A new MBT
The army is currently in the process of developing a new Main Battle Tank, designed to combat the new upcoming generations of French and British Tanks. It would have potentially a 120mm gun, far larger than whatever is in service on the other side of the Red Curtain, and protected with a new composite armour that can withstand the power of its own gun. Allegedly of course.
This is not news, but what is news is that the Koreans and Indians are coming at us with an intriguing offer, they wanted to share some of the costs of developing this tank, the Koreans are offering design work for its engines, while the Indians are offering us their production facilities to make this tank en masse and faster than scheduled. In exchange, they wanted the technology of its composite armour shared with them for use in developing their own tank designs. And some dibs on the tank itself, with Korea potentially ordering some 300 of this new tank while India wanted 800.
Should we do this? This '
Maizuru Armour' is top secret technology, but considering the sheer production facilities India is offering and Hyundai's engineering work. It is something that we must consider.
Abolish Standardised testing in Schools and Universities
Currently, the Japanese education system has been relying very heavily on standardised tests, this has been touted as a measure to promote meritocracy within our population and to ensure our students are learning most efficiently, recently, however. More and more studies have proven that standardised testing is not necessarily the best way to judge a student's ability to absorb information and become a productive member of society. Most educational reformers are advocating for overhauling our public school and University entrance exams. Making tests only mandatory ONLY for the final exams where you are about to graduate Grade, Middle, and High School while abolishing standardized tests for National University admission entirely. Now relying more on the student's academic credentials and their efforts outside of school, such as community service and other endeavors.
This will be a big ask since there is a sense of elitism within the students and teachers, thinking these reforms will make our students 'dumber', as well as the standardised testing industry that will be campaigning against such a law. But the evidence is clear, we must do these reforms if Japan were to remain competitive globally.
Naval Strategic Patrol aircraft program.
The navy currently operates 2 maritime patrol aircraft from our bases in Japan and our outlying islands. The highly modified
P1Y5 Ginga, and the
US-1A MPA. While the US-1A will continue service for decades to come, the 2nd Weltkrieg P1Y5 is starting to show it's age, and the navy is thinking of replacing the aircraft with something much faster and more capable.
The
Nakajima proposed aircraft is looking most promising, it is capable of supersonic flight, has a massive internal and external fuel capacity, allowing it to have the range needed to fly over pacific ocean distances, and is capable of carrying a litany of Anti Ship missiles and Torpedos necessary to sink anything on or under the ocean, while also having the sensors sensitive enough to detect them way before the enemy ship or submarine can detect the aircraft.
The airforce is also interested in procuring the plane and modifying it to become a dedicated electronic warfare aircraft to supplement the F-1 Nightstalker airplane in their possession. Having a larger airframe will give the airforce more room to tinker and modify the aircraft, allowing it to be a much more capable aircraft than the highly modified but quickly maturing F-1 Nightstalker. We only need a slight increase in procurement funds to ensure that Japan's seas and skies are even more safe and more secure than it already was.
Reevaluate the Iron Triangle
A political concept popularized by the German Elite during the era of the Kaiserreich. It generally states that Big Business Conglomerates, the Bureaucracy, and the Government all have an overriding interest in reinforcing their power structures at the expense of everyone not inside of it. The practice of this concept was refined to a T during the glory days of the Kaiserreich, but was shattered when French tanks broke through the Siegfried line and outflanked the Germans in Alsace-Lorraine.
And we don't wanna end up like the Germans now do we?
This will be a gigantic effort, and will take years, if not decades, you're not even sure if you wanna go forward with this. But should you want it, passing a series of labour reforms, strengthening workers rights, create antitrust legislation (will be a first in Japan), and make Japan more Democratic is a surefire way to prevent the self reinforcing power structures in the Triangle from going too far.
GIDC Project: Port Klang and Tanjung Priok expansion
Still a massive project proposed by the Insulindian and Malayan delegates, but considerably more conservative. The cities of Klang and Jakarta is set to begin expanding their port facilities to meet the demands of their rising middle class, and unfortunately they are still trying to entice investors across Australia, Japan and New Zealand to fund their project. It will no doubt be a significant boost to the Insulindian and Malayan economies should the expansion be approved as a GIDC Project, but nonetheless, it will count for tens of billions of dollars of funding for the next couple of years.
Still more feasible than what the Indians are proposing though.
GIDC Project: The Caucasus Chains
With the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty, our caucasus members are proposing a series of road and rail networks that can criss-cross the caucasus mountains, perhaps bringing travel times down to a matter of hours in some areas. This project does have a military angle to it, allowing the rapid deployment of Middle Eastern CPS members into Russia, and Vice Versa should the big war happen. But it also serves a purpose of further linking the Caucasus countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia into the wider CPS economic network, boosting their economies as a result.
Shall we do it?
The Fukuoka-Busan connector
This is not a GIDC Project, but it could very well would be in terms of scale and scope. A bridge spanning from Fukuoka into the sea, before dropping down into the ocean, ending up in a tunnel reaching Busan, a physical connector between Japan and Korea. And for that matter, Japan and Greater asia. The engineering for this project would be something else, but it is within the realm of possibility.
It would also connect the islands of Tsushima and Iki, which would bring increased economic development into both isles, with also the possibility of making a Rapid Train line from Fukuoka into Busan. A promising project, but who will fund it?
