Tokyo

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and the seat of the Imperial Government, functioning as the distant but decisive center of political, economic, and military authority in the Pacific States of America. From this city, the Trade Missions, the Foreign Office, and the Imperial Army direct the occupation of the West Coast, manage relations with the German Reich, and receive intelligence that could determine the fate of the entire Pacific sphere.

Political and Administrative Center

Tokyo is the origin of the coded cables that reach the Trade Mission offices in San Francisco, including the metaphor-type cipher that alerts Nobusuke Tagomi that Mr. Baynes is not what he seems. The key phrase, "Skim milk in his diet," refers to the doctrine that "Things are seldom what they seem" and is designed to baffle Reich monitors. Tokyo also dispatches the elderly retired businessman, Mr. Yatabe, who is actually General Tedeki, the former Imperial Chief of Staff, to San Francisco for a secret meeting. When the general finally arrives, he places a transpacific call to Tokyo to contact the War College, seeking to coordinate with Imperial military forces stationed nearby. The Imperial Government in Tokyo is also the recipient of the photostats and microfilm that Rudolf Wegener passes to General Tedeki, containing evidence of Operation Dandelion—the planned nuclear attack on the Home Islands.

Economic and Technological Authority

The Trade Missions operating out of Tokyo oversee the economic life of the Pacific States of America. They are the ultimate authority that can cut off a profiteering landlord like Mr. Oinuro, demonstrating the harsh but just Japanese civil law. Tokyo is also the source of the advanced injection molds that Mr. Baynes ostensibly comes to sell, though his true purpose is espionage. The city's authorities are acutely aware of the technological gap with the Reich, particularly in the field of plastics and polyesters, where I. G. Farben has created a world monopoly. The Reich's interplanetary rockets, consisting mainly of heat-resistant plastics, are a constant reminder of this disparity, while the Pacific's efforts are bogged down in South America, burning off jungles and erecting clay apartment houses.

Cultural and Ideological Influence

Tokyo is the source of the cultural values that permeate the Pacific States, including the use of the I Ching, or Book of Changes, which is consulted by characters from Frank Frink to Nobusuke Tagomi. The city is also the origin of the Co-Prosperity Pacific Alliance ideology, which Frank Frink, despite his initial skepticism, comes to have faith in. The Japanese authorities in Tokyo are described as having rejected a Nazi request to massacre the Jews in Shanghai during the war, stating that "Such is not in accord with humanitarian considerations." This decision impresses Tagomi and contrasts with the genocidal policies of the Reich. The city's cultural reach extends to the popularity of American artifacts, with wealthy collectors in Tokyo driving the market for items like "Horrors of War" cards and Mickey Mouse wristwatches.

Strategic Significance in the Global Conflict

Tokyo is the ultimate target of Operation Dandelion, the Reich's plan for an enormous nuclear attack on the Home Islands without advance warning, intended to wipe out the Royal Family, Home Defense Army, most of the Imperial Navy, civil population, industries, and resources. The city is also the destination for General Tedeki's carefully obscure flight back, with red herrings strewn to confuse pursuers. The Imperial Government in Tokyo is the body that must decide whether to support the Sicherheitsdienst, the most malignant portion of German society, in order to prevent the attack. This moral dilemma, as Tagomi reflects, is the paradox of their earthly situation: whether to assist evil in gaining power in order to save their own lives.