Foreign Minister Shigenori Tōgō personally went to the airport to welcome Hopkins. The moment he saw the B-17 Bomber, he immediately stepped forward to greet him.
The enormous B-17 Bomber deeply shocked Shigenori Tōgō. Though he knew nothing about military matters, he knew the Island Nation had no aircraft as massive as the B-17 Bomber. On one hand, the Island Nation lacked the necessary technology. On the other, building heavy bombers consumed far too much money and resources. The Island Nation's resources were already scarce; it simply did not have that much to squander. With the resources needed to build a heavy bomber, it would be better to build several more Zero fighters.
Of course, that did not stop the Island Nation from coveting heavy bombers. The senior officers of the Island Nation's Army Air Corps had repeatedly applied to build them. Especially after Germany began its strategic bombing of Buru, displaying the immense power of heavy bombers, the Island Nation became even more eager to possess such aircraft. Unfortunately, the Island Nation's High Command still rejected their requests. War was about to break out, after all. Every resource the Island Nation possessed had to be used to win it. Unless the Island Nation occupied the South Seas and Australia and gained vast resources, it would simply be impossible for them to build such heavy bombers.
Hopkins came down the gangway. Shigenori Tōgō's face was piled high with smiles as he immediately went forward to greet him.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two sides got into their cars and headed for the Prime Minister's residence.
Originally, Shigenori Tōgō had planned to arrange for Hopkins to rest at the guesthouse first. After all, long-distance air travel in this era was by no means enjoyable; it was a profound torment.