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In times like these, when injustice has claimed the upper hand and a foreign enemy is at the gates, it behooves us to remember: Why we fight, why we remain strong, and why, even in the face of defeat, we shall not lose.

It was fully two years ago, and a few more weeks, that I came to eJapan. I had left a country that had engaged in a senseless war, not for reason or for cause but only on a whim. That country was losing. They had bitten off more than they could chew. But I knew, from watching politics, that they had not yet learned the humble lessons of that defeat. So I chose what I called "exile by choice." I found a new home.

Here, in eJapan, I watched, worried, as America recovered from that battle, seizing the initiative on others, winning and losing -- acting as, in those days, a great power was expected to act. And I felt a homesickness in the worst days, when the enemies had seized the upper hand, and when only Florida was left. I told myself that even though my home was here, I could not forget my "ancestors," across the ocean in my original home.

And yet, something happened. I will not cheapen it by calling it a miracle. It was the work of women and men -- brave soldiers and passionate leaders. These heroes pushed back the assault of Russia, Hungary, the United Kingdom and Indonesia, and in time, America was once more free. Indeed, they became freer than they had ever been before.

Because America, this time, had not failed to learn the lesson of defeat. America was strong, and although we eJapanese had aided the Indonesians in this invasion -- partly due to fear, partly due to self-interest -- we did not retain their enmity. Indeed, it would be our first alliance that turned the tide -- beginning the old order's end.

America had allied with China. They wished to free Heilongjiang and Liaoning, two regions rich in iron that had been seized by Iran and Hungary as spoils of war.

At the time, there were only two routes across the Pacific -- through the Bering Strait into Far Eastern Russia, or through the Japanese island of Kyushu. Far Eastern Russia was a fortress region, with a Quality Five defense system and many strong defenders. At the time, the greater a region's population, the harder it was to seize -- and Defense Systems multipied this effect. So this route would have been a hard road.

Americans sought the easier way, through the island of Kyushu. This, the same road that had been opened in order to let Indonesia seize Hawaii. But we eJapanese were not who we had been. Acknowledging the wrongs we had done, we nonetheless stood fast, refusing to surrender our territory. If it had been wrong once, it was assuredly wrong twice, our leaders said. Thus the World War came to eJapan for the first time.

It was not our hand alone that decided the battle. Both alliances fielded immense numbers of troops, to defend and to break through. But this was also the Imperial Army's first test, for even as a small nation, we had not forgotten our own strength. Although small in comparison to the other forces arrayed, our soldiers provided the margin of victory -- and Kyushu held.

It was at this point that we had a choice. It was not a choice I had anticipated. I, among others, argued fiercely against at the time. But in the fullness of history, this choice would be decisive.

We let the Americans through. After giving the opposite alliance a chance to reach a negotiated settlement with China, we opened the gates to the Americans. The reason was twofol😛 First, we were not satisfied with neutrality. Merely defending ourselves, our leaders argued, was not a purpose worthy of the Righteous Nation. It was not wrong, but neither did it fulfill our calling.

Second, the intent of the American forces was to end the stagnant world order of colonialism and opposing alliances. At the time, EDEN and Phoenix faced each other as Atlantis and PEACE had done before. But the bipolar alliances left little room for independence, or honor that transcended loyalty. So as a neutral nation, who had no debt to either alliance, we chose to become something more.

It was this that began our long alliance with America. A battle, a victory -- and then, alliance. This was our free and honest choice as eJapanese.

In time China was freed, although it did not happen in one month or two. In time we, among others, swore brotherhood with America in what was called the "Brolliance." And we showed the world that there was a Third Way beyond the stagnant two-alliance system. We accepted old enemies, becoming PANAM, then Terra, and joining with nations like Brazil and Russia and the UK, burying old grievances to launch new beginnings. And that is where we stand today.

Do we bear responsibility for China's anger? They are sincere in their claims. But arrogant rage cannot answer the tao of righteousness. We are not to be defeated by the naked hand of youthful power, however strong it might be.

If we were arrogant in defeating North Korea, we shall pay the price. But that is not why we fight.

We fight for an Empire that is more than just our own nation. We fight for an alliance based on hope, and the freedom to look two devils in the eye and accept neither. We fight for the Righteous Nation in principle that gives strength to our Constitution of ink and parchment, or letters on a monitor, or bits or bytes.

We fight for freedom, and sovereignty, and that is why we will not lose. It is not because our allies will save us, although I believe in their power and their loyalty. It is not because we will triumph alone, although I know the valor of our soldiers.

It is because, even if we are defeated, and even if we must struggle to remake ourselves -- we have not lost.

We will only lose if we permit China to undo what we have become. And that is beyond their power.

To all my countrymen and women, to we eJapanese and our allies, to heroes and to victims and to those who wish to be neither... I make this promise, in humble faith.

May the Great Japanese Empire last ten thousand years.