Japanese Imperial State
Two millennia ago, the proverb said that “all roads lead to Rome.” Not only was it largely true, but along those roads Roman trade, culture, science, and military might spread across the known world. Today, all roads lead to Neo-Tokyo. Nearly every nation on earth trades in the nuyen, which helps ease the transport of Japanese-made goods from one end of the Earth to the other. Japanese culture reaches everywhere, from the Zen-inspired boardroom to the slang on the streets of the Barrens. It’s no surprise that Japanese linguasoft s outsell all others. Breakthroughs in the fields of cybertechnology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and computing are often born in Neo-Tokyo labs. Japanese Imperial soldiers are stationed at bases all over the planet, and Japanese spy satellites circle above it. Japan dominates the Sixth World stage and Neo-Tokyo sits at its center.
After the eruption of the Ring of Fire (2061) and the significant effect of the ensuing casualties on Japan’s net population, there was a disquieting ripple of doubt through the Japanese people asking why such destruction would be visited upon them. This set the stage for what has become a struggle between the emperor and corporate interests for the direction Japan will follow. In many respects this is reminiscent of the struggle between the Shoguns and Emperor Meiji some two centuries earlier. It is not simply about the acquisition of power; it is a struggle for the vision of Japan’s future and its very spirit. Emperor Yasuhito, who enjoys great popularity amongst his people, seeks to promote traditional values, preaching that unity and loyalty to the JIS comes first, even for corporations. Unbridled development will not be allowed at the expense of locations or traditions that are rooted in the long history of Japan.
The two primary factions in play are the emperor, along with his advisors, Shinto shamans, Shiawase, Evo, and (somewhat surprisingly) Ryumyo; on the other side is MCT, Renraku, Yakashima, Monobe, Sony, Yokogawa, Komatsu, Daiatsu, and, most troublingly, Lung. The factions are not hard and fast, however. MCT, for example, has a better relationship with the emperor than they do with the Shinto priests, while both Renraku and Monobe have some sympathy for the emperor’s plea for a return to traditionalism. At the core of the divide, though, is a disagreement about who ultimately controls Japan’s destiny, regardless of the direction in which the ship of state is traveling.
For the present, this struggle is being waged on two distinct fronts: the Diet (the two legislative houses) and the shadows. The political maneuvering taking place in the Diet is secondary to the action in the shadows. Success or failure of ops in the shadows plays out in both houses of the Diet daily. Blackmail, bribes, and intelligence gathering on key players make up a lot of the operations being undertaken. The emperor’s faction has started setting their sights on sowing corporate disharmony by orchestrating runs against various corps (especially Renraku and MCT), trying to make it look like the truce has been violated. The wrangling has not been confined to the earthly realm, as even the Corporate Court is being dragged into the fray with both factions seeking to create coalitions of the Court Justices.
The emperor’s openness to foreign corporations, as expressed in the Yasuhito Ideal, has enabled non-Japanacorps to expand their footholds in the nation. Ares and NeoNET have particularly benefited during the reconstruction period, which has led to a spike in the number of runs against the two corps, targeting facilities not just in Japan but abroad as well.
I was going to argue the Japanese jingoism here, but then I realized that as I am typing, I am eating a bowl of fl ash-noodles I picked up for a couple nuyen from the local GO-JIRA! foodstop while listening to the latest robopop track from the Takitaki Hive Mind.
For this little outing to the land of the Rising Sun, Mihoshi and Rigger X asked me to invite a few friends to help out. So I’ve obliged with temporary privileges for some folks: Janus, whom some of you may be already know since he’s been running the PacRim shadows for long enough; Yankee, a gaijin-friendly fixer who has graciously agreed to lend a hand; Otaku-Zuku, the (in)famous Undernet Prophet guru himself; and Kemuri, a well-connected former policeman paying off a giri debt to Mihoshi.
Geopolitical Overview
T ere has always been some confusion within the Western world as to divinity of Japan’s emperor. It is important to understand that the people of the JIS do not consider the emperor to be a supernatural supreme being, omnipotent, or omniscient. He is accepted as a direct descendent of Amaterasu (the Sun goddess), in contact with the kami and inspired by them. His role traditionally has been to carry out specific rituals ensuring that the kami were properly honored; in return, they would see to Japan’s continued prosperity.After the eruption of the Ring of Fire (2061) and the significant effect of the ensuing casualties on Japan’s net population, there was a disquieting ripple of doubt through the Japanese people asking why such destruction would be visited upon them. This set the stage for what has become a struggle between the emperor and corporate interests for the direction Japan will follow. In many respects this is reminiscent of the struggle between the Shoguns and Emperor Meiji some two centuries earlier. It is not simply about the acquisition of power; it is a struggle for the vision of Japan’s future and its very spirit. Emperor Yasuhito, who enjoys great popularity amongst his people, seeks to promote traditional values, preaching that unity and loyalty to the JIS comes first, even for corporations. Unbridled development will not be allowed at the expense of locations or traditions that are rooted in the long history of Japan.
The two primary factions in play are the emperor, along with his advisors, Shinto shamans, Shiawase, Evo, and (somewhat surprisingly) Ryumyo; on the other side is MCT, Renraku, Yakashima, Monobe, Sony, Yokogawa, Komatsu, Daiatsu, and, most troublingly, Lung. The factions are not hard and fast, however. MCT, for example, has a better relationship with the emperor than they do with the Shinto priests, while both Renraku and Monobe have some sympathy for the emperor’s plea for a return to traditionalism. At the core of the divide, though, is a disagreement about who ultimately controls Japan’s destiny, regardless of the direction in which the ship of state is traveling.
For the present, this struggle is being waged on two distinct fronts: the Diet (the two legislative houses) and the shadows. The political maneuvering taking place in the Diet is secondary to the action in the shadows. Success or failure of ops in the shadows plays out in both houses of the Diet daily. Blackmail, bribes, and intelligence gathering on key players make up a lot of the operations being undertaken. The emperor’s faction has started setting their sights on sowing corporate disharmony by orchestrating runs against various corps (especially Renraku and MCT), trying to make it look like the truce has been violated. The wrangling has not been confined to the earthly realm, as even the Corporate Court is being dragged into the fray with both factions seeking to create coalitions of the Court Justices.
The emperor’s openness to foreign corporations, as expressed in the Yasuhito Ideal, has enabled non-Japanacorps to expand their footholds in the nation. Ares and NeoNET have particularly benefited during the reconstruction period, which has led to a spike in the number of runs against the two corps, targeting facilities not just in Japan but abroad as well.
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Capital: Tokyo
Leaders: Emperor Yasuhito
Prime Minister Hisei Kazama
Population 141,000,000
Human 84%
Elf 3%
Dwarf 4%
Ork 6%
Troll 2%
Other 1%
Per Capita Income: 28,700¥
Estimated SINless: 4%
Below Poverty Level: 18%
Corporate Affiliation: 78%
Education:
Less Than Twelve Years 2%
High School Equivalency 55%
College Degrees 29%
Advanced Degrees 14%
Major Ethnic Groups:
Japanese: 95%
Korean: 5%
Chinese: 3%
Other: 3%
Major Languages Spoken:
Japanese: 95%
English: 40%
Korean: 15%
Major Religions:
Shinto/Buddhist: 85%
Ainu: 2%
Unaffiliated/Others: 2%
None: 11%
Currency: Nuyen (¥)
CrashCart Coverage: 50%
Guaranteed Response Time: 7 minutes
Monobe Medical Coverage: 70%
Guaranteed Response Time: 8 minutes
Capital: Tokyo
Leaders: Emperor Yasuhito
Prime Minister Hisei Kazama
Population 141,000,000
Human 84%
Elf 3%
Dwarf 4%
Ork 6%
Troll 2%
Other 1%
Per Capita Income: 28,700¥
Estimated SINless: 4%
Below Poverty Level: 18%
Corporate Affiliation: 78%
Education:
Less Than Twelve Years 2%
High School Equivalency 55%
College Degrees 29%
Advanced Degrees 14%
Major Ethnic Groups:
Japanese: 95%
Korean: 5%
Chinese: 3%
Other: 3%
Major Languages Spoken:
Japanese: 95%
English: 40%
Korean: 15%
Major Religions:
Shinto/Buddhist: 85%
Ainu: 2%
Unaffiliated/Others: 2%
None: 11%
Currency: Nuyen (¥)
CrashCart Coverage: 50%
Guaranteed Response Time: 7 minutes
Monobe Medical Coverage: 70%
Guaranteed Response Time: 8 minutes
Comments