Military Governorate of Shonan-Marai

Military Governorate of Shonan-Marai ショナンマライ軍政部 Shonan-Marai Gunseibu
Flag of the Governorate
Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Army TAG = SHO
Politics
Capital	Syônan-tô
Ruling Party	25th Army Headquarters
Head of State	Yamamoto Moichirō
Head of Government	Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III (In Exile)
Diplomacy
Sphere	Co-Prosperity Sphere
Foreign Alignment	Fully Dependent Member of the Co-Prosperity Sphere
Economy
GDP	$1.04B
Credit Rating	Good
Market Type	Planned Economy

The Military Governorate of Shonan-Marai, also referred to as Shonan-Marai Gunseibu, is a country in south-east Asia. It is a Japanese overseas territory administrated ruthlessly by the 25th Army. The Governorate is a member of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, bordering Thailand to the north.

It starts the game at war with the Communist partisans of the UMAJF controlling a chunk of the Governorate's claimed north-west territory. This conflict develops in to the Malayan Emergency becoming one of the earliest conflicts of the Cold War.

History

The Malay Peninsula was formerly British holdings, with the Unfederated, Federated Malay States and the Straits Settlements administered by British colonial authorities until the war came.

Prior to the attack on Pearl Habour, the subsequent pro-Japanese coup in Thailand and the annexation of French Indochina from the Vichy French government gave the Japanese had free rein to take over the Pacific. The Japanese, would march into Malaya from the Thai Border with additional naval landings at Kota Tinggi, in conjuction with the attack on the Philippines and North Borneo.

Forced to fall back repeatedly, the British and Commonwealth Forces in Malaya would attempt counterattacks, however they would recieve defeat after defeat until the final surrender in Singapore, which saw the Malay Peninsula now under Japanese Occupation.

The 25th Army, under the leadership of General Tomoyuki Yamashita and his deputies, stormed through the Malayan Peninsula, with bicycles, tanks and infantry. With running battles against the British Indian Army, Australians and British personnel, it would result in one of Britain's crushing defeats in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War, with the surrender at Singapore.

The 25th Army would march into Singapore triumphant, turning the Malay Peninsula into a colony that would supply the Japanese economy with natural rubber, tin and other resources that laid within the Peninsula.

Running the Peninsula.

The Japanese policy for the administration of Malaya was developed in February 1941 by Colonel Obata Nobuyoshi (Section Chief of Intelligence – Southern Army), and Lt Colonels Otoji Nishimura and Seijiro Tofuku of the General Staff.

Five principles would be set out: acquisition of vital materials for national defence, restoration of law and order, self-sufficiency for the troops in the occupied territories, respect for established local organisations and customs, and no hasty discussion of future status of sovereignty. Administrative-wise, the Straits Settlements were to be placed directly under the Japanese Army, the Federated Malay States and Johor will remain as autonomous protectorates under their sultans, while the four northern states (Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu) were to eventually revert to Thai rule.

Additionally, to bolster these efforts to turn Malaya into a Japanese colony, the Japanese sought to change the common language of Malaya to Japanese. Its initial moves were to change shop signs and street names. Penang was renamed Tōjō Island (東條島, Tōjō-tō) and Malaya renamed Malai (馬来, Marai). The time zone was also moved to align with Japan to ensure this change.

Overall control and administration of Malaya was the responsibility of the 25th Army. The transfer of the northern Malay states to Thailand moved them to Thai control.

Japanese and Taiwanese civilians headed the Malayan civil service and police during the occupation. The structure remained similar to that of Malaya's pre-war civil service with many for Civil Servants being reappointed. Many of the laws and regulations of the British administration continued in use. The Sultans were initially allowed to continue as nominal rulers, with the intent that they would eventually be completely removed from power.

Inciting Collaboration

The Japanese would start inciting collaborationism by using slogans such as "Asia untuk orang Asia" (translation: Asia for Asians) to win support from the local Malays. Malay radicals had been given strict instruction to abide by Japanese military plans to create "Asians for Asians" and a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" with Malaya as an important base. The Japanese worked hard to convince the local population that they were the actual saviours of Malaya while Britain was portrayed as an imperialist force that wished to exploit Malaya's resources. However in reality, the Japanese were keen to exploit the region.

The Malayan Emergency

Subsequently, the 25th Army was stationed in the Malayan Peninsula, set to garrison the Empire of Japan's newly conquered territory, where they stayed for the next 20 years. It was during these 20 years that the 25th Army slowly grew lax in it's garrisoning duties, as well as having manpower chipped away by the guerilla war, resulting in their ranks mostly bolstered by Malayan collaborators.

On paper, the 25th Army is supposed to be one of the most elite units in the Sphere, guarding the strategic Straits of Malacca and the resources of Malaya. However, the constant attrition with the guerrillas have depleted its manpower and equipment. To make up for this, Shonan conscripts any abled person to compensate for the 25th's ineffeciency and form a marginally more competent fighting force.

To Japan, keeping control of Malaya has been a massive money sink, with the 25th Army unable to put the UMAJF rebels down for good. However, they can never leave the country because its resources are vital to the Sphere and Shonan-to must be protected at all costs.

National Spirits

The Shonan-Marai Gunseibu starts out with the following National Spirits

Name	In Game Description	Effects
Home of the 25th Army	The 25th, the proud upholders of Shonan! On paper, at least. In pratice, the 25th is nothing but a shell of its former self, the 10 years of constant fighting back and forth with the rebels have whittled the once proud army into an undermanned, underfed, and underequipped force. What keeps it going, is the supplies from Japan itself, and the weariness of their enemies. For good or bad, the 25th needs to win, as another loss will be the final nail in its coffin.	Division Speed: -20.00% Division Organization: -10.0% Surrender Limit: +100.00% Division Attack: -20.0%
A Divided Collaboration Network	The long decade of conflict with the Malayan rebels left our network of allies, stretched thin as it started, even more radicalized, and torn apart. Informants we could trust turned as double agents, and individuals thought neutral at best turned into rebellion sympathizers. Not to say of our own "loyal" collaborators, transparent in their desire for personal power. Even so, it is what we have, and what Yamamoto will work with, for good or bad.	Daily Political Power Gain: -0.30 Stability: -15.00%
Bounty of the Rising Sun	Shonan's position as a satellite state of Japan has led to many things both politically and economically, but a prominent example of the latter is economic dominantion by the Japanese conglomerates known as Zaibatsu. The Zaibatsu' poor Malayan labourers work with inhumane conditions for long hours and little to no pay, effectively creating a system of slavery. Malaya has the potential to shine as brightly as the star of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, all we need is crush the rebellions once and for all.	Daily Political Power Gain: -0.20 Construction Speed: +15.00% Production Efficiency Growth: +10.00%
Marai Giyugun Auxiliaries	Local militia, sympathizers to our regime and Pan-Asianism still exist through Malaya, fighting against the perverse rebels and their western masters. While, in an ideal situation, their work would be rewarded with a nod, and not much more of it, the 25th's decrepit state means whatever fully abled person able to take a gunn and fight is more than welcome.	Non-core Manpower: +3.00% Recruitable Population Factor: 1% Supply Consumption: -10.0% Army Organization Regain: -3.00%

Trivia

The Shonan-Marai Administration also originally owned North Borneo before it was given to the North Borneo Military Administration. This nation was eventually turned into its current state in the Toolbox Theory Update.

Prior to this update, Malaya was originally under the total control of a Japanese colonial government known as the Federation of Syonan led by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor, a Japanese collaborator who served as a Puppet King to them.

He would have later passed from natural causes and be replaced by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, whom would enact reforms to turn Malaya into a Conservative Democracy led by Tunku Abdul Rahman.