Conspiracy by Allan Topol Page A

his limousine with Ozawa and walked the last hundred yards to the Shinto shrine dedicated to the nation's war dead, the size of the crowd lining both sides of the road surprised him, as did the number of baton-wielding members of the Tokyo police, dressed in riot gear.
    The placards were equally divided between those that read, Sato Yes or Self-defense for Japan and the ones that read, Sato No, or No More War Criminals —a reference to the fact that among the millions of fallen victims of Japan's wars, the shrine honored fourteen men like Tojo, the prime minister during World War II, who were executed as war criminals.
    For the first fifty yards, as Sato walked with Ozawa at his side, the crowd was orderly and silent. Suddenly half a dozen young men burst out of the police cordon close to the shrine and threw themselves down on the road, blocking Sato's path. "Warmonger," they chanted. A score of police ran toward the young men, swinging their batons, determined to clear the path before Sato reached them. When they refused to move, the police forcibly dragged them by their legs off the road.
    Sato slowed his pace, letting them clear the path before he reached the point of the protest. Soon after, Ozawa stopped walking, to let Sato continue on alone.
    Inside the shrine Sato stood in front of the giant cedar altar and bowed his head.
    When he exited the shrine, the television reporter, Mori, was waiting for him with a microphone and a cameraman close by. Ten yards away Alex Glass stood with a reporter's steno pad in his hand and a tape recorder on, wanting to hear what Sato had to say.
    "Sato-san, will you answer some questions?" Mori asked.
    Sato didn't hesitate. He had already approved the questions Mori would ask. "Yes, of course."
    "Why did you make this visit today?"
    "Many good and honorable men have died for our nation. We have an obligation to remember and honor them."
    "But aren't you endorsing what the Japanese government did dining the second world war?"
    Sato looked into the camera. "We fought the Greater East-Asian War for a noble purpose... the liberation of Asia from strangulation by Western colonial powers. Yes, we made mistakes. Like all people we suffered tremendously. However, Asia was liberated. We should never forget that."
    "It has been said that you wish to start a new war with China."
    "That is totally false. I want the nations of Asia to live in peace and harmony. However, that is possible only if all nations are in a position to defend themselves from any possible aggression. My view is war, no. Self-defense, yes."
    "And what position do you think the American president will take in response to your program?"
    Alex strained to make sure he caught every word of the answer. "I am confident," Sato said, selecting his words carefully, "that the American president in office at the end of next January will support my program."
    Sato's confidence about what the American president would do reverberated in Alex's brain. They were precisely the same words Sato had used two days ago in the television interview. Alex sensed some hidden meaning in those words, but he had to find it.
    When he had researched his recent series, Alex had spent several hours in one-on-one sessions with Sato, as well as with several of Sato's close confidants, including Ozawa. He had read enormous amounts of material, everything he could find, by and about Sato. One of the things that surprised Alex was the intense interest that Sato was taking in the American presidential election.
    Knowing how Sato operated, Alex was convinced that he was involved in something in the United States that Alex was missing. As he replayed Sato's words in his mind, Alex was certain that he was right—not merely from Sato's words, but from the firm, unequivocal tone of voice. Sato wasn't making an idle boast or wishful prediction.
    But how could that be? Alex had studied in detail all of the public statements of Webster and Boyd on the subjects of