Empire of Japan

Empire of Japan 大日本帝国, Dai-Nippon Teikoku
Flag of Japan
Location of Japan (Light Green) GEACPS (Dark Red) TAG = JAP
Politics
Capital	Tokyo
Ruling Party	YSK - Hoshu Honryu
Head of State	Emperor Hirohito
Head of Government	Prime Minister Ino Hiroya
Diplomacy
Sphere	Co-Prosperity Sphere
Foreign Alignment	Sphere Leader
Economy
GDP	$251.45B
Credit Rating	Prime
Market Type	Corporatism

Japan (Japanese: Nippon or Nihon), officially the Empire of Japan (Japanese: 大日本帝国, Dai-Nippon Teikoku), is a country in East Asia, and one of the superpowers in the Cold War and world of TNO. Japan consists of the Japanese Home Islands, Sakhalin island, the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, Micronesia, Polynesia, the Aleutians, and various Pacific Islands, while its puppets span from Indonesia to Mongolia.

Declared in 1868 after a revolt against the previous feudal system, Japan rapidly industrialised in the 19th and early 20th century, becoming an imperialist great power. After the first world war, nationalism and aggressive militarism swept over the country, leading it into wars against China, the United States and the various European colonial powers in the region, resulting in a decisive triumph over much of Asia and the Pacific. However, post-war, Japan struggles with internal corruption, a weak government, and unstable colonies on the brink of rebellion.

It is the most powerful country in Asia, and the leader of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan is officially a one-party state, ruled by the Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association (Japanese: Taisei Yokusankai), an authoritarian big tent party which unifies the entire Japanese government under one banner. Its Head of Sate is Emperor Hirohito, while its Head of Government is Prime Minister Ino Hiroya.

History

Interwar Period

The centuries-old policies of Isolation and seclusion that Japan had practiced was put to an abrupt end in 1854, when American Naval Officer Matthew C. Perry landed on Japanese soil under orders from the United States Government and forced the Japanese Shoguns to open up trade with the US and the world. Despite resistance against the unequal treaties levied upon them, Japan had no choice and was forced to continue trading with the Great Powers.

The Japanese Battleship Shikishima during the Battle of the Yellow Sea

The coming decades saw rapid industrialization, cultural change and Government reform of Japan during the Meiji era. Japan started to modernize, forming a National Diet and Constitution along with a shift from feudalism to a Capitalist economic system. The economy of Japan began to grow exponentially along with geopolitical ambitions. In 1894, Japan launched a war against Qing China and was victorious, successfully annexing Taiwan and freeing Korea from Chinese overlordship. After the Boxer Rebellion and Russo-Japanese War, which saw Japan steamroll the ill-prepped Russian Pacific Fleet in Port Arthur and defeat the Russian Baltic Fleet sent over to aid the Pacific Fleet, Japan became a key player in Pacific Politics and the annexation of Korea in 1910 and an easy victory over German holdings in the Pacific during World War I further reinforced Japans standing as a regional power.

After World War I and a failed intervention in Siberia during the Russian Civil War, Japan transitioned fully to a Democracy. This period was nicknamed "Taisho Democracy". However, the growing National debt and low national pay led to a disgruntled populace and working class and growing Nationalist and Militarist contributed to the growing instability in the empire, culminating in a coup attempt in February of 1936 launched by Ultranationalists. The attempt was thwarted by the intervention of the Emperor and the Ultranationalists were purged, leading to the Tōseiha faction taking over most of the influence of the Ultranationalists. By 1940, Japan had changed mostly to a unique flavor of Totalitarianism and Fascism, dubbed "Showa Fascism." Japan still held onto a parliament, however it was mostly symbolic and subordinate to the Government and Military.

The Great Depression, which hindered Japan's economic growth severely, is agreed by historians to have played in the rise of Japanese Militarism as the Depression did in other countries such as Germany combined with the need for raw materials driving Japan into an expansionist mindset.

In 1931, Japan invaded and occupied Manchuria and established the state of Manchuko, a puppet state and a breadbasket for the Imperial Japanese Army who wanted to expand further down south to fulfill Japan’s resource needs.

Second Sino-Japanese War

In 1937, the Japanese Empire invaded China after a false flag operation. The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-Shek, and the Communists, led by Mao ZeDong, had been locked in a Civil War for years, putting their armies in dire spots once news of the invasion came in. Japan captured Nanking and perpetrated what became known as “Nanjing Massacre” where hundreds of thousands are presumed to have been killed, however no official counting by the Empire of Japan of by the Chinese Government has been conducted, so this number is subject to change.

Leadup to World War II and Expansion

Before World War II, the Japanese Empire engaged in numerous border clashes with the Soviet Union

Parties and Factions

Pre-Setting Sun Rework

At game start

Name	Ideology	Leader
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Mainstream Conservatives	Corporatism	Ino Hiroya
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Reformists	Gōken Conservatism	Takagi Sōkichi
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Technocrats	Managerial State	Kaya Okinori
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Kidoites	Controlled Democracy	Kido Kōichi

Appears during Kaya's tenure as Prime Minister

Name	Ideology	Leader
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Imperial Rule Assistance Renewal Alliance	Authoritarian Developmentalism	Fukuda Takeo
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Reform Bureaucrats	Reform Bureaucracy	Kishi Nobusuke

Setting Sun Rework

Name	Ideology	Leader
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Home Ministry Clique	Managerial State	Funada Naka
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Broad Pond Society	Authoritarian Developmentalism	Ikeda Hayato
Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Union of Imperial Rule Assistance Legislators	Corporatism	Kawashima Shōjirō
Association of Independent Legislators - Companion Society	Gōken Conservatism (Reformist Causus) National Conservatism (Militarist Causus)	Kōno Ichirō

Appears after Kōno's reforms

Name	Ideology	Leader
Cooperative Democratic Party	National Liberalism	Miki Takeo
Constitutional Liberal Party	Gōken Conservatism	Gōken Conservatism
New Party in Defense of the Empire	Corporatism	Kishi Nobusuke