong, Song is spared during the IJA's takeover, since being a Chinese ambassador grants him immunity. Instead, he's expelled back to China, more apprehensive than ever to the Japanese border guards who escort him.]] |
| 683 | * FaceHeelTurn: Song joined the Chinese army in 1936 and fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War against Japan, but has since joined the foreign ministry of the collaborationist Nanjing regime. [[spoiler:Except that an investigation can reveal that his turn was a ruse and he's still a CPC loyalist, secretly trying to subvert Japanese rule in Guangdong.]] |
| 684 | * HiddenDepths: |
| 685 | ** On top of his diplomatic duties, Song likes to tour the Three Pearls and wander the streets, still reminiscing a time when his home province was free from imperial control. |
| 686 | ** Song has old friends in a Chinese district that he grew up in, still visiting them and checking how his hometown is doing. The Chief Executive assumes that he was just doing his job and Song denies it, though he sarcastically adds that he might collect some complaints from the community for the Chief Executive to hear. [[spoiler:However, closing investigations reveal that these "old friends" have participants in the Guangdong Riots. Combined with the unlikelihood that a man could make so many friends in a district he hasn't been to in decades, the Police theorize that these visits are actually Song's attempt to build an intelligence network.]] |
| 687 | * InSpiteOfANail: Despite China loosing the Second Sino-Japanese War in TNO, Song still manages to become an ambassador for China much like his real-life counterpart. |
| 688 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: [[spoiler:While Wang is furious if the Chief Executive provides substantial proof of their involvement in the Riots, Song knows that there is not much they can do and leads the rest of the Chinese delegation out of the room.]] |
| 689 | * TheMole: [[spoiler:Investigations can reveal that Song is a CPC mole who's been aiding the Guangdong riots to overthrow the reigning Japanese class, all under the guise of serving the interests of the Nanjing government. If anything, the Chinese government initially adopted a stance of observation during the Riots and it is Song who can convince them to get involved, pressuring the Guangdong government to negotiate with the unions.]] |
| 690 | * MysteriousPast: Most records of the old Chinese government were destroyed or lost to corruption, so Song's history during the Greater East Asian War isn't well-known. [[spoiler:If the Chief Executive wants to investigate his connection to the Guangdong riots, his past will need to be uncovered.]] |
| 691 | * NotSoStoic: |
| 692 | ** [[spoiler:Song is usually reserved and collected, but he actually starts to panic if the Police investigates the CCL and gets enough evidence to justify an isolation of the Chinese Consulate for potentially aiding the rioters. Song tries to get into contact with Nanjing, but struggles to do so and thus squirms even more.]] |
| 693 | ** [[spoiler:Song is initially confident when he's accused of aiding the rioters, maintaining his cool and calmly dismantling the Chief Executive's arguments in most cases. However, he can be taken off-guard if the Chief Executive presents significant evidence, where Song can only weakly rebut by condemning Guangdong's espionage activity.]] |
| 694 | * ObstructiveBureaucrat: |
| 695 | ** He usually impedes the Chief Executive's choices abroad by emphasizing the "laws of sovereign states", which means that Guangdong can't do anything that could threaten the autonomy of the Chinese Republic. |
| 696 | ** Song is also notoriously obstructive to any economic cooperation between China and Guangdong, citing tariffs, working conditions, and the bureaucracy. Tellingly, when Song agrees to make a deal in exchange for subsidizing Chinese companies, the Chief Executive is utterly shocked and can accept. |
| 697 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Song can usually mask his contempt for the Chief Executive with an air of pseudo-politeness. The mask finally slips when a Chinese citizen is unjustly beaten and robbed by a corrupt police officer, where he expresses so much anger that the Chief Executive is a little intimidated. |
| 698 | * PersonaNonGrata: [[spoiler:Regardless of whether China is actually aiding the Riots, the Chief Executive can expose Song's loyalty to the CPC, inspiring outrage from Japan and forcing Nanjing to recall him back for "consultation". Given that the Republic of China is not friendly to communists, Song will never be allowed to return to Guangdong.]] |
| 699 | * PetTheDog: Despite his bitterness about Guangdong's existence, he does care about the Chinese citizens who live within its borders. He resents the numerous abuses they endure under the Chief Executives and, in Morita's path, [[spoiler:he only agrees to help the "brain drain" migration in the Oil Crisis, if these injustices are addressed]]. |
| 700 | * PreciousPhoto: Song has various framed photos around his office, some of which include him and other soldiers during the Second Sino-Japanese War. [[spoiler:It is one of many hints that Song harbors stronger anti-Japanese sentiment than first realized and can be part of the investigation into his character during the Riots]]. |
| 701 | * RankUp: Song has had a successful career in China's foreign ministry, ever since he joined in 1949. After a few years in Nanjing, he became an attaché to the West Russian Revolutionary Front in 1952 before serving other important diplomatic posts[[note]]Third Secretary to Malaya from 1954-1957, Second Secretary to Japan from 1957-1959, and First Secretary to the Philippines from 1959-1960[[/note]], before returning to China and serving in the Bureau of Greater East Asia. With all these promotions, he was deemed a good fit for Chinese Consulate-General to Guangdong, his current position in 1962. |
| 702 | * RulesLawyer: Part of Song's obstructiveness comes from his knowledge of procedures and laws within the Republic of China. One such confrontation between the Chief Executive and Song erupts over fugitives who escaped over the border to China, with the Chief Executive trying to get Song to have them quickly arrested and taken back, but Song insists that Guangdong must follow China's extradition laws in consultation with Nanjing. |
| 703 | * SpottingTheThread: In his long history as a diplomat, Song spent some time in the embassy of the West Russian Revolutionary Front, making an impression on them. [[spoiler:It's an early hint that Song is a lot more sympathetic to socialism than he might let observers think, a fact confirmed if the investigation has enough evidence to arrest his suspected contacts and reveal a cornucopia of socialist literature.]] |
| 704 | * TaughtByExperience: When the Chief Executive asks Song what his most fond memory was as a diplomat, Song answers that it would be his time as a Chinese diplomat in the West Russian Revolutionary Front, prior to the West Russian War. While he was way out of his depth in an unimpressive assignment, stuck in the bitter cold with a language he barely knew, right before a war, he regards it fondly as a great learning experience and the place that reminded him most of his time as a soldier. [[spoiler:This also foreshadows his communist sympathies.]] |
| 705 | * UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:Despite losing the Second World War and joining the collaborationist government, Song is still a CPC loyalist since his time in the New Fourth Army. He uses his position as a diplomat to assess the strength of the CPC's enemies in Japan and Nanjing, as well as undermine the corporate regime in Guangdong.]] |
| 706 | * WorthyOpponent: Song draws some level of begrudging respect from the Chief Executive for being an honest man fighting for an honest cause, which is more than can be said for most in Guangdong. However, he still draws a lot of ire for his obstructiveness. |
| 707 | * YouCantGoHomeAgain: PlayedWith. Song is native to Guangdong and serves as China's ambassador to the State of Guangdong, but he considers Guangdong to be nothing more than an artificial colony and thus believes he is no longer resident to his home province. |
| 708 | [[/folder]] |
| 709 | |
| 710 | [[folder:Wang Jingxu]] |
| 711 | ->'''Role:''' Political Attaché to the State of Guangdong |
| 712 | The Chinese consulate's political attaché to the State of Guangdong. |
| 713 | ---- |
| 714 | * TheAllegedExpert: Wang has done a terrible job in border security, which has worsened the smuggling and organized crime that currently cripples Guangdong. [[spoiler:A potential investigation reveals that Wang has been doing this on purpose, being a Kuomintang loyalist and distracting Guangdong's security service to weaken Japan's control of the province.]] |
| 715 | * AssInAmbassador: The Chief Executive considers Wang to be even more difficult to work with than Song. Wang, a military official serving as a political attaché, is noticeably colder to the Chief Executive when they first meet, refusing to [[HandshakeRefusal shake his hand]] and blatantly stating that doesn't think anything productive will come from their meeting. Furthermore, he is often sent by Song to investigate matters in Guangdong on behalf of the Chinese consulate, which is how they can be so obstructive to the Chief Executive. |
| 716 | * AwfulWeddedLife: His wife frequently leaves Wang in Guangdong to go to Guangxi, with some believing that this is due to marital issues. [[spoiler:However, an investigation can reveal that this is not the case; his wife is actually being sent by Wang to coordinate with He in Guangxi and subvert Japanese rule.]] |
| 717 | * BeneathNotice: Besides getting protection from his father-in-law He Yingqin, Wang was also spared repercussions after serving the KMT because of his low position. |
| 718 | * LesCollaborateurs: Wang was born in Beijing, but has now become a Japanese collaborator, serving as the Chinese-consulate's political attaché, [[spoiler:though it's later {{subverted}} when he's actually a KMT spy.]] |
| 719 | * DrowningMySorrows: Wang indulges in drinking with Song after Komai takes over Guangdong, desperate to cope with the horrors of Japanese brutality being unleashed on the populace. |
| 720 | * EnemyMine: [[spoiler:Wang works with the Republic of China to undermine Guangdong, but he's doing it out of loyalty to the anti-Japanese KMT rather than for the sake of Jingwei's old regime.]] |
| 721 | * GuiltByAssociation: [[spoiler:Even if the Chinese Consulate itself is not directly investigated, Wang can still draw suspicion to himself in the CCL investigation event chain, based on his old contacts with CCL members. For the Police, it's even more suspicious when they find out that he ceased these contacts in the build-up to the Riots and that he relies on a small group of closely trusted allies to do his intelligence work.]] |
| 722 | * HatesSmallTalk: Wang is uptight and unfriendly, which is part of the reason why the Chief Executive doesn't like working with him. |
| 723 | * TheHermit: |
| 724 | ** [[spoiler:Wang is rarely seen in the public during the Riots, even making sporadic appearances at the Chinese Consulate.]] |
| 725 | ** [[spoiler:Wangdoesn't even spend much time with his father-in-law He Yingqin, outside of diplomatic meetings, often sending his wife in his place. However, further investigation reveals that they are actually coordinating efforts with He to undermine Guangdong; his wife was just an intermediary between them.]] |
| 726 | * IFightForTheStrongestSide: Wang was one of the last few influential figures who defected to the Jiangwei regime, as the Nationalists and Communists were beaten back by the Japanese. |
| 727 | * TheMole: [[spoiler:If investigated, the Chief Executive discovers that he's been a secret Kuomintang loyalist and working with He Yingqin to destroy Guangdong by intensifying the riots.]] |
| 728 | * MysteriousPast: {{Subverted}}. Unlike most of his colleagues, Wang's military record is relatively preserved, [[spoiler:which can aid the Chief Executive's investigation into his role behind the riots]]. |
| 729 | * {{Nepotism}}: His promotion to the military intelligence department was greatly boosted from He Yingqin being his father-in-law. There is some speculation that He pushed Wang into military intelligence, though Wang's commitment to the job indicates he personally wante dthe job too. |
| 730 | * NumberTwo: Wang is Song's aide and closest ally in Guangdong. |
| 731 | * PersonaNonGrata: |
| 732 | ** [[spoiler:Wang's loyalty to the anti-Japanese KNT faction can be exposed by the Chief Executive, even if China is not aiding the rioters. With his disloyalty proven, Wang is recalled back to Nanjing, never allowed to return to Guangdong.]] |
| 733 | ** [[spoiler:If the Chinese consulate's role in aiding the Guangdong rioters is revealed, Wang will be fired from his position and effectively exiled from his department. China protests this punishment, if only because they don't think Wang is a threat to themselves.]] |
| 734 | * RankUp: Wang has a long and impressive list of military promotions and he might have more, since the list is only partial[[note]]He was a junior officer in the Battle of Guilu, a Captain and aide-de-camp for He Yingqin in 1945, a Major and engineering instructor in the Central Military Academy in 1951, a Lieutenant Colonel in 1954, a Colonel in 1958, a Brigadier-General in 1961, a Political Attaché in 1962, and a Lieutenant-General in 1964[[/note]]. |
| 735 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: In OTL, Wang was an important military general in the Kuomintang, serving numerous intelligence agencies and even organizing logistics in Libya, notably befriending Muammar Gaddafi. With Japan's victory in this timeline, Wang has been forced to submit to China's new master and collaborate with them, much as he hates to do so. [[spoiler:Though, it turns out that he never gave up his loyalty to the Kuomintang and secretly sabotages the Guangdong regime from within.]] |
| 736 | * TheSpymaster: Wang Jingxu plays a chief role in the intelligence operations of the Republic of China within Guangdong. The IJA describe him as overly ambitious, even going so far to take over cases related to German or American intelligence assets, only to not pursue the case. He relies on a small cohort of individuals, gathering information for his superiors [[spoiler:and potentially aiding the insurgents, as indicated by his erratic actions during the Guangdong Riots.]] |
| 737 | * TerseTalker: Wang is short and abrupt with his speech. One notable example of this comes after the Chief Executive is kept waiting outside Song's office for over half an hour to discuss joint China-Guangdong police exercises against smuggling. Just as the Chief Executive's patience is about to blow over, Wang abruptly opens the door and says that the meeting has been canceled because Nanjing backed out, offering a bland apology from Song before closing the door and cutting off the Chief Executive. |
| 738 | * {{Turncoat}}: Wang fought for the Republic of China during the Second World War, with a confirmed presence at the Battle of Guilu in 1944. However, by 1948, he defected to Wang Jingwei's regime and was promoted to a captain for it, turning him into a collaborator. [[spoiler:This is ultimately {{Subverted}} when it is revealed that Wang never gave up his loyalty to the anti-Japanese KMT and has been undermining Japanese rule alongside Song.]] |
| 739 | * UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:In the IJA coup, Wang's fate is entirely unmentioned, as Song is kicked back to the Republic of China without him.]] |
| 740 | [[/folder]] |
| 741 | |
| 742 | [[folder:Igarashi Masato '''(UNMARKED SPOILERS)''']] |
| 743 | ->'''Role:''' Chief Negotiator |
| 744 | The appointed Chief Negotiator during the Guangdong Riots, who represents the Chief Executive should they choose to begin negotiations with the riot organizations. |
| 745 | ---- |
| 746 | * AffablyEvil: Given his role as Chief Negotiator, he presents himself as affably as possible to the protestors' delegation, claiming that he hopes all their concerns are met and highlighting a joint wish for peace and stability. Even if the government is pulling out of negotiations, he will attempt to word the rejection as politely as possible to minimize the delegations' anger. |
| 747 | * MouthOfSauron: Igarashi acts as the Chief Negotiator on behalf of the government, if they pursue a negotiation with the riot organizations to end the chaos in exchange for concessions. |
| 748 | * PragmaticVillainy: As Chief Negotiator, Igarashi's job is to make some concessions to the rioter demands and can either fully or partially agree to a counteroffer presented by them protestors, while reviewing their bullet-point demands. |
| 749 | * WalkingSpoiler: He only appears during the riots and if the Chief Executive negotiates with the protestors. As such, he can only be discussed with the context of the Guangdong Riots, the climax of country's narrative. |
| 750 | [[/folder]] |
| 751 | |
| 752 | !! Flavor Characters |
| 753 | |
| 754 | See [[Characters/TNOGuangdongFlavorCharacters Guangdong Flavor Characters page]] |
| 755 | |
| 756 | !! Riot Organizations (UNMARKED SPOILERS) |
| 757 | |
| 758 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 759 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: The portrait of the vandalized Legislative Council after the Oil Crisis riots cause the collapse of authority in Guangdong is based on a picture from the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Legislative_Council_Complex Storming of the Legislative Council Complex in 2019 during the Hong Kong protests.]] |
| 760 | * CrowdChant: The protestors make frequent use of crowd chants to express their anger and demands towards the government, with said chants being an omnipresent feature of the riots during their heights and being heard from the highest skyscrapers. Such chants are also replicated on posters strewn during the riots, with Honkon having streets filled with them at one point. |
| 761 | * DoomedMoralVictor: While the GFT and CCL are fighting against an exploitative colonial regime, they can never fully achieve their goals because they either be violently dismantled by the government or on the receiving end of IJA intervention. This can only be {{downplayed}} this by negotiating with the government. |
| 762 | * EtTuBrute: The rioters are divided if the government negotiates with one of the organizations, as those remaining feel betrayed and horrified by those packing up and declaring victory, turning on and burning bridges with them. |
| 763 | * GoodIsNotNice: The Guangdong rioters do have a noble goal in mind: to end the repression of Chinese and Zhujin citizens at the hands of the Japanese corporations, whether it be the Zaibatsu subsidiaries (Fujitsu and Hitachi), Matsushita Electric, or even Sony and Cheung Kong, to a lesser extent. Unfortunately, their methods are violent and will get innocent people killed in the process, especially if the Chief Executive lets their frustrations reach critical levels. |
| 764 | * GraffitiOfTheResistance: The rioters spread their message by vandalizing and graffitiing their cries of outrage onto buildings. |
| 765 | * ImprovisedWeapon: Many of the demonstrators get craftier as the riots progress and wield makeshift helmets and bamboo sticks to protect themselves against the police. Many also wear wet towels around their necks as protection against tear gas. In one notable instance, a riot organizer uses a reappropriated shield along with a railroad spike. |
| 766 | * NotInThisForYourRevolution: {{Downplayed}}. Some of the riot organizers are fighting for a higher cause than the mere deposition of the Chief Executive, speaking about Chinese reunification or even a socialist revolution. However, most of the protestors pay no heed to such ideals; all they want is fairer treatment and vengeance on those who have wronged them. |
| 767 | * OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: An ultimate aim of the rioters is to dismantle the Japanese regime and practice their own self-determination. It's particularly visible in Komai's path, as thousands march in numbers large enough to overpower riot controls, unified by their hatred of Komai and their demands for justice. |
| 768 | * ProperlyParanoid: In Komai's path, the riot leaders rarely take a break, whether it be on the front lines or acting as supply runners. Even in what would be a safe GFT shop, the GFT and CCL representatives remain on high alert for Hitachi moles watching over them. Considering the extensiveness of Komai's police state, such paranoia is justified. |
| 769 | * RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The rioters in Guangdong are a diverse collection of dissatisfied citizens including Chinese, Zhujin, workers, shopkeepers, bureaucrats and more, all united in common anger towards the colonial and corporate oppression they have faced for decades. |
| 770 | * TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized: In their mission for fairer treatment, the Guangdong rioters will resort to crimes, including murder, to get noticed and pressure the government to accept their demands. |
| 771 | * ShaggyDogStory: The rioters make a strong first impression, mobilizing thousands to deadlock the nation and represent one of the greatest threats to the Chief Executive. Unfortunately, the best they can manage is a deal to stand down in exchange for some concessions, which will ultimately keep the Japanese on top. They will never succeed in their goal of overthrowing the Japanese ruling class because, if they ever get powerful enough to do so, the IJA will intervene and slaughter most of them. |
| 772 | * ShootTheShaggyDog: Regardless of how Morita handled the protestor organizations, the GFT and CCL will begin to fade away into history as Guangdong moves beyond the riots. Lee Chun is left with a bad taste in his mouth as a GFT representative bluntly states that "it's over" before Chun is forcibly escorted out. The protestor organizations have run out of steam, done what they could, and are now falling apart. |
| 773 | * TerroristsWithoutACause: One rebel cell self-styles itself as a "liberation committee", but they don't have any explicit objective to liberate. Most of their members just want to exact revenge on the Japanese ruling class for oppressing them and murdering their loved ones. |
| 774 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: While united in their opposition to the Legislative Council, the rioters have very diverse beliefs and can easily be turned on each other with the right paranoia and accusations. Matsushita exploits this disunity by sending informants to infiltrate their ranks, creating discord among them as they accuse each other of being a spy. |
| 775 | * YouCannotKillAnIdea: Despite the best efforts of the Chief Executive to prop up an artificial national identity, Chinese nationalism and communist ideas will persist in all paths, which drives the creation of these riot organizations as the climax of Guangdong's narrative. |
| 776 | [[/folder]] |
| 777 | |
| 778 | [[folder:Guangdong Federation of Tradesmen]] |
| 779 | [[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gftlogo.png]] |
| 780 | The Guangdong Federation of Tradesmen represent the Zhujin during the Guangdong Riots. They clamor for more rights and protections to be given to the often mistreated middle class. |
| 781 | ---- |
| 782 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The GFT is looking for new members to build up their strength. However, by the end of Morita's Oil Crisis tree, the GFT is getting inundated with piles of new applicants, particularly from Fujitsu and Hitachi employees, putting further strain on the GFT's financial resources and pushing them to the breaking point as their lobbying efforts are falling on deaf ears. |
| 783 | * CreateYourOwnHero: In Ibuka's path, the GFT forms because of Ibuka's stricter criteria on who could be considered Zhujin, denying a means of social mobility to many and condemning thousands to the harsh labor faced by the Chinese citizens. |
| 784 | * HeroAntagonist: They are one half of the final obstacle opposing the Chief Executive in the first decade, demanding labor protections for the Zhujin middle class who have languished from Japanese oppression. |
| 785 | * HeroicResolve: In spite of all the setbacks they face, whether it be hundreds of their members being made redundant or the inescapable gloom washing over the executive council, the GFT continues to work ceaselessly to support their Zhujin members. |
| 786 | * HonorBeforeReason: Despite the material benefits from the deal, the GFT thoroughly rejects Fujitsu's offer to be associated with them, not willing to be beholden to their interests and betray their ideals that the Zhujin are a legitimate social and ethnic category not to be exploited by the Japanese. |
| 787 | * LegacyTeam: The GFT in Morita's path are made up of Zhujin who were left in the dust, whether it be former rivals, jilted suppliers and the unlucky. These outcasts begin to network with one another and eventually challenge the existing system. This role directly parallels the role that Morita and Li had a decade prior, being {{lampshaded}} by an introductory event in Morita's path. |
| 788 | * LaResistance: The GFT represent the Zhujin workers who rebel against the Chief Executive and the years of injustices they've suffered by their hand. |
| 789 | [[/folder]] |
| 790 | |
| 791 | [[folder:Committee of Chinese Labor]] |
| 792 | [[quoteright:234:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ccllogo.png]] |
| 793 | The Committee of Chinese Labor represent the Chinese during the Guangdong Riots, and seek for the oppressive colonial system that they have been living under for decades to finally end. Unlike their Zhujin counterpart, they are much more secretive and their leadership isn't widely known. |
| 794 | ---- |
| 795 | * CreateYourOwnHero: Fujitsu indirectly leads to the CCL's creation when they introduce machines to the factories and steal jobs from the Chinese. Knowing that Ibuka's grand vision will be at the total expense of their livlihoods, the Chinese workers rally together in the CCL, who play a major role in the Guangdong riots. |
| 796 | * TheDreaded: The CCL are feared by the government for their aggressive opposition to the state and its corporate ruling class, in addition to their their ability to organize in the shadows and smuggle weapons for their conflict. Even the police leadership fears their potential, since the CCL leadership is extremely secretive and hard to find; if they are going to be investigated and hunted down, the police will need to tread carefully. |
| 797 | * EnsignNewbie: Many of the CCL leaders are less experienced than the lieutenants who serve as their intermediaries, which can be exploited by the Police to integrate spies in the organization. |
| 798 | * HeroAntagonist: Along with the GFT, the CCL rise up against the Chief Executive to tear down Guangdong and the exploitative colonial system that has oppressed them for decades. |
| 799 | * HorribleHousing: Hundreds of the CCL's first members were unemployed and living in tenements that were comparable to refugee camps. |
| 800 | * TheNameless: The CCL contacts that Chun meets in Hitachi's route don't reveal their names to him in the first meeting so they can't be revealed if he gets caught. |
| 801 | * PayEvilUntoEvil: One of the CCL's coordinators is suspected by Lam to have placed explosives on a tramway that killed seven children in protest to the corporate regime. The coordinator denied it then, but Ibuka's Persistence path reveals that he was responsible for the act and has no remorse for what he's done. |
| 802 | * LaResistance: The CCL represent the Chinese workers who rebel against the Chief Executive and the years of injustices they've suffered by their hand. |
| 803 | * TheSpook: Compared to the GFT, the CCL is much more secretive with their ambitions and leadership, preferring to act in the background and let the GFT take the spotlight. The coordination of the CCL's attacks publicly prove that there is a hierarchy within their ranks, but who their superiors are is unknown and requires extensive investigation by the Police. |
| 804 | * YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The government and police portray the CCL as terrorists, whereas they are a trade union and resistance organization protecting the interests of the Chinese working class. |
| 805 | [[/folder]] |
| 806 | |
| 807 | [[folder:Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla]] |
| 808 | A guerilla organization that appears up during the IJA coup in a Hitachi route. The rebels end up bitterly resisting the Japanese to their final breaths and urge others to do the same. |
| 809 | ---- |
| 810 | * BattleCry: After Lee Chun's assassination of Komai and subsequent death in the fumbled Oil Crisis response, Guangdong falls into a state of [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/image_14_3.png anarchy]] before the IJA takes over, with the resistance sending one final rallying call: |
| 811 | -->[[red:FROM THE GUANGDONG PEOPLE'S ANTI-JAPANESE GUERRILLA:\ |
| 812 | DEATH TO THE JAPANESE INVADERS\ |
| 813 | AVENGE LEE CHUN]] |
| 814 | * DefiantToTheEnd: Villages are burned and dissidents are massacred under Nagano's orders, but the Guerrilla never surrenders, with one soldier finding a message "GO TO HELL JAPANESE BASTARDS" graffitied on a wall. |
| 815 | * LaResistance: Even if the GFT and CCL are crushed under the IJA, the people have spent far too long under Hitachi's boot to simply submit and they reorganize under the Guangdong People's Anti-Japanese Guerrilla to continue the fight. |
| 816 | * VoiceOfTheResistance: The Guerrilla communicates their messages through graffiti, urging the people to resist the IJA. |
| 817 | * WalkingSpoiler: The Guerrilla's existence spoils the Guangdong Riots and the IJA coup, as they only appear when Chun assassinates Komai and Nagano deposes the Legislative Council. |
| 818 | [[/folder]] |
| 819 | |
| 820 | !! Imperial Japanese Army (UNMARKED SPOILERS) |
| 821 | |
| 822 | [[folder:Nagano Shigeto]] |
| 823 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shigeto_nagano_hos.png]] |
| 824 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote: Military Outfit]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shigeto_nagano_general.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 825 | ->'''Role:''' Commander of the Imperial 23rd Army, Military Commander, Head of State (IJA takeover) |
| 826 | ->'''Party:''' Imperial Japanese Army - Martial Law[[note]]Martial law is in effect.\ |
| 827 | Remain in your homes.\ |
| 828 | Compliance is mandatory.\ |
| 829 | Offenders will be shot.[[/note]] |
| 830 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 831 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]A decade and more passed by in this absurdity of a place, a decade wasted while good Japanese men were slaughtered in pointless fucking wars to satisfy the whims of a lot of money-grubbing traitors. Ten years, ten years frittered away, and for what? So that loyal soldiers of his Majesty the Emperor could be reduced to sapient test rats!\ |
| 832 | "No more," Nagano Shigeto says.\ |
| 833 | Tokyo has given its local IJA commander its blessing - as it should have done years ago. Now Nagano Shigeto will bring order to the chaos of the Guangdong riots - just as he helped to do so in China four decades ago. For its countless follies, for the very absurdity of its existence, Guangdong deserves nothing other than to be ended - and Nagano will be the one to bring it about.\ |
| 834 | Guangdong's innermost apocalypse has been distilled into the force of a single man, who shudders slightly in utter glee at the prospect of putting an end to the corporate experiment that once ruled over the Pearl River Delta. If Guangdong thought it had known war beforehand, it was wrong -\ |
| 835 | [[gray:- for Nagano Shigeto has no intention of leaving anything in this unnatural hellhole of a state untouched.]][[/labelnote]] |
| 836 | |
| 837 | The Lt. Gen. in command of the IJA 23rd Army, responsible for garrisoning Guangdong. Proud and patriotic, he holds deep contempt towards Guangdong's existence, viewing its corporate antics as an absurd and dangrous drain on the Empire's integrity. Should Guangdong unravel into catastrophe, Nagano is gladly prepared to intervene and crush all destablizing elements in Guangdong—including the corporate state itself. |
| 838 | ---- |
| 839 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: Nagano Shigeto was an IJA and later JGSDF officer who served as the Chief of the Ground Staff from 1978 to 1980, and was a politician after 1980. He was most infamous in OTL for publicly denying Japanese war crimes like the Rape of Nanking immediately after becoming the Minister of Justice in 1994, resulting in his resignation 11 days after his appointment. In TNO, Nagano Shigeto's personal leader trait here is ominously called simply "As Nanjing, So Too Guangdong," a reference to his callous OTL views towards the Rape of Nanking. |
| 840 | * ArtisticLicenseHistory: Nagano is said to have pacified China four decades ago, specifically in the Rape of Nanking, the only issue is that Nagano would have been 15 years old at the time, only graduating from military academy in 1941. |
| 841 | * BerserkButton: Nagano is most infuriated by the Product Testing Research Group sending research divisions to fight in proxy conflicts, viewing them as boondoggles that force his men to fight wars with suspect weaponry for profits like mercenaries. |
| 842 | * ChekhovsGunman: He's not a very important character for most of the game, only sporadically appearing in events. Then, the Oil Crisis hits and he becomes a major threat to the Chief Executive, more incensed than ever after the Kenpeitai's funding was cut and warning that he'll intervene, if the catastrophe is not managed properly. |
| 843 | * ColorMotif: Grey, representing the complete dissolution of Guangdong as a corporatocracy into a glorified military base. |
| 844 | * TheDreaded: Nagano is rightfully feared by the Chief Executive and the Japanese upper class as a hawkish and violent individual who regards all of them in contempt and resorts to extreme violence, if he's frustrated enough. |
| 845 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Nagano is appalled by the Japanese executives' willingness to "volunteer" PTRG divisions to test out experimental weapons and waste the lives of so many soldiers so they can make a profit. After his coup, Nagano completely disbands the program and orders all of their inventions to either be handed out to the Chinese warlords or destroyed. |
| 846 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: Nagano disavows any idea of negotiating or humanizing the rioters, becoming increasingly outraged by the number of concessions given by the Chief Executive and potentially accusing him of treason. At the maximum number of compromises made, Nagano denounces any civilian attempt to resolve the situation and proclaims that only the IJA can solve the disloyalty displayed. |
| 847 | * EvilerThanThou: While all of Guangdong's other leaders are not very sympathetic, and many of them can drown the corporate state in blood to maintain control and order, Nagano Shigeto will slaughter them all if they can't contain the Oil Crisis riots, demonstrating just how bad things will be for Guangdong's people when he turns his weapons on them next. |
| 848 | * AFatherToHisMen: Perhaps his only sympathetic trait is his care for his men, despising the fact that they are used by the Product Testing Research Group to fight in proxy conflicts across the world, with equipment that has not been tested before, for profit and to sell weaponry. If the IJA takes over Guangdong, he makes sure to have apology cards sent to the families of the men who died fighting in those conflicts. |
| 849 | * GeneralRipper: Despising the megacorporations for "wasting" Japanese lives as "sapient test rats," Nagano is described as gleeful in his desire to utterly destroy the "unnatural" state of Guangdong and "restore order" by burning it to the ground. After taking over and abolishing Guangdong in a coup, he prepares the entire state for war with China, ordering that all corporate assets be seized and repurposed. He also states that cheap television spoiled the youth, recruiting them into the military in a catastrophic plan to invade China. |
| 850 | * IgnoredExpert: Nagano sees himself as this when his superiors refuse to send reinforcements by the end of Morita's path to prepare for war with China, arguing that he should instead expand cooperation with the Guangdong government. Before Nagano can respond to that order, the line goes dead and Nagano believes that the Guangdong government is not guaranteed to stay loyal to Tokyo, looking to undermine the garrison and his "out-of-touch" bosses. |
| 851 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: |
| 852 | ** If the Kenpeitai's connections to the opium trade were uncovered, Nagano will withdraw the Army's support for the Hitachi coup, not willing to risk political fallout by aiding a seemingly lost cause. |
| 853 | ** Morita can successfully intimidate Yokoi to bow out of Guangdong, with Nagano heeding the Chief Executive's warning to not try anything else that could be treasonous. He accepts the recent loss of influence to keep his occupation. |
| 854 | * MoralMyopia: Nagano is right that arms trafficking and weapons testing are morally bankrupt, but when he talks about "honourable" warfare, he's glorifying the hostile Japanese invasion of China that slaughtered millions and is little better than the mercenary work he bitterly complains about. |
| 855 | * PetTheDog: Nagano mourns the men who perished in the PTRG and orders his men to write apology cards to their families, thinking that it's the least they can do. |
| 856 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: |
| 857 | ** Though Nagano also targets Japanese people in his coup, he's got a special disdain for Chinese people, whom he calls "savages" who must always be oppressed under the Japanese boot. He reacts negatively to any negotiation that could be favorable to the rioters (who include Chinese people) and, when he receives news that Chun killed Komai, Nagano calls him a "dirty fucking Chinese monkey". |
| 858 | ** When Komai anxiously calls him in Ibuka's Persistence ending, Nagano would've normally asked why he has such a "womanish manner", implying that he holds some sexist beliefs. |
| 859 | * PragmaticVillainy: |
| 860 | ** If the opium war is largely unresolved by the time the Hitachi Coup is uncovered, Nagano will tell Miyazaki to have Komai supervised by one of his men, albeit not because of moral reasons. With Hitachi's stock plummeting, Nagano fears that Komai might do something rash and is worried about how its repercussions can affect him. |
| 861 | ** He fears that a Persistent Ibuka is starting to become too disloyal to Tokyo, but he doesn't do anything against him for the moment because his superiors are too busy and he can't take matters in his own hands without committing treason. |
| 862 | ** In every scenario but Hitachi's route, Nagano lets a few Zhujin officers keep their jobs in the reorganized Auxiliary Enforcement Corps, since their manpower could be useful. |
| 863 | * RageBreakingPoint: |
| 864 | ** While Nagano has always had grievances with the PTRG, he finally loses his temper when he hears that the group will continue their operations in the Colombian Civil War. By this point, Nagano angrily rants to Takashima about sending his men to their demise in a pointless foreign conflict and cursing the corporations who put him in this horrible situation. |
| 865 | ** Already fed up with Fujitsu for letting the riots happen, Nagano loses his temper when Tokyo orders him to not intervene yet and Ibuka keeps ignoring his calls. After multiple failed calls, Nagano throws his cap in a fit of rage and furiously denounces Ibuka for causing the catastrophe. |
| 866 | * RedOniBlueOni: Nagano is the red oni to Takashima's blue oni. Both are similar characters who represent Tokyo's interests and will hold the Chief Executive's feet to it. However, while Takashima is affable and relatively reserved, Nagano is passionate and wild, expressing his anger through furious rants and willing to use extreme force when his patience runs out. For example, if a case is raised against the Republic of China's involvement in the Riots, Takashima and Nagano are brought on as judges, where Takashima acts more passively and Nagano doesn't bother hiding his contempt for everyone there. |
| 867 | * SociopathicSoldier: Nagano expresses no remorse for the brutality he will exert on Guangdong, deliberately repeating the horrors brought by the Rape of Nanking. He personally marches on the streets with his soldiers, kicks bodies into "organized" piles, calls them dead bastards, and callously encourages the use of bayonet inflicted massacres, even contemplating the idea of camouflage with intestines when sees his troops covered in red, pink, and black. |
| 868 | * UndyingLoyalty: Nagano is unquestionably loyal to Japan. Even as he grumbles about the PTRG's demands or looks to overthrow the reigning Chief Executive during the riots, he will never act without Japan's approval. |
| 869 | * VillainHasAPoint: |
| 870 | ** Nagano regards Guangdong as an abomination of a nation, as it is essentially [[OneNationUnderCopyright the only country in the world that's run by and for corporations and doesn't pretend otherwise]]. His vision for Guangdong as an stratocratic IJA base is far worse, but at least it can claim to not be a purely self-serving corporatocracy. |
| 871 | ** In an early meeting with Miyazaki, Nagano complains about Suzuki's management of Guangdong, calling the police too ineffective and corrupt for its own good. Even though he doesn't have the Chinese people's best interests in mind, he is making a legitimate complaint about Suzuki. |
| 872 | ** He rightfully denounces Guangdong's foreign ventures to test out experimental weapons, often risking the lives of many soldiers just so that a few executives can advertise their product and line their pockets with more money. He makes a particularly audacious, but well-founded point to take the government's letter to him about the Middle Eastern conflicts and cross out "fight against the forces of Western Imperialism, writing over it with "get Japan oil, and some oil for Guangdong too, and fucking grub some money selling bullshit bloody weapons to Arab imbeciles while we're at it". |
| 873 | ** Nagano will be furious at the Chief Executive, if he accuses the Chinese consulate for aiding the riots and failing to present any evidence to prove their case. While the Chief Executive's claims can be true, Nagano's anger is absolutely warranted, given how his and Takashima's time was wasted on a trial with no proof to speak of. |
| 874 | ** Seeing all of Guangdong fall into chaotic riots under Fujitsu's regime, Nagano pins all the blame on Ibuka for bringing this crisis to the country. Everyone else has already come to the same conclusion and even Ibuka accepts the reality of the situation. |
| 875 | * WalkingSpoiler: It's impossible to talk about Nagano's role in Guangdong's storyline without talking about its climax, and the worst possible outcome of said climax. |
| 876 | * WouldHurtAChild: Children are not spared at all in his coup and are among the many victims counted by Wai. |
| 877 | [[/folder]] |
| 878 | |
| 879 | [[folder:Takeda Goro]] |
| 880 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_goro_takeda.png]] |
| 881 | ->'''Role:''' Military Commander, Chief of Staff[[note]]Head of Government[[/note]] (Nagano cabinet) |
| 882 | ->'''Party:''' Imperial Japanese Army - Martial Law (Nagano cabinet)[[note]]Martial law is in effect.\ |
| 883 | Remain in your homes.\ |
| 884 | Compliance is mandatory.\ |
| 885 | Offenders will be shot.[[/note]] |
| 886 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 887 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Wherever Nagano Shigeto goes, Takeda Goro follows, for he is his executive officer. Pursuant to this, he has moved laterally to become the administrative face for Guangdong. Some, those who are uninformed or are perhaps simply naive, believe that he will moderate the 'worst excesses' of the army.\ |
| 888 | Oh, they are wrong. In his view, everything the Army does is necessary to bring back stability to Guangdong. Nothing must be barred from happening, so that peace may be restored quickly. That is how it has always been in situations like this, and there is little reason to change such matters.[[/labelnote]] |
| 889 | |
| 890 | The loyal second-in-command of Nagano Shigeto. Despite his moderate appearance, he will not moderae or restrain any IJA orders in the mission to restore Guangdong's stability. |
| 891 | ---- |
| 892 | * TheDragon: Takeda is fervently loyal to Nagano, being his executive officer. Whatever Nagano wants, Takeda will deliver. |
| 893 | * OnlySaneMan: {{Subverted}}. Many hope that Takeda will moderate the IJA's worst excesses, which is a horrible mischaracterization. Takeda sees Nagano's brutal actions as completely necessary to restore stability back to Guangdong. |
| 894 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: In OTL, Takeda was a Chairman of the Joint Staff Council in Japan and, unlike Murai and Watanabe, served in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force instead of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Since Japan is a continent-spanning empire in this timeline, Takeda is still in the military, but his new mission entails wrangling Guangdong under Japan and Nagano's boot. |
| 895 | [[/folder]] |
| 896 | |
| 897 | [[folder:Murai Sumio]] |
| 898 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gng_murai_sumio.png]] |
| 899 | ->'''Role:''' Chief of Operations[[note]]Economy Minister[[/note]] (Nagano cabinet) |
| 900 | ->'''Party:''' Imperial Japanese Army - Martial Law[[note]]Martial law is in effect.\ |
| 901 | Remain in your homes.\ |
| 902 | Compliance is mandatory.\ |
| 903 | Offenders will be shot.[[/note]] |
| 904 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 905 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]A graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1945, Brigadier General Murai is one of the growing cohort of IJA officers whose primary experience has been in the post-war pacification and occupation missions in the Co-Prosperity Sphere. Having spent much of their career in the armored corps, then-Colonel Murai transitioned to staff duties in 1966 as the logistics chief for the IJA garrison in Guangdong.\ |
| 906 | Following the chaos of the Guangdong Riots and the IJA's seizure of control, Murai has received a brevet promotion to Brigadier General, to serve as Guangdong's emergency Financial Secretary. The wayward child of the Sphere will return to serve Japan and the Imperial Army - by order and discipline.[[/labelnote]] |
| 907 | |
| 908 | The logistics chief of the IJA garrison in Guangdong. Like many of his fellow IJA generals, he is experienced with "pacification missions" in the Co-Prosperity Sphere. |
| 909 | ---- |
| 910 | * EvilColonialist: Most of Murai's experience consists of occupation and pacification missions in the conquered lands of the CPS. |
| 911 | * GeneralRipper: Murai serves as a brevetted Brigadier General with the IJA while putting down the Guangdong riots and is just as vicious as Nagano in his goals to turn Guangdong into a war machine for the coming war against China. Following their coup, Murai crafts a war plan against China, expressing that no leniency or mercy can be spared in putting down the Chinese. |
| 912 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: His only famous achievement in OTL was becoming a Chairman of the Joint Staff Council. In the IJA coup of this timeline, he is promoted to Brigadier General and Guangdong's emergency Financial Secretary, all under the wildly different circumstances of suppressing the Guangdong Riots. |
| 913 | [[/folder]] |
| 914 | |
| 915 | [[folder:Watanabe Keitaro]] |
| 916 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watanabe_keitaro.png]] |
| 917 | ->'''Role:''' Military Commander, Chief of Intelligence[[note]]Security Minister[[/note]] (Nagano cabinet) |
| 918 | ->'''Party:''' Imperial Japanese Army - Martial Law[[note]]Martial law is in effect.\ |
| 919 | Remain in your homes.\ |
| 920 | Compliance is mandatory.\ |
| 921 | Offenders will be shot.[[/note]] |
| 922 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stratocracy[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 923 | ->'''In-Game Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Colonel Watanabe Keitaro has served Japan in close proximity to its enemies - as an intelligence officer. Serving at times as a military attaché in foreign lands, and at other times as a combat intelligence officer managing informants and reconnaissance fighting the Sphere's many insurgencies, Colonel Watanabe was assigned to serve as the chief of intelligence for the IJA garrison in 1961, bringing a fresh pair of eyes to a position only increasing in importance.\ |
| 924 | Now, with Guangdong in chaos and the IJA asserting its control over the wayward territory, Watanabe has assumed direct control over Guangdong's security apparatus. Where handcuffs and truncheons proved inadequate, the bayonet and the bullet will more than prove their worth.[[/labelnote]] |
| 925 | ---- |
| 926 | * GeneralRipper: Just like the rest of the IJA under Nagano's command, he is utterly ruthless and eager to use as much unrestrained force as possible to put down the Guangdong riots. |
| 927 | * RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman: Besides being a Chairman of the Joint Staff Council, the real-life version of Watanabe was also a strict anti-communist. In this timeline, Watanabe is Nagano's Chief of Intelligence instead, acting as one of his primary enforcers in the massacre and persecution of the Chinese people. |
| 928 | * SociopathicSoldier: When Nagano informs his generals that they are allowed to use as much force as they feel is necessary to keep the people of Guangdong in line, all Watanabe can do is grin before remarking he already was doing this. |
| 929 | * TheSpymaster: Watanabe serves as the chief of intelligence for the IJA garrison in Guangdong, with his previous experience including acting as a combat intelligence officer conducting counter insurgency and managing informants in CPS territory. |
| 930 | [[/folder]] |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext Characters / TNOGuangdong
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load
