The Prime Minister and his cabinet ministers hung their heads in collective dismay at the sheer scale of the global chaos.
"To think the emergence of dungeons would throw world affairs into such total disarray..."
"Yes. Honestly, I never imagined it would lead to turmoil of this magnitude."
"The unrest in the United States, Russia, and Oceania was more or less expected, but the situation in other regions is simply horrific."
"Specifically, the pandemic ravaging the African continent is particularly egregious. For now, it remains contained within Africa, but with international relations in such shambles, there’s no telling when it might jump to other regions..."
"On that note, the situation in the Middle East is far from stable either. Conflicts have reignited in several areas, and tensions are mounting between other opposing Middle Eastern nations. It has reached the point where they are launching preemptive strikes to avoid being hit first."
The cabinet members attending the meeting took turns voicing the problems plaguing their respective ministries, their tone bordering on a vent. Every one of them was burdened with nearly insurmountable issues, and the room was thick with their pent-up frustration.
Once the Attendees had finished airing their grievances, the Prime Minister spoke up to reset the room's atmosphere.
"Phew... complaining indefinitely won’t get us anywhere. Let us begin reviewing the countermeasures for each of these cases."
"Indeed. Standing around complaining won't solve a single problem."
At the Prime Minister’s prompting, the cabinet members exchanged brief nods and picked up the documents laid out on the table.
Stepping in for the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary took over as moderator.
"First, I would like to discuss our response to the pandemic on the African continent. Minister of Foreign Affairs, what is the status of our diplomatic negotiations with the local governments?"
"Currently, we have reached an agreement with several African nations to provide recovery potions produced here in Japan in exchange for items like Core Crystals. We are currently airlifting approximately 10,000 low-grade recovery potions per month to those nations with the cooperation of the Self-Defense Forces."
"Ten thousand bottles... Isn't that far too few to suppress a pandemic across the African region? I heard the number of infected patients has reached the tens of thousands..."
In response to the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ report, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare pointed out the inadequacy of the supply. He was concerned that restricting the number of recovery potions provided might lead to the pandemic spreading worldwide.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs shook his head with an apologetic expression.
"I cannot deny that the supply is low relative to the number of patients... however, it is difficult to secure any more than that from domestic sources alone. At this stage, we rely entirely on dungeon loot rather than manufacturing for our recovery potion procurement."
"I agree with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The recovery potions we are currently supplying to Africa are taken from disaster prevention stockpiles originally intended for local municipalities, which the Self-Defense Forces retrieved from dungeons. These represent the surplus left over after accounting for the SDF's own exploration needs and reserves; providing any more would cause the Self-Defense Forces’ dungeon exploration to slow down or even grind to a halt."
Following the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ explanation, the Minister of Defense added his own supplement in a tone of weary complaint.
"T-Then, what if we redirected the recovery potions that the Dungeon Association buys from explorers to the aid effort...?"
"That is out of the question. Most of the recovery potions secured by the Dungeon Association flow to the explorers diving into the dungeons, pharmaceutical companies, and private emergency hospitals. If the government were to seize those potions for international aid, we would likely see a surge in deaths and injuries among our own explorers, as well as an increase in the mortality rate of emergency patients."
"..."
The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare’s line of questioning, born of his refusal to give up on increasing the supply, died out after the explanation from the Chief Cabinet Secretary, who oversaw the Dungeon Association. From his position, he could not suggest increasing aid to other countries if it meant turning a blind eye to a rising body count among his own citizens.
Seeing that the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare had fallen silent, the Prime Minister posed a question.
"May I, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare? I would like to know if there is any prospect of replicating the recovery potions. If artificial manufacturing becomes possible, it would be much easier to secure supplies for emergencies like this."
The Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare’s eyes wavered under the Prime Minister’s scrutiny, and he broke into a cold sweat.
"Unfortunately, there is still no prospect of replication. Pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories are making every effort, but analysis takes time."
"...I see."
"...Could we perhaps have the prototype quantum computer, which I heard was recently delivered to the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency, shared with RIKEN for their potion analysis? If our computing power improves, I believe the speed of drug discovery research would increase exponentially..."
"That..."
"I oppose it."
The Minister of Defense cut him off with a flat refusal.
"Minister of Defense?"
"I intended to report this later, but regarding the prototype quantum computer currently at the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency... as it stands, I cannot agree to its placement anywhere with vulnerable counterintelligence for the sake of national security."
"...Why is that?"
"When we conducted decryption tests using the prototype quantum computer, we found it could crack every encryption method currently in use in an incredibly short amount of time. At the very least, we cannot reveal the existence of this quantum computer until a new quantum encryption standard has been established."
"..." "..."
The Attendees of the cabinet meeting froze at the Minister of Defense’s declaration that existing encryption had been rendered obsolete. If current encryption was useless, it meant every piece of information exchanged via the internet or communication networks was wide open to interception. While the most critical secrets were handled through physical documents or oral communication, not all classified data was managed that way. Information that required speed was often sent via the web, protected by what they had believed was heavy encryption.
For the cabinet members who handled a vast array of state secrets, the prospect of that information being exposed was a nightmare.
"Is there any prospect of a new quantum encryption method being established?"
"As of now, the timeline is uncertain. The Defense Intelligence Headquarters is currently drafting a list of domestic mathematicians required for the development. Since development will only begin after the team is selected, it’s unlikely to be completed within the year."
"I see..."
The Prime Minister hung his head at the Minister of Defense’s words, and the other ministers paled as they followed suit. People had long predicted that quantum computers would eventually trivialize current encryption, but everyone had assumed they had a grace period of at least ten years.
In reality, the completion of a quantum computer was imminent, yet they lacked a sufficient electronic counterintelligence system.
"...Is there a possibility that countries other than our own are developing quantum computers?"
"Naturally. Since we have succeeded in its development, it would be far too optimistic to think other countries cannot do the same. We should act on the assumption that other nations also possess them."
"True... It would be arrogant to assume that we can achieve what others cannot."
Having his optimism checked, the Prime Minister managed a self-deprecating smile.
"Then let us proceed on the assumption that other nations also possess quantum computers. Until the new quantum encryption method is established, please ensure that the creation and storage of classified documents are strictly limited to standalone computers or handwritten files. Additionally, please consider secure, high-speed delivery methods for physical documents. While emergency communications will have to rely on conventional methods for now, I want to minimize the risk of leaks in all other areas."
"It’s a tremendous amount of labor, but we have no choice given the risk of a leak. However, this is going to consume a massive amount of the budget..."
The Minister of Finance grimaced as he performed a rough calculation of the necessary expenses in his head.
"The cost won't be cheap, but compared to the losses that would follow a security breach, it's a bargain."
"I suppose so, but it remains a painful expense nonetheless. Our budget is already stretched thin by dungeon countermeasures, the construction of multiple Core Crystal power plants, and the development of new technologies..."
"Even so, Japan is still better off than other countries."
"Well, yes... I’ve never been as grateful for the Japanese national character as I am now. Even in the midst of this emergency, our people act calmly without the riots or looting seen elsewhere."
The Minister of Finance breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that their public order maintenance costs were significantly lower than in other nations. Even a rough estimate suggested their necessary expenses were an entire order of magnitude lower than those of other developed countries.
"Besides, the economy has been looking up lately thanks to the dungeon boom. If Core Crystal power generation is completed this summer and commercial operation begins by the end of the year, the economy will improve further, and tax revenues will follow."
"I certainly hope so. But I also hear that the world is becoming increasingly volatile. I wonder how much longer Japan can remain an uninvolved bystander..."
At the Minister of Finance’s remark about volatility, the cabinet ministers exchanged glances with unreadable expressions.
"Indeed. Especially in the Middle East—the chaos of the dungeons has paused open warfare for now, but the tension is at a point where the conflict could reignite at any second."
"Is it really that serious?"
"Yes. Specifically, since our country announced Core Crystal power generation, the value of oil as an energy resource has been shaken. As a result, the West’s policy of securing Middle Eastern oil has wavered, causing instability in the cooperative relationships between Western and Middle Eastern nations."
"..."
The Prime Minister frowned as the Minister of Foreign Affairs put his own fears into words. He was being told that his country's announcement was a direct catalyst for the instability in the Middle East.
However, faced with the long-held ambition of ending foreign energy dependence, the Prime Minister, as the leader of the nation, could not have chosen to withhold the announcement of Core Crystal power generation.
"Please proceed with economic and technical support for oil-producing nations as much as possible. They were already aiming to break away from an oil-dependent economy, but they won't be able to handle a transition this sudden."
"Yes. We are already proposing an economic and technical support plan for them, drafted in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance. Negotiations are currently underway at the working level."
"I understand. I’ll leave that in your hands."
"Understood."
The Prime Minister entrusted the follow-up with the oil-producing nations to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the other ministers.
Even though Core Crystal power generation had been announced, oil still powered the country. If they failed to follow up with the oil-producing nations, there was a risk of an oil embargo or, at the very least, a significant hike in prices. If that happened, the economy, which had begun to climb due to the dungeon boom, would likely plummet again. Determined to avoid such a scenario, the Prime Minister ensured the support was handled smoothly.
Later, while hosting a dinner party at a restaurant in a certain hotel, the Prime Minister was approached by a Presidential Aide who whispered urgently in his ear. The Prime Minister abruptly canceled the dinner, offered a brief apology to his guests, and hurried to his official car to head for the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
Inside the car, the Prime Minister cried out in surprise as the Presidential Aide provided the summary.
"Conflict has flared up in the Middle East again?! Is that true?"
"Yes. The first report arrived from the local embassy about an hour ago. It was an invasion that unilaterally ignored the ceasefire treaty without any prior notice. Large-scale urban warfare has broken out on the ground, and significant casualties are being reported. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already issued a notice to all resident embassy staff to evacuate the country."
"I see... Any other information?"
"As of now, there is no further information. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense are currently gathering intelligence, so more details should be available by the time we arrive at the Prime Minister's Official Residence."
The Presidential Aide apologized, sounding regretful that he didn't have more detailed information on hand.
"I see... The possibility of conflict flaring up again was expected, but I never imagined it would happen so quickly."
The Prime Minister gazed at the night view through the car window, his face etched with regret. However, that look of helplessness lasted only a second; he shook his head, pulled himself together, and began barking instructions to the Presidential Aide.
"But there's nothing we can do about what has already started. If we have time to regret, it's more urgent to devise measures to prevent the impact from spreading. Since tensions are smoldering in countries beyond those directly involved, if this sparks a chain reaction across the entire Middle East..."
"...It would be a worst-case scenario."
"Yes. Therefore, our country needs to respond immediately. I want to hold an Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting as soon as possible. What is the status of the cabinet members' summons?"
The Presidential Aide consulted a notepad and reported the situation.
"Summons have already been sent to all the ministers. Regarding the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently on a diplomatic tour of the United States, we have received word that he will complete today's schedule and return home immediately. The other ministers should be arriving at the Prime Minister's Official Residence shortly."
"I see. Then let us hurry as well."
"Yes, sir."
Less than thirty minutes later, the official car arrived at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. Together with the ministers who had already gathered, the Prime Minister opened an Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting, and the discussions regarding Japan’s next steps continued late into the night.