This wasn't the world of his birth.
Instead of the new constitution and rebuilding that had been in the post World War II era of his world, things had taken a different tack. There had been more fear of what could happen with the Communists and the struggle to restore Japan to its former stature as a bastion against this change. But the American government was sliding towards more of a hard stance, and wasn't about to risk any sort of weakness in this arena, and were aided by the fact that the Japanese wanted to have their country back to being healthy again.
Of course, they hadn't wanted to seem like imperialists, but they saw no other recourse, and within a few years of the end of the war, the nation of Japan had become United States territory. There was grand fanfare from the governments, protests from certain quarters in both places, and great amusement from those who'd so recently had been subjugated by a country that itself being taken over by a foreign power. Work progressed in the reconstruction, but this time with the Americans firmly in control.
At least, until things finally got into being settled. The populace wanted to have its own say in its ruling, and were vocal about their desires. As the territory grew back into a healthy economy and society, it became clear that something was going to have to be done. Those who lived there wanted to gain control of their futures, and there were those in the mainland States that hopped onto this as the 'cause of the hour'. Especially as Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood, which became an important sticking point. Some argued that it would both allow Washington to have its outpost, and allow the Japanese to have a say in the government.
And so, one day after much anticipation, the United States accepted its fifty-first state into its union. That allowed for the first Representitives and Senators to be sent from Tokyo to the mainland, and set up major elections which began the Japanese settling into their new state of being.
Over time, it had proven to be both beneficial, and problematic. With the relative ease of getting raw materials from the United States, four islands of the new state were able to grow impressively. Many Japanese young people had new jobs, and new opportunities, which allowed them to do things that would have been previously unheard of. It also led to an increased presence of outsiders, from administrators and government agents, to buisness people, to soldiers assigned to protect them. There was a segment of the population that still reminisced for the past glories and independence of Japan.
Still, they were now integrated with their fellow states, and were an interesting mix of East and West.
Which was what Ranma had grown up amongst. As he walked along the road, he knew that his father had more of a clear idea of what this world could have been, but for him it was what he knew. He'd grown up in a state where one was likely to meet someone fluent in both Japanese and English, and wouldn't neccessarily have had parents born on the islands.
"So Pop," the pigtailed boy asked as he scowled up at the elder man, "What are we doin' this time?"
Genma gave him the look that was supposed to look supremely wise. "It's really simple boy. We're going to visit a friend of mine."
"Really? Someone's your friend?"
"Yes! He is my friend!"
"Wonder who'd be a buddy of yours..," Ranma commented.
"If you have to know, he's a very good man, and one that I've known for a long time now. And its time that we joined up with him."
"Who is he?"
"Why, he is:
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(Posted Sat, 24 Jul 2004 23:50)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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