Japan

Japan, also known as Imperial Japan and formally called the Greater Japanese Empire, is an independent archipelago. Notable islands include Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. It has a history of violence and social upheaval, particularly during the Ashikaga and Oda periods.

International Relations
The Greater Japanese Empire is a nation with polarized power in the Western Pacific. It keeps its diplomacy within the Pacific, with few exceptions.

Timurid Empire
Japan is in a trade agreement with the Timurid Empire, but relations aren't exactly cordial. The government's ambition of dominating the Pacific Ocean often brings the Timurid's right to its colonies into question.

State of Manchuria
Because they gained independence from Korea and declared neutrality during the Sinno-Korean Wars, Manchuria is seen by some in the Japanese government as a rogue state of Japanese rule. Despite this, the Treaty of Shanghai and the mutual threat of the Ming Empire currently prevents military action.

Union of Korea
The Union of Korea is a subject state and valuable ally to the Greater Japanese Empire. Although it is displayed as Japanese controlled, it is nearly completely autonomous and is guaranteed existence.

Russian Empire
Ever since the acquisition of far east Siberian lands, Japan has wanted to revive the Mongolians to serve as a buffer between the Russian Empire and Imperial Japan's mainland territory. This quest has proved fruitless thus far, and tensions are high as a result.

Ming Empire
Certainly Japan's greatest rival, tensions stem from long before the formation of the Greater Japanese Empire and even the Union of Japan. Japan and China have signed a peace treaty as of 1692, but neither empire is fond of the other.

Government
The Greater Japanese Empire is currently a pseudo-unitary state that acts partly as a federation consisting of 13 prefectures. It has a flexible constitution that grants its powers at the discretion of the Emperor. The head of state and government is labeled the Emperor, who has ultimate authority. There is a parliamentary body called the Council of Representatives which has an elected member from each prefecture, formally known as Great Representatives, and a single member chosen by the Emperor to act as the next heir as well as the most important member of the parliament. When the count of Great Representatives is even, the Grand Representative is appointed a vote value of three, and when the count is odd, the value is two. This keeps the count odd and always allows a majority vote. The Council of Representatives decides on interprefectural and international affairs, but must inform the Emperor of each important decision (importance is at the discretion of the Grand Representative). The parliament must also adhere to the Emperor's orders and rulings. The head of military is the Shogun, and is responsible for grand strategy. They too must adhere to the Emperor's orders and rulings.

Reserves

 * Gold: 15.7 tons
 * Silver: 26.9 tons

Internal Economy
The Japanese economy is lead mostly by agriculture, but is also known for its fishing and art industries. Travel between cities is relatively easy due to the advanced road systems, so the country is largely interconnected. This has given rise to the printing industry, including newspapers and literature such as manga. Honshu is where most of the activity lies, but the most prosperous city is Nagasaki in Kyushu (which is the only major island connected to Honshu by bridge). Shikoku and Hokkaido appear fairly lackluster in comparison, as those islands have not been included in the developments.

International Trade
The Greater Japanese empire has very little notable international trade, with its only formalized trade partner being the Timurid Empire.

Imports
Japan, due to the low quality iron and the relatively delicate melee armaments, imports large amounts of iron and steel, with most of its imported supplies coming from the Timurid Empire. There are also notable amounts of silver and coal imports moving from the mainland colonies to the home islands.

Exports
Japan, especially as of late due to worldwide food shortages, is famous in East Asia for its abundant rice exports. Despite this, Manchuria must pay heavy dues to import the food, and China is completely barred from trade with Japan. Farther west, it is famous for its hardened steel and folded blades that make much sharper blades, which are exported solely to the Timurid Empire.

Ashikaga Period
The Ashikaga period, also known as the Muromachi period, is a time where the Ashikaga Shogunate had the most influence in Japan. The main contender to the Shogunate was the Oda Clan, which formed an alliance with the Hojo Clan with the promise of a joint governance, and tensions were high. In 1463, an Oda invasion of the Uesugi and Imagawa Clans caught many by surprise. Quickly uniting with the Hojo forces, the two focused their forces to the threats to the north. Despite the large successes pushing back the Muromachi armies, which joined in the war a couple years after the start, the Odan forces found a stalemate and could not push forward. Seeing the lackluster reapings in the western front, General Oda Nobusada started an offensive to the south, quickly conquering the Tokugawa and many lesser clans. The Western front was enormous, with over 160,000 at its peak during 1468. After a massive gain, Oda Nobutada declared himself as the Emperor of the newly established Union of Japan in 1467, marking an official end to the Ashikaga Period.

Oda Period
The Oda period is the period in time in which the Oda Clan dominated most of Japan. What is agreed upon as the first non-military success of this period was the establishment of a renowned road system (even to this day), initially between the cities of Kyushu, Osaka, and Nagoya. During its construction, Oda forces conquered the Mori Clan and much of the Shimazu Clan. Military movement stagnated after this, largely due to Oda Nobusada's, the Emperor of the Union of Japan at the time, construction of the First Japanese Constitution. The Constitution greatly expanded the powers of the Emperor, but Nobusada was much more passive than the former Emperors, and is considered the founder of Japanese democracy. This stagnation is believed to be the downfall of the Union of Japan, as the Muromachi and Shimazu united and were given aid from the Ming and Joseon Empires, China and Korea respectively. In fear of losing influence, the islands of Taiwan and Hainan were invaded, both of which were under Chinese rule, with the former seeing much more success. Odan forces also conquered the Sogabe and most of the Shimazu bar a few coastal city states, which were highly fortified. The Union of Japan had expended its navy fighting the Ming Empire and the Joseon supplied Ashikaga navies, which were outnumbered and outmatched by Korean turtles to begin with. Notably, along with road expansions going north to Aoyama and south to Nagasaki, construction of the Japanese Center of Trade and Commerce was started in 1498 in the city of Nagasaki. Despite the dominance over the Japanese home islands, Nobuhide (the ruling Emperor of the time) knew it would be lost, and submitted to the Ming's demands of relinquishing Taiwan and surrendering the position of Emperor to the Ashikaga in 1503. This marks the end of the Oda Wars.

Ashikaga Rule
After the government's swift capitulation and the crowning of Ashikaga Yoshizume, Oda Nobuhide was appointed Shogun to avoid the imminent eruption of civil war. It should be noted that this time was marked with worldwide famine, but Japan was largely unaffected due to favorable ocean currents.

Rise of Pirating
The Japanese Center of Trade and Commerce was finished in 1519, at a mighty height of 170 meters and a width of 91 meters. This triangular building was the first of its kind in Japan, sporting the title of tallest building in the world. This increased commerce, but with a then inactive navy, pirating became a serious problem. Multiple nations sought solutions. Japan's actions involved military patrols along well traveled routes and docking requirements, but poor enforcement rendered all countermeasures ineffective. Pirating took decades to die out.

Russo-Sinno War
Japan's greatest ally, the Joseon Empire, was at war with the Russian Empire over disputes over claims of the former Mongolian lands. This, combined with the severe lack of metals and fuels in Japan, caused the Council of Representatives to unanimously agree to joining the war. After a short preparation, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Magadan were successfully invaded. Japanese forces quickly spread among the lowlands and avoided crossing the mountain ranges. This severely limited mobility, but proved to be initially effective so Japanese troops could become accustomed to the climate. By 1526, Japan secured the entirety of Kamchatka and Sakhalin. With troop morale exceptionally high, there was a massive push east. Due to the famously cold Siberian winters, this time of the war is marked with more deaths than any battle until the Battle of Aidan. Unfortunately for Japan, Korea drew white peace with Russia by the time Japan secured most of the Siberian-Pacific coast. The Koreans still aided them in a way by allowing the movement of Japanese forces through their territory. This allowed the Japanese forces to gain vast swathes of land without worrying about conflict. By 1531, the current borders of Japan had already been drawn thanks to the "hundred mile" initiatives. Against stacked odds, in 1532 the Russian Empire surrendered to the terms of Japan-drawn borders for reparations of money and men (to partially cover Russian losses).

Sinno-Korean Wars
In 1541, the Korean civil war began as a result of the Emperor of the Joseon Empire naming his youngest son heir. Several other sons split apart the nation, and the rightful Emperor was confined to Seoul with the smallest of forces and the smallest of lands. Reaching out to Japan, the majority of the Council of Representatives agreed not to intervene, but 2 factions sent over 50,000 men total to capture the Japanese controlled city of Vladivostok. Immediately, there was an invasion of Chongjin and Pyongyang, which were proven effective as Japan had better utilized their fear tactics developed during the Russo-Sinno War. Battles, however, were especially brutal, and often a Korean soldier would commit suicide before capture. Oda Nobuhide, Shogun of Japan, authorized the live boiling of Korean POWs, as well as sieging Korean armies with living POWs launched from catapults.Horrified against the Japanese actions, most of Korea joined together to fight under the rightful heir, including the surviving sons of the Emperor. With a unified body acting against Japan, there was an effective stalemate for 3 whole years. During that time, Manchuria declared independence from Korea and sided neutrally in the war. This was ended when Japanese forces rushed down the coasts and ruined Korea's naval efficiency, allowing the efficient transportation of supplies without having to travel from Siberia to Vladivostok, to the supply bases. The Prefecturate of Korea was established, with the capital in Pyongyang, as a puppet of Japan. After the siege of Seoul in 1540, Koreans were too disheartened to continue this war they lost over 200,000 men to. The PK was disbanded in 1542 and the Union of Korea was established, which spanned the entirety of the Korean Peninsula.

National Revival of Constitutionalism
The next period of Japan is what brought down Ashikaga rule. Oda Nobunaga is a famous figure in this movement, and is credited with popularizing it. He insisted that the Grand Representative during the surrender of Oda Nobuhide was the rightful ruler of Japan, making Ashikaga rule illegitimate. The movement was very popular in the former Oda Clan's territory, with the exception of the suppressed city of Kyoto.. Only after Nobunaga's death in 1588 did the movement gain any ground. Protesters and rioters flooded the streets of Osaka, Nagoya, and Gifu. There was even a concert organized in Kyoto that broke into violence. In the year 1594, Nationals captured the city of Edo and spread across the northern Honshu island. Several other cities followed suit, and eventually the Emperor stepped down and Oda Nobutasa was given the title of Emperor in 1598. That year is the official end of Ashikaga Rule.

Greater Japanese Empire
Nobutasa renamed the Union of Japan to the Greater Japanese Empire. This is a period marked with national pride and confidence in the government. The capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo.

Japanese Unification
Despite the strong sense of pride given off by citizens, the government was slow to start. In 1604, the government promised to gain the island of Hokkaido, which had avoided Japanese focuses due to the strife and threats of foreign invasion. The government did not even move in on Hokkaido until 1608, and did not capture it until 1621. There was also an issue of Shikoku separatism. Shikoku is a poorly developed island relative to Honshu, and has been largely excluded from the civil war. Oda Nobutasa started a campaign to build roads on the island, which has qualmed the separatists for the remainder of his rule.

Sinno-Chinese War
In 1638, Manchuria offered the Japanese an offer that the Emperor couldn't resist: a cooperative invasion of China. The Council agreed to wait until the Manchurians made the first move, but this took an exceptionally long amount of time. Waiting eagerly, there was no invasion until 1645. Manchuria raided the Chinese villages in the north, while the Emperor sent troops to aid them in the event of a Chinese invasion. There was also a delayed invasion of Taiwan to capture an important Chinese agricultural center. The island was fully captured by 1650. Over the course of 40 more years, Hainan and many other small islands were seized by Japanese forces. A failed invasion and siege of Nanjing in 1991 on the Chinese mainland left over 15,000 Japanese soldiers stranded, and on January 14th, 1692, the Treaty of Shanghai was signed. Nearly 30,000 mi² were added to the empire, but the crushing defeat at Nanjing prevented the ultimate goal of securing naval supremacy was squandered. Morale plummeted from this singular loss, and unrest returned.

Chinese genocide
Starting immediately after the end of the Sinno-Chinese war, the Imperial Government of Japan started a displacement campaign in Hainan and Hong Kong for continental Chinese peoples. There has also been pressure put on the Autonomous Region of Taiwan to exile and enslave its Han population. Chinese language and culture were largely repressed, seen as traitorous practices by the state. To date, over 300,000 Hans have been killed, and many have fled the imperial lands. Japan continues putting down Chinese culture.