[Tokyo Olympics — Opening Ceremony]
<It is finally time for the Japanese athletes to enter the stadium. During the previous Tokyo Olympics fifty-five years ago, 355 athletes competed for Japan. This time, the Japanese team is the largest it has ever been, with a total of 583 wonderful athletes who will compete in thirty-three different sports. They will surely show us their burning spirit under the blazing sun of Tokyo.>
The Opening Ceremony had started at eight in the evening, and more than sixty thousand people were gathered, their heated fervor filling the stadium. More than two hundred thousand police officers from all over the country had made the trip to Tokyo and were stationed at different spots, conducting surveillance and controlling traffic. The media center bustled with journalists from every country in the world, broadcasting live. Of course, television stations from the Kingdom of Ko and Venisuela had also sent journalists.
“We can’t do a full background check on every single cameraman, but we did confirm everyone’s identity as well as performed extensive body checks. There hasn’t been an issue yet, but...” Ishihara Yukie, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Dungeons, whispered, watching the ceremony through a window.
Though she was merely mumbling to herself, the man next to Ishihara reacted.
“Between His Majesty making an appearance, the Prime Minister giving a speech, and visitors from all over the world... We have prepared the best possible stage for a terrorist attack. If a single Rank A monster is thrown into this stadium, the state of the world will greatly change in a matter of minutes.”
Ishihara glanced at the man and let out a sigh.
“At the moment, one Gamerican, one Filipino, and one Sinese man have caused small incidents. None of them were adventurers, though. I have to say, I’m even more anxious right now. I was sure we’d have to handle more issues.”
“The games have barely started, although I guess the Opening and Closing Ceremonies are the most sensitive events. If I were planning an attack, I’d wait for the middle or the end of the event before striking. That’s when everyone’s vigilance is usually at its lowest.”
“I suppose that’s true for the policemen on duty inside the stadium. It’s hard to keep your guard up at all times in this scorching heat. We need to stay focused on our end.”
Ishihara’s cell phone started vibrating, and her expression darkened when she answered the call.
“Another uproar, caused by a Japanese man this time. He was flying a Rising Sun flag right outside the stadium and got into a fight with a Woorian man. The main issue is that this Japanese man is a miner,” she explained.
“Was he violent?”
“Luckily, he’s only an F-Ranker and didn’t do more than grab the Woorian man a little too strongly. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s an adventurer. This is a pain. We got promoted and became a Ministry, but that doesn’t mean we can control every adventurer’s temper.”
“He let the festive mood go to his head and just had to cause an uproar, huh? I guess there are idiots everywhere,” the man said.
They exchanged looks of exasperation and shrugged.
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[A Certain Place in Tokyo — Japan-Woori Foreign Ministers’ Meeting]
The Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics also served as an occasion for political leaders to discuss cross-national matters, such as Joker, the internationally active terrorist who had appeared. The world was waiting for Japan to take the lead and respond to the dungeon crisis in poor countries, like certain African nations, for instance. After giving a speech at the Opening Ceremony the previous day, Urabe Seiichirou was now pouring his energy into summits.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Woori, in spite of being one of Japan’s closest neighbors, kept pushing its anti-Japan stance as President Park did not bother to attend the Opening Ceremony, sending Foreign Minister Kang in his stead. Most countries currently had a poor opinion of Woori for supporting Joker, despite being part of the G20. As the Olympics’s host country, however, Japan could not refuse to meet with the Woorian minister. Thus, the meeting between Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Moda Toshimasa, and Woori’s Foreign Minister, Kang, started.
“If nothing is done, the world will split into two factions,” said Minister Kang. “The conservatives who wish to preserve the current order, and the revolutionaries who try to make use of the dungeons to fix the wealth disparities between the north and the south in one go. However, I believe that, in the end, both groups long for peace and the prosperity of the human race. My country, Woori, has firsthand experience of the tragedy of being torn apart, split into two halves. Yet, we have also managed to rise from the ashes and accomplish the miracle of turning into an advanced country. I believe we can become the bridge between the conservatives and the revolutionaries. For this to happen, the conservatives need to extend their hand first. It is our hope that the Japanese government will agree to make concessions and negotiate with Venisuela and Joker.”
After hearing Minister Kang’s words, Minister Moda Toshimasa did not show his exasperation on his face but pondered how to word his answer. The Woorian minister did not seem to understand the situation the same way that he did. Still, he decided to clear that misunderstanding up.
“It appears your country and mine are not reading the current situation in the same way. We do not regard Joker or Venisuela as revolutionaries. He has used the supernatural powers he gained in the dungeons to threaten foreign countries and try to steal riches through violent means. He is nothing more than a terrorist, and we do not make concessions or negotiate with terrorists.”
The meeting ended just as it had started, with the Japanese minister and the Woorian minister remaining miles apart from one another and failing to reach an agreement on any point. One thing did change, however, since this meeting prompted Japan to adopt a full-on anti-Woori stance from that point on.
At the end of August, Japan’s very first cyclical hydrogen energy generation system would start running, and the construction of second and third plants would begin. Once Japan managed to reach a higher degree of self-sufficiency in terms of energy production, it would be able to easily offset deflation and perhaps even enter a new period of high economic growth. With the constitutional reform and the formation of an independent army on top of that, Japan would become a world leader. Building a “Great Japan” was the dearest wish of Prime Minister Urabe Seiichirou and of the whole Conservative Party.
“It can’t be helped. Let us focus on strengthening our relationship with the Oriental Republic of Sina and the Southeast Asian countries as planned. Dungeon Busters should visit the Republic of Sina and the Filipines around October as well,” Prime Minister Urabe said after listening to his minister’s report.
His expression showed that he had expected this outcome. The Oriental Republic of Sina, with its four thousand years of history, was not to be underestimated. Compared to Woori, however, it wasn’t a country that easily broke promises. Once Japan reached complete energy self-sufficiency, the sea lane of the Sinese Sea would not be as crucial as it currently was. Just one year after the start of the Dungeon Outbreak Phenomenon, the power balance in Asia was undergoing dramatic changes.