An expected and entirely unsurprising victory for the Rikken Minseito
It was to be expected. Michi Nishiura herself planned to not run for the general elections in 1976, and decided that the next candidate for Prime Minister should be Tomomi Narita. The Rikken Minseito on the other hand, had a very charismatic and energetic
Kakuei Tanaka, boasting promises that he would make Japan a '5 Trillion Dollar (That's 738 Trillion Japanese Yen) economy' by 1985, and also double the disposable income of the average Japanese of all strata of society by the end of his first term as Prime Minister, the Rikken Minseito sailed towards a comfortable victory in the 1976 election. With significant inroads in the Kansai and Kanto areas, the traditional stronghold of the Shakai Taishuto.
The world awaits in bated breath what the new Japanese Prime Minister's plans are going to be.
BUT, one thing that is notable enough for everyone's attention is the significant gains the newly formed Japanese Green Party has made. Especially in regions like Taiwan, the Japanese Green Party has gone from practically a non-factor to having some 4% of the seats in the house, roughly the same as the Rikken Kakushinto Party (Soclib). This is something that must be taken into account once we move into the future. Their opposition to Nuclear power is the most problematic aspect of the Greens, and something that we must counter if we are to achieve a completely energy independent Japan.
The Vancouver Protocol is ratified without significant pushback from the government (You rolled a 13)
This is something that impacts everyone, and it kinda makes sense that there is no significant pushback from the government regarding this matter. Even the Zaibatsus and major Japanese companies are not really in the mood to push back against something that is so destructive to the environment. And the implementation of the protocol is set to begin by the end of the year as well. Something that everyone in Japanese society has been ready to make the switch anyway. Considering the significant inroads the last decades have been for Japanese environmental policy.
Korea is quite thankful that we received their new proclamation with as much grace as possible.
It really seems that we are turning over new leaf after new leaf. As our past is being progressively taken over by a new reality, a reality where Japan is not the greatest country in the world, but increasingly a country that is the first among a (relatively) equal alliance of nations. And the reaction to this proclamation is enough indication of that, our relatively muted response to the proclamation of the Republic of Korea has also ignited a muted debate of our status within the Co-Prosperity sphere, as it seems that more and more countries are more than willing to assert their national policies and regional identities into this alliance, this is something that we must address in the future, but currently? There is no significant movement among the Japanese people in pushing back our recognition of the Republic.
New Plans
The Pacific Free Trade Zone proposal was received warmly by Hawaii and the Philippines (You rolled a 17)
The Filipinos and Hawaiians are certainly jumping on the proposal for no tariffs and the free movement of peoples, and while drafting of the agreement would certainly take years, there is most definitely political impetus within Tokyo, Manilla, and Honolulu to get this thing going, we should expect a clear proposal by 1978, and ratification by all parties within the same year, the fact that all three countries are relatively developed economies also adds more impetus towards the ratification of such an agreement.
The Pearl River Delta investment program is already building roads and industrial sites, in deep cooperation with the Chinese government (You rolled a 13)
There is some... hesitation from the Chinese government the moment the GIDC announces it's investment plans in the Pearl River Delta, first of all, there are already existing plans from the Chinese government for such a development initiative, and secondly, this is technically an
investment program, meaning some of the money will be funnelled off to other countries, chief among them being Japan. But the moment they see our plans, and the projected tax revenues from such activities, all potential resistance from Beijing faded away as a merger of the two plans are conducted. China dreams of having an environment where 'vanguard' companies could emerge and be symbols of Chinese prosperities, kinda in a similar vein to Japanese Zaibatsus like Mitsubishi and Mitsui, Russia's VAZ and MIG, and Australia's ANZ and Holden. And such a program will help China nurture potential vanguard companies in the coming decades.
Existing Plans
Japanese MBT Program has made some significant gains this year, finally gaining some traction (You rolled a 14)
It's sorta a miracle, the MBT program that has been plagued by issues for many years have finally gained some traction, as the technological kinks are being worked out and field tests of components are showing increasing promise, the timeline of a 1980 launch is well within the capabilities of the program managers at this point, and we only need to 'steady the ship' as they say to ensure that the Japanese army will have a great new tank ready for them to answer the Syndicalist threat.
Naval Bomber program has already created a prototype, in a seeming 180 to the lack of progress last year (You rolled a 20)
It seems that the Naval bomber program has yielded results quite unexpectedly early. Perhaps the lack of progress last year is just a prelude towards greater progress this year. With the new plane already being unveiled and operational trials set for next year in Trincomalee. The Indians and Insulindians are highly interested in the purchase of the aircraft, but the majority operator will no doubt be the Royal Japanese Navy.
This aircraft is also a relative technological wonder, possessing advanced electronics and sensing capabilities, as well as a massive loadout of missiles, sonobuoys, and torpedos should the need arises. A supersonic MPA in all sense of the word really, the start date for the new naval bomber is set forward to 1980 at this point instead of 1982, something the higher-ups in the Navy are very thankful for considering the age of the existing Ginga naval bombers in the Japanese arsenal.