I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 285



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (285)

[Here’s the latest news. Former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka has been arrested on suspicion of bribery and violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. He will also be investigated on suspicion of bringing together factions to paralyze the Japanese cabinet.]

This is Japan,

The noise surrounding the political world has emerged as a hot topic in Japanese society.

Kakuei Tanaka is a politician who is known as a self-made man in Japan. How could someone who didn’t even graduate from a regular high school, let alone college, do politics?

Especially in Japan’s political structure, where politicians pass down their constituencies to their children, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary citizen to enter politics.

However, after becoming successful as a businessman, Kakuei Tanaka built trust in the political world by raising election funds for politicians, and eventually created the myth of being elected as a member of the National Assembly.

The problem is after that,

Can politicians maintain power through factional strife and corruption alone?

How to rebuild a fallen country was also a task given to the political world, and public opinion was divided between the ‘archipelago reform theory’ that emphasized exports and the ‘austerity theory’ that emphasized domestic demand.

The island reform theory is a policy that promotes business growth by expanding government spending.

Austerity is the same as the island reform theory in that it aims to grow businesses, but it focuses on reducing government spending and securing corporate autonomy.

“The government must secure tax revenues to provide welfare and develop the country!! If it only pursues austerity policies, Japan will become a country where only corporations prosper!!”

“What good will come from the government running wild?!!”

“We need to secure corporate autonomy!! Japan has a population of 100 million, so we need to reorganize the economy around domestic demand!!”

Japan once made a lot of profit from exports, but that was short-lived.

As Korea’s manufacturing competitiveness increased and the U.S. and Korea became industrially aligned, Japan’s export-oriented strategy faced a major crisis.

Eventually, from the mid-1970s onwards, Japan’s economy shifted to domestic demand, which, as explained above, meant that the Japanese government collected fewer taxes.

How can Japanese politicians survive in this situation?

Since the government can no longer collect taxes, it is natural that bribes are exchanged between politicians, and the person who did this best is Kakuei Tanaka.

The starting point of a political career is raising political funds, so what could be difficult?

From this time on, Kakuei Tanaka played a role as a link between business and politics, dominating Japanese politics.

There was even talk that the prime minister could change with just one word from him, but his attitude of changing people at will drew strong opposition from the political world.

“You’re a commoner who didn’t even graduate from college!!”

“Let’s see, I’ll take you down in the next general election!!”

Japanese political circles forming an anti-Tanaka united front,

But can the roots of vested interests be uprooted so easily?

Tanaka used the political power he had built up over the years to tear Japan apart.

More than two months have passed since the launch, but the cabinet has appointed only one minister.

Prime Minister Furuta, cornered, disclosed to the press the details of the Tanaka faction’s embezzlement and illegal activities.

“You didn’t eat?!! Since it’s come to this, should we all die together?!!”

However, Kakuei Tanaka submitted about 40 recorders to the court as evidence.

I did the same thing to you, and now you want to kick me out? Where can you find such ungrateful people? He didn’t even avoid interviews with public opinion.

“Yes. I am an illiterate person who didn’t even graduate from high school. Since my parents were not politicians, I couldn’t inherit a constituency. But I tried to be successful by following politicians around and collecting campaign funds, and I gained their trust.

If that’s wrong, isn’t Japan rotten? How can you pass down your constituency to your children? It’s not just the political world that’s rotten, it’s the Japanese people’s spirit that’s rotten!!

“Why do common people like me have to follow politicians around and build up their positions?!! It is the people of this country who made this happen!! That’s what I’m saying!!”

Tanaka’s bombshell remarks shook Japan.

If you think about it, it’s a plausible statement. What is the secret of politicians being able to pass on their constituencies to their children?

Because the people vote for their children like their parents, and this is the fundamental reason why Japanese politics has not changed in the past 30 years.

Who acknowledged the monopoly of a particular political party?

Aren’t they the people? Tanaka Kakuei raised his voice, saying, “I am innocent.”

“I just followed the trend. The Japanese economy should now be centered on domestic demand, but how can the government and the political circle maintain their power? I was the one who played the role of the money supply. So now you’re saying you’re going to throw me out? I can’t die alone because it’s unfair. If we go, we’ll all go together.”

This statement delivered a third nuclear bomb-like shock to the Japanese archipelago.

In Japan, a country that has given democracy to the dogs from the beginning, who could criticize Kakuei Tanaka as a corrupt politician?

For a long time, Kakuei Tanaka was considered a real power in Japanese politics by public opinion, but wasn’t he actually just a puppet of the vested interests?

But now it was difficult to change Japan’s political system.

Thanks to its one-party dictatorship, Japan has been able to pursue consistent political policies and has become the world’s third-largest economy.

But are you going to deny all that and turn the political world upside down to establish democracy?

It’s easy to say, but even if we were to carry out political reform, who would take the initiative?

In Japan, where there has been no significant change for over 30 years since the country’s defeat, Japanese public opinion knows that this is not just, but has chosen stability over change.

“Kakuei Tanaka was just used by those in power!!”

“The Furuta Cabinet has no right to criticize Tanaka!!”

In this way, the battle between the Furuta Cabinet and the Tanaka faction ended with Tanaka’s victory.

At first glance, it seems like a change of government has taken place, but in the end, Kakuei Tanaka, who was successfully re-elected, strengthened solidarity with Korea.

If you look closely, Korea is also a country that is returning to a one-party dictatorship.

If they maintain close ties with each other by fighting among themselves, wouldn’t the government last long?

Above all, it was natural for Takana, the biggest blackmailer who had consistently provided political funds to Japanese politics, to bow his head to Korea.

***

“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time since I last greeted you.”

“Yeah, so you became Prime Minister this time? Congratulations.”

“Thanks to your support. I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life.”

“Haha~ What favor did I do for you?”

“No. How could I, a commoner like me, provide money to the political world? The person I am today was created by the Marshal.”

This is Geumneung,

I welcomed a guest from Japan.

His true identity is Kakuei Tanaka, a businessman who was doing well in Japan, but that was not enough to provide funds to Japanese politicians.

On top of that, he comes from a common family that didn’t even graduate from college.

What would I gain by supporting this kind of person? I could have just ignored him, but his pitiful background caught my attention.

The existing politicians are all stiff-necked because they have their own districts.

In addition, Japan’s first generation politicians pursued state-centered economic development.

Because they supported businessmen while also controlling them, it was not easy for Daehan Transport to expand its influence in Japan even if they cooperated with them.

So, I chose Kakuei Tanaka.

As a man rolling around on the floor, he knew exactly who he had to serve.

And now he has ascended to the position of Prime Minister of Japan. Isn’t this what makes politics fun? But here, something unexpected came out.

“Your Majesty, may I ask you a favor?”

“What?”

“That is… I hope you will pardon former Prime Minister Park Jeong-ui.”

I put the teacup I was holding down on the table.

Is this guy now climbing over my head because he’s so successful? Still, I decided to give it a listen.

“That man is a criminal who has been sentenced to death for treason. So why are you asking for a pardon?”

“That’s… I can’t help it. If you’ve received a favor, isn’t it only natural to repay it?”

Here a surprising fact is revealed.

My uncle once served as the political director of the Korean People’s Party and worked as a diplomat traveling between the United States and Japan.

In the process, you must have naturally become acquainted with various politicians, and you also met Kakuei Tanaka in the process.

“If you need more political funds, let me know.”

“Can you really give me more? Wouldn’t it be a problem if the President finds out?”

“Haha~ What are you worried about? The political funds that the President gives to the Korean People’s Party every year alone amount to 25 billion won. I can give you some of that.”

In this way, my uncle transferred 600 million yen in political funds to Kakuei Tanaka.

The money was given to be used for political activities, but is it being used to create a line in Japan?

Anyway, I listened to the testimony that followed.

“How could your uncle ask for a pardon when he is under surveillance right now?”

“That… I don’t know about that. Anyway, it’s true that I received a letter.”

A while ago, my uncle asked Prime Minister Tanaka for a pardon.

How did you send a letter to Japan when the CIA was monitoring it?

It’s been two years since the surveillance began, and it’s about time the surveillance was relaxed.

It must have been difficult for the Central Intelligence Agency, which had a lot of work to do, to keep an eye on my uncle at all times, so I started reading the letter that Prime Minister Tanaka had given me.

[Dear Prime Minister Tanaka, how have you been? Unfortunately, I have not been. I was falsely accused and exiled, and I am living under surveillance in this faraway place.

Again, I feel wronged. You too were almost beheaded by the attacks of your enemies, so you know my situation better than anyone else.

I didn’t point a knife at the head of state. Japan and Korea are both destined to become one-party dictatorships anyway, and I just laid the foundation for that. I just don’t understand why I have to live this life of exile.

This is all because of the traitors who are on the enemy’s side and framing me. But don’t misunderstand, I am old now and have no more strength to get involved in politics. I just want to quietly close my eyes in my hometown.

If you feel sorry for me, I hope you will pass this letter on to your enemy.]

There’s more to it, but I didn’t read any further.

My uncle seems to think he’s been duped into becoming a criminal, but what leader in the world would appoint the son of a criminal who has been duped into becoming a corporate executive director?

Jaeok and Myeong-i are on the road to success,

Not long ago, I became the branch manager of Daehan Transportation in Japan.

Am I still a bad nephew who oppresses and suppresses my uncle?

I deserve this treatment because I did something like that.

In addition, it was revealed that the Korean People’s Party had transferred political activity funds to Japan without permission, so whatever they said was jarring to the ears.

“Don’t receive any more letters like this. This man is no longer my uncle, nor is he a big-time politician in Korea.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I am a person who has been erased from this world. What good can I do by listening to the words of a dead person?”

“All right.”

Prime Minister Tanaka kept his promise and cut ties with his uncle.

Well, what good would it do for you to hang on to a hat with a broken string?

If he enjoyed power while receiving political funds from me like before, that would be enough, and from then on, I erased my uncle’s existence from my mind.