[2020 (Reiwa 2) — Extraordinary Diet Session — Ezoe Kazuhiko]
It was said the Extraordinary Diet Session, which opened in October 2020, would be one for history books. Urgent topics that could not be pushed back, such as the rise of the Legion, dungeon policies, and the issue of constitutional reform, had piled up. Even the members of the opposition, who were usually busy looking for scandals, were rumored to have prepared actual arguments to discuss the proposal for constitutional reform. However, when it came down to it, the issues being discussed by the Diet were miles away from the question that currently preoccupied most Japanese citizens.
“We will touch upon the dungeons and constitutional reform, but we’d also like to have some time to discuss the cherry blossom viewing party incident. If we have some extra time, there are other questions we’d like to ask as well.”
The statement of the Constitutional Democratic Party’s deputy, which was the largest opposition party, earned him quite the backlash online. On the other hand, some other opposition parties had an open and dignified debate with current government members despite those parties being rather small. These two parties were the Democratic People’s Party, which approved of Urabe’s revision, and the Communist Party, which still opposed it.
“Dungeons are not countries. Even with the current constitution, there is no reason the JSDF would not be able to fight monsters. There is no need to go out of our way to change the constitution. Why not enact laws to give the JSDF the authority to fight monsters?”
“Fighting monsters is done at the peril of one’s life. Are you demanding our forces fight against monsters and put their lives at stake for something that may backfire due to it not being clear enough in the constitution? We must provide them with the right environment so that they may take pride in defending their country. Is this not our duty as politicians?”
Debates around constitutional reform were not limited to the Diet. The issue had been raised separately in each electoral district.
The constitution was the very framework that defined the state. People who didn’t have an opinion on such a crucial matter had no place in the Diet. Prime Minister Urabe Seiichirou had said as much during the general meeting of the Conservative Party in June, right after the double election had concluded and every Diet member had held meetings in their district to discuss the issue. This had allowed the idea of constitutional reform to develop in people’s minds. Prime Minister Urabe had decided to announce the proposal in November.
Constitutional reform was not the only important item on the agenda. Another was the question of the treatment of adventurers. Joker’s Legion had garnered a lot of attention. Criminal adventurers other than them had appeared in Gamerica, the EU, and Southeast Asia. Violent acts using magic skills, theft perpetrated with the help of dungeon items, and issues with contraband items had all occurred. If a criminal act was impossible to prove or remained undiscovered, it could not be judged. Thus, the incidents that had been uncovered were thought to merely be the tip of the iceberg. People feared even worse criminals were hiding in the shadows.
Japan also needed to put countermeasures in place before anything happened.
“Dungeon adventurers are dangerous. We ought to use dungeon items to restrict them.”
Strangely enough, no one wanted to ignore human rights and restrict the “dangerous” adventurers as much as left-wing politicians who usually prided themselves on being liberals. This apparent contradiction had sparked a lot of debate on the internet. One left-wing Diet member of the opposition had simply stated that “if adventurers didn’t exist, this type of crime wouldn’t either.” The conservatives regarded this the same way they regarded the supporters of the current Constitution whose primary beliefs could be summed up as “without weapons, there wouldn’t be wars” and “as long as you say you’re anti-war, there won’t be a war.”
“Some citizens have requested the government hire civilian adventurers and give them special status as civil servants. What do you think of this?” an opposition Diet member asked me.
I had been called in as a witness and immediately offered a rebuttal.
“I don’t see an issue in hiring those who wish to be hired,” I said. “However, what salary do you plan to offer? This is only my personal opinion, but I think the bare minimum would be at least two times the salary of Diet members. Just to be clear, though, I must say that I’ll refuse your offer, even if you try to offer me the whole national budget. I don’t like taking orders.”
“Some have suggested we should change the system as a whole. Those who refuse to become civil servants would not be allowed to enter dungeons.”
“Does that mean you would withdraw from the IDAO? If the government makes that choice, there’s nothing I can do about it. However, Dungeon Busters will have no choice but to relocate to Europe if that happens. Please handle the dungeons left in Japan with your civil servants.”
Several opposition Diet members hooted. The way their brains worked was beyond me. The issue at hand was to find a way to prevent adventurers from committing crimes, but the opposition simply seemed to want the adventurer initiative to disappear.
“The current system forbids former convicts, members of illegal or contrary-to-public-order organizations, and members of organizations under the surveillance of the Public Security Intelligence Agency to become adventurers. On top of this, a covenant prevents people from using dungeon items on the surface. Some adventurers do possess powers that surpass human abilities, but most of them could barely defeat amateur martial artists. If you intend to put even more limits on them, will you also restrict boxers and karate practitioners? If you don’t, I believe we have a case of discrimination.”
I was not the representative of all adventurers in any way, shape, or form, but I was aware I had some degree of fame. I didn’t want adventurers as a whole to suffer because of something I had said. More than anything, I didn’t believe the Monster Stampede could be stopped if civilian adventurers were plagued with even more restrictions.
Civil servants fighting in dungeons? Don’t make me laugh. You can only say such nonsense because you’ve never been inside one.
There were some positive things to discuss regarding dungeons too, like the development of new energies and the increase in the number of civilian adventurers, for instance, but my mood was gloomier than ever.