1987 Akitsukuni coup attempt

The 1987 Akitsukuni coup attempt, known popularly as Wakizashi Night as well as the Heian Riots and 2105 Incident, was an attempt by officers of the Imperial Akitsukunese Armed Forces to launch a coup d'etat in the aftermath of the 1987 Mountain War, which was settled via armistice. Using ongoing pro-war demonstrations by radical nationalist groups as a pretext, the main coup leaders - popularly known as the Clique of Five - moved troops into Heian and declared martial law, taking over control and legally dissolving the government. The ultimate goal of the coup leaders was to restart the war with Elwha, with the goal of forcing territorial gains and a full victory.

However, the coup attempt was soon besieged by major riots throughout Heian and elsewhere in Akitsukuni, as well as numerous uncooperative military units which did not support the newly-formed government. A number of high-profile incidents gave the already poorly-received coup leaders an extremely negative image domestically and abroad, culminating in the Imperial Square Incident, a massacre of unarmed civilian demonstrators in the historic square. Shortly after, the coup leaders stepped down and resigned, having taken over for less than 3 days and barely having had direct control over just parts of Heian.

Bringing about fears that Akitsukuni would collapse into a civil war, or worse, Wakizashi Night momentarily brought Akitsukuni to the world's attention. With the stepping down of the coup leaders and the reconvening of the Gikai, provisional Prime Minister Tadao Watanabe was set to rise, enabling his later re-election and leadership, instrumental in bringing about the Miracle Decade.

Coup leaders
Major-General Yukihito Tsuge - Imperial Army 3rd Motorised Infantry Division, part of the Heian defensive force.

Colonel Naoto Nezu - 34th Motorised Infantry Brigade, under Tsuge.

Colonel Jinpachi Takenaka - Imperial Air Force 117th Aggressor Wing

Major-General Tarō Shikishima - Imperial Army 15th Armoured Division

Colonel Masaaki Yamagata - Imperial Army 43rd Motorised Infantry Brigade

Other coup-affiliated units include the 6th Motorised Infantry Division, 14th Armoured Regiment and 37th Artillery Brigade.

First day
Wakizashi Night as it started around 7 PM with troops moving into Heian. Some units refused to move and blockade themselves in their bases. The senior military leadership resign immediately. The Gikai Complex is taken and Tsuge legally dismisses the PM, dissolves the Gikai and the Cabinet. Martial law is installed and a curfew is imposed.

Immediately after taking over, the officers arrested the previous PM and Yukihito Tsuge legally dissolved the Gikai and cabinet.

Media centres are secured in the night but the local police do not cooperate and block the coup's process.

The first riots begin, and some activists attempt to block more troops from entering Heian as soon as the coup is announced. Protesters clash as nationalists and moderates fight.

Death of Yuria Doi
A truck runs over 6-year old Yuria Doi. This sparks a major protest that locks down downtown Heian.

Second Day
The coup leaders attempt to coordinate, consolidate and move to declare their rule. However, other military units refuse to comply.

Saishi Incident
The Imperial Air Force deploys fighters over Heian, which the coup forces threaten to shoot down.

Nishikawa bridge attack
At around 10 pm, a reconnaissance unit of the 47th Infantry Regiment was intercepted at the edge of Heian. Its commander, Colonel Daisuke Ishihara, issued a plea for the coup leaders to step down. It soon transpired that the 47th was attempting to investigate the situation and was poised to enter the city. Ishihara was ordered to stand down and return to his base at Niihama, but the 47th continued to move into the city limits by 11 pm. Ishihara could no longer be reached.

In response to this, Tsuge approved the deployment of one of his helicopters to provide a warning to Ishihara to withdraw. The helicopter gunship proceeded to the Nishikawa bridge, where the 47th was attempting to cross but was blocked by a coup-aligned unit. Due to communications difficulties and unknown factors, at around midnight the gunship fired a salvo of air-to-ground rockets that destroyed the bridge. Leading elements of the 47th withdrew immediately, with conflicting reports of sporadic gunfights breaking out between the different Army units.

News of the bridge attack rapidly spread, with fears that a full civil war would occur soon leading to more calls for the coup leaders to step down.

Third Day
Things all go to shit.

Imperial Square Incident
In the early morning, the Army opens fire on protesters in Imperial Square, killing a large number of people. Confused orders.

Coup leaders step down
The coup leaders immediately step down.

Coup leaders
The Imperial Security Agency and police forces immediately moved in to arrest the coup leaders at the Gikai Complex after their announcement. Two of the coup leaders were arrested and tried for conspiracy against the government, while three managed to elude capture, two via suicide. All of the coup leaders were dishonourably discharged from the Armed Forces, and all military honours were stripped.

Major-General Yukihito Tsuge, the overall leader of the coup, disappeared from Heian and later Akitsukuni, and was later discovered by the Imperial Intelligence Agency to be living in Meisaan under political exile and in disguise. Colonel Jinpachi Takenaka and Colonel Masaaki Yamagata both committed seppukku immediately after stepping down. Colonel Naoto Nezu was placed under indefinite house arrest, and was only released in 2006. Major-General Tarō Shikishima was given the death sentence for his involvement in the Imperial Square massacre, and was executed by firing squad in 1989.