12/5 Incident

12/5 Incident Coup d'état of the Japanese Shogunate
Timeframe	December 5th – December 6th, 2001
Location(s) Involved	Kyoto, Japan
Outcome	Empire of Japan/UN/USA victory. Coup d'etat aborted.
Known Belligerents
Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Army/Mainland Defence Force 602nd Tactical Armor Unit 604th Tactical Armor Unit 605th Tactical Armor Unit Imperial Japanese Royal Guard 16th Guard Battalion 19th Independent Guard Flight 2nd Guard Regiment United States of America United States Army 66th Tactical Armored Battalion Hunters 108th Tactical Armored Battalion 117th Tactical Armored Battalion 132th Tactical Armored Battalion 174th Tactical Armored Battalion United States Navy 7th Fleet United Nations UN 11th Force Special Task Force A-01 207th Tactical Armored Platoon 1st Tactical Armored Battalion 3rd Tactical Armored Battalion 4th Tactical Armored Battalion 5th Tactical Armored Battalion 209th Tactical Armored Battalion 11th Fleet	Empire of Japan - Insurgent Forces Imperial Japanese Army/Mainland Defence Force 1st Capital Defence Division 1st Tactical Armor Regiment Fuji Tactical Fighter Training Group Imperial Japanese Aerospace Force 671st Airlift Group
Commanders
Brigadier-General Paul Radhabinod (UN)	Captain Sagiri Naoya (Empire of Japan)
Casualties
Widespread; moderate damage to Imperial Japanese, US, and UN forces. Royal Guard losses unknown.	Numerous; significant damage to insurgent forces.

The Coup d'état of the Japanese Shogunate, also known as the 12/5 Incident, was a civil war event in the Empire of Japan that took place on the 5^th of December, 2001, as a result of several actions taken by the civilian government over the years that cast them in an increasingly negative light in the eyes of the populace. One such example was the evacuation of the villages around Mount Tengen when the volcano threatened to erupt, with the government going as far as to use force to remove unwilling civilians, and the poor conditions of refugee camps used to hold such civilians evacuated from other dangerous areas or awaiting resettlement.

Another example, more deep-rooted than the first, was the increase in foreign power in Japan; US forces were once again allowed into the nation as garrison forces despite them quickly pulling out of the country during the 1998 BETA invasion of Japan and the establishment of the UN-controlled Yokohama Base, as well as the use of two G-Bombs on Japanese soil during Operation Lucifer in 1999 despite strong objections. These are just a handful of examples of the "increases in foreign power" viewpoint held by many of the coup forces.

The coup was instigated by Captain Sagiri Naoya of the Imperial Mainland Defense Force's 1^st Tactical Armor Regiment, of the 1^st Capital Defence Division, with the purpose of securing the Shogun as their new leader and the routing and retreat of any force against his ideals. His fiery speeches against the current government also inflamed the hearts of many Imperial Japanese personnel to join his cause, giving him command over several squadrons of TSFs, veterans from the Fuji Tactical Fighter Training Group, and even assets in the Imperial Japanese Aerospace Force.

History

Lightning Strike

Some time before the coup, Sagiri and several members of the IJA/MDF banded together into a research group aimed at improving battle tactics. It is suspected that this was used as a front for gathering his forces in preparation for a swift first strike.

A Type-77 and Type-89 in a tense standoff against a UN F-4 at Yokohama.

The coup began when Sagiri's forces attacked Tokyo, killing numerous members of the Imperial Diet, including Prime Minister, and besieged the Imperial Palace with the intention to capture the Shogun; Sagiri's position as commander of the IJMDF's garrison in Kyoto allowed the coup forces to move quickly without much resistance. Sagiri himself personally executed the Prime Minister of Japan and other high-ranking parliament members, accusing them of treason towards the Empire of Japan and its people. Imperial Royal Guard units quickly assembled for a first-strike against the coup forces, but with little result.

Around Japan, other IJA/MDF units, some loyal to Sagiri's cause, others against his actions, moved into position as well. Some of the IJA/MDF forces against Captain Sagiri were stationed outside Yokohama Base, to prevent the United Nations from intervening immediately, as they did not wish for the matter to escalate into one requiring foreign aid.

Escalation

The conflict would start in earnest after nightfall, when a soldier in Kyoto began firing towards the direction of Royal Guard forces, and did not stop until he was executed by his commander. Taking it to mean a total breakdown in negotiations, the Royal Guard forces backed by American reinforcements and Sagiri's troops engaged each other in earnest, the same act repeating itself across Japan as coup forces engaged garrisoned American troops.

Soon, the provisional government at Sendai authorized UN and US forces to intervene in the situation; Yokohama Base would deploy the 207^th Training Unit as the 207^th Tactical Armored Platoon to assist in the situation, backed by US troops in the vicinity and joined by Tsukuyomi Mana, Kamiyo Tatsumi, Ebisu Minagi, and Tomoe Yukino of the Royal Guard's 19^th Independent Guard Flight. The US 7^th Fleet, at that time moored offshore Sagami Bay, would also be incorporated into UN command as part of the intervention operation plan.

Unknown to all but a select few, the Shogun, Koubuin Yuuhi, had been escorted out of the Imperial Palace some time ago; the 207^th TAP later encountered her, her retainer, and Ministry of Intelligence operative Yoroi Sakon when they were stationed at their positions. Taking the Shogun into their custody, they originally planned to evacuate the Shogun to a safer area, but were pursued by enemy forces. Special Task Force A-01, deployed in secret to the region, managed to hold back the area. The Rebels, expecting conventional TSF combat, were caught completely off guard by the agility and crazy maneuvers allowed by the XM3 OS installed in Special Task Force A-01's TSFs and were defeated before having a chance to react or adapt to the combat situation. It was not until Lieutenant Komaki Sayoko joined the assault that the rebels started to adapt, managing to secure a casualty during combat. The two sides continued to battle until Sagiri managed to sneak behind the defense line to reach the Shogun, during which Komaki was defeated, but spared from death, by Captain Isumi.

With other coup forces catching up, the UN/US troops were forced to engaged Sagiri's forces, and were in danger of being surrounded when the US Army's 66^th Tactical Armor Group Hunter, led by Major Alfred Walken, arrived to assist them. As their escape neared, the combined group was cut off when Sagiri led his forces in a pre-emptive strike, using transport aircraft of the 671^st Airlift Group to drop his troops into position, despite the risks of being shot down by Laser-class BETA from the Sadogashima Hive.

With both sides being evenly matched, the battle revolved around getting to the TSF the Shogun was in and disabling it. Both sides entered a ceasefire agreement when the Shogun allowed herself to agree to a terms negotiation with Sagiri. Unknown to Sagiri, the real plan entailed switching Yuuhi with her twin sister, pilot cadet Mitsurugi Meiya of the 207^th TAP and have her, as the impostor, meet with the rebel leader while the real Shogun watched from a safe distance.

The Unforgiven

Sagiri's destroyed Type-94.

The negotiations went well, with Meiya managing to talk Sagiri into a standstill, when 2nd Lieutenant Irma Thesleff fired, and hit one of Sagiri's wing-men. This sudden act of apparent backstabbing caused all plans to collapse as the UN/US/Royal Guard forces and Sagiri's coup forces engaged each other again, this time intent on finishing the other side off. Still believing that the Shogun was with the UN TSF that carried Meiya to the negotiations, many coup pilots went after Takeru and his Fubuki, and were only stopped by Major Walken. However, Sagiri successfully engaged and destroyed Walken's sabotaged Raptor, and would have had a clear shot at Takeru, had Tsukuyomi Mana not stepped in to engage Sagiri in combat.

The battle did not end until Sagiri was defeated by Tsukuyomi. After Sagiri's death, the rebels gave up on their coup and allowed the 'Shogun' to continue undisturbed. The more stubborn coup forces were defeated by the UN/US/Royal Guard troops.

Aftermath

An F-22A shot down by coup forces.

Any coup-aligned IJA/MDF forces that were still alive surrendered, including the remaining members of the Fuji Tactical Fighter Training Group. A temporary cabinet led by the Shogun was brought in to keep to keep the citizens calm and the country functioning.

Investigations into the cause of the coup also revealed that the events of the entire battle might have been orchestrated by other elements not allied to Sagiri; 2nd Lieutenant Thesleff's sudden disregard of the ceasefire order was attributed to pre-mission application of battlefield hypnosis, which was triggered at that exact moment to cause a breakdown in communications. Major Walken's F-22A also showed signs of software sabotage, as his weapons were locked at a crucial moment where he had no reason to do so, and by his own wingmate, which was confirmed to be a likely CIA agent.

The CIA in general were suspected of having an involvement in the whole coup, as the base that the Hunters received their F-22As, Langley Army Base, was known to have hosted CIA operations before. They might also have forced the coup (as evidenced when Sagiri began gathering those of like mind), since the death of the Shogun and the coup leaders would have allowed a greater presence of foreign power in Japan in the name of "keeping the peace".

An alternative suggestion is increasing support for Alternative V by showcasing the world the fragility of the current stalemate, humanity's inability to keep together, and the superiority of Alternative V's G-bomb-optimized strategy as opposed to the yet-uncompleted Alternative IV. Yet a different suggestion has the blame on members of the Imperial household as power-hungry villains who want the Shogun out of the way.

In other aspects, the F-22As of the 66^th Tactical Armored Battalion Hunter performed admirably during this battle, showcasing the world the true extent of the United States' military might, as well as their intentions and technological prowess. The Japanese fared poorer in that extent, wasting many lives and equipment to bring this coup to its bloody conclusion.

Trivia

• During his last moments in the MLA manga, Sagiri Naoya was seen closing his eyes as his TSF approached Tsukuyomi Mana's. This heavily implies that Sagiri allowed himself to be killed. This might be because Sagiri thought he was back-stabbed by the Shogun, the raison d'etre of his coup, and no long had any will to continue to fight.