Pearl Harbour - A novel of December 8th by William R. Forstchen, Newt Gingrich Page B

Winston growled.
    “No sir, very different, and one that will make us feel a bit uncomfortable. The Japanese nation is a joined entity. Their religion a dual one, an aesthetic form of Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, which truly fits the warrior code of the samurai. That life is a fleeting illusion, with a reality beyond that illusion. To let go of life is, in a way, to embrace life. Inculcate that into the hearts of warriors, and you have a fearsome opponent.
    “Combine that with Shintoism. On the surface it is ancestor worship, a bit like the Romans if you will: the family and its honor are everything. The individual is nothing when compared to the family.
    “Believe me, when I taught at their academy I saw it every day. The lads there would endure treatment and schedules that would set off a rebellion in our Sandhurst. And to wash out? Death is better. In fact, when a boy did wash out, a suicide watch had to be kept until he was escorted off the base, and not infrequently we’d hear that the poor boy had killed himself rather than endure the shame of facing his family as a failure.” Cecil fell silent for a moment. The memory of more than one of them was still troubling.
    “Potentially a tough adversary,” Winston interjected. “Exactly. But to the point you seek. The coup? A sham. No one in their right mind, at least a Western right mind, would ever see it as having the remotest chance of success.”
    “What was it they wanted? The reports in the Times are not clear at all, just saying some disgruntled soldiers.”
    Cecil shook his head.
    “Oh, there were some tenets spouted, sounded a bit communistic to some. Limits on amount of money a family can have, nationalization of industry, elimination of corruption, and, a key here, a return to a state of national purity.”
    Winston cocked his head.
    “How so? Sounds Fascist to me, this national purity thing.”
    “Sir, don’t confuse the two. They mean it as a true state of purity. Like a minister saying it’s time to get right with Jesus. It’s about this national sense that Japan is unique, exceptional, the Emperor godlike.
    “That one is tough to explain. A bit like the old Egyptians and their Pharaohs, but different. The Emperor is a direct bond back to the creator of all, and since the manifestation of that creator is Japanese, well then, that means Japan is exceptional in the eyes of God.
    “Even their dating system is a reflection of their unique ties to the Emperor. They count years from the accession of Japan’s first in 660 bc. They consider this to be the year 2596. “They even name their planes by the year of the Emperor.
    Their newest bomber was introduced this year as a Type 96 because it is being introduced in 2596. Every time they turn around, they are reminding themselves of the length of their heritage, the sanctity of their Emperor, and the uniqueness of their nation and race. You should not underestimate how deeply this defines them and makes them dedicated and courageous.
    “These revolutionaries, these young Turks you might call them, are not about overthrowing the Emperor, rather it is to purify the government, to restore Japan to its proper destiny, and, yes, to send a message to the Emperor that his house needs to be placed back in order, in balance. I daresay that before they shot some of the officials, they most likely apologized first. It was a ritual.
    “So, they’ve been arrested, the trial will be a show trial. The dead will be buried, but mark my words, the national destiny has just changed, even though by our standards the coup was a tragic farce and put down before it even started.
    “Even as people publicly shake their heads over the bloodshed, in their hearts, the way they see the world, the men in the coup were purists out to cleanse Japan. We must remember, it is a country that has gone through a stunning cultural shock.
    “There are people still alive today who can recall a world where firearms were unknown, no machinery,