| 1 | !![[center: [- [[Characters/ModernTNO Main Character Index]] -]]][[center: [- '''Superpowers:''' [[Characters/MTNOGermany Großgermanisches Reich]] | [[Characters/MTNOUnitedStates United States of America]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Major Powers:''' [[Characters/MTNOChina Republic of China]] [[Characters/MTNOGreaterBayAreaSAR (GBASAR)]] | [[Characters/MTNOSovietUnion Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]]-]]] [[center: [-'''Minor Powers:''' '''Empire of Japan''' [[Characters/MTNOKorea (Chōsen/Korea)]] | [[Characters/MTNOUnitedKingdom United Kingdom]] | [[Characters/MTNOItaly Kingdom of Italy]] | [[Characters/MTNOFrance French State]] | [[Characters/MTNOBrazil United States of Brazil]] | [[Characters/MTNOArgentina Argentine Republic]] | [[Characters/MTNOSouthAfrica Union of South Africa]] | [[Characters/MTNOIndonesia Republic of Indonesia]] | [[Characters/MTNOAustralia Commonwealth of Australia]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Other Nations (Europe):''' [[Characters/MTNOSpain Spain]] | [[Characters/MTNOIreland Ireland]] | [[Characters/MTNONetherlands Netherlands]] | [[Characters/MTNOPortugal Portugal]]-]]] [[center: [-'''Other Nations (The Americas):''' [[Characters/MTNOMexico Mexico]] | [[Characters/MTNOColombia Colombia]] | [[Characters/MTNOVenezuela Venezuela]]-]]] [[center: [-'''Other Nations (Asia):''' [[Characters/MTNOMalaya Malaya]] | [[Characters/MTNOSingapore Singapore]] | [[Characters/MTNOPhilippines Philippines]] | [[Characters/MTNOVietnam Vietnam]] | [[Characters/MTNOAfghanistan Afghanistan]] | [[Characters/MTNOSyria Syria]]-]]] [[center: [-'''Other Nations (Africa):''' [[Characters/MTNOEgypt Egypt]] | [[Characters/MTNOCongo Congo]] | [[Characters/MTNOKatanga Katanga]]-]]] [[center: [- '''Misc:''' [[Characters/MTNOMisc Miscellaneous]]-]]] |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | !''Empire of Japan'' |
| 6 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png]] |
| 7 | [[quoteright:350:]] |
| 8 | ->'''Official Name:''' Empire of Japan |
| 9 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kokutai |
| 10 | ->'''Ideology:''' Semi-Constitutional Monarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 11 | ---- |
| 12 | [[folder:General Tropes]] |
| 13 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: |
| 14 | ** The Heisei Democracy is somewhat similar to the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taishō_Democracy Taisho Democracy,]] so much so that some of the party names are based on political parties of that era. |
| 15 | ** It's implied that Nikai signs a treaty similar to that of the OTL [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Peace_and_Friendship_between_Japan_and_China Treaty of Peace and Friendship,]] with the voice clip from his superevent being taken from a news report on that event. |
| 16 | ** The Meiji Shrine Incident of 1987, where students were cut down by the IJA and finished off with bayonets, is based on the Tiananmen Square Massacre. |
| 17 | *** [[spoiler: In fact, Japan had not one, but two Tiananmens. It's implied there was a similar incident in the late 1950s.]] |
| 18 | ** [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tōhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami The Great East Japan Earthquake]] still happened in this timeline. Here, the government response and reconstruction efforts were much slower, forcing local communities to band together and help each other. The event had a deep impact on the people of Tōhoku, and fostered disdain toward the government. |
| 19 | ** Unintentionally, MTNO's Japan mirrors OTL Russia, with the Fourth Sino-Japanese War echoing the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. |
| 20 | * CivilWar: In the 80s, Japan nearly fell into a civil war between the autocratic military government and Pro-Democracy elements, but Akihito's intervention put an end to the crisis. [[spoiler: If Ishihara's invasion of China fails and his government collapses, Japan falls into a brutal civil war, ironically under the same conditions as before.]] |
| 21 | * CrapsackWorld: Japan is doing much worse in this timeline, with the scars of the Yasuda Crisis, the Great Asian War, and the Economic Depression of the 1980s being felt several decades later. Living conditions are comparable to that of OTL Eastern European countries, and Japan's relative political stability simply does not exist. |
| 22 | * HowTheMightyHaveFallen: In TNO, Japan is a massive Empire spanning from Calcutta to the ports of San Francisco. In MTNO, their sphere of influence was taken over by the Chinese following the Great Asian War, and all that remains of the "Empire" is Korea, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. |
| 23 | * MeaningfulRename: In TNO, Japan's name according to the game is in Japanese; a non-Anglophone country is accorded the special privilege of bearing its name in its native language by the developers to signal that it is a superpower capable of asserting its interests worldwide. In Modern TNO, their name was changed to English, symbolizing their downfall from superpower status. |
| 24 | [[/folder]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | !! The Emperor |
| 27 | [[folder:Akihito]] |
| 28 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akihito_6.png]] |
| 29 | ->'''Role:''' Emperor of Japan |
| 30 | ->'''Party:''' Kokutai |
| 31 | ->'''Ideology:''' Semi-Constitutional Monarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 32 | ---- |
| 33 | * AbdicateTheThrone: With decades of direct governance impacting his health, Akihito will abdicate from the throne in 2015, handing power to the Prime Minister and completing the transition to democratic governance. |
| 34 | * InternalReformist: Akihito organized various liberal reforms in an attempt to finally bring democracy to Japan. |
| 35 | * PragmaticHero: He is convinced that he must water down some of his political reforms and abandon social reform outright, viewing this stance as necessary to maintain social stability. |
| 36 | * RequisiteRoyalRegalia: Like the rest of the Imperial Family, Akihito is subject to a lavish lifestyle. |
| 37 | * UniversallyBelovedLeader: Akihito is adored by the people of Japan, and his compromising attitudes earned the respect of both liberals and conservatives. |
| 38 | [[/folder]] |
| 39 | |
| 40 | !! Prime Ministers (2017 Elections) |
| 41 | [[folder:Yukio Edano]] |
| 42 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yukio_edano.png]] |
| 43 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 44 | ->'''Party:''' Minshutō[[note]]Democratic Party[[/note]] |
| 45 | ->'''Ideology:''' Liberalism |
| 46 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Yukio Edano was born in Utsunomiya City, the grandson of Yukio Ozaki, a Taisho-era politician known for his opposition to militarism and commitment to democracy. Respecting his grandfather's legacy, he sought to follow the same road as him and got involved in politics, at first as a student activist, where he got arrested in the crackdown that followed the Meiji Shrine incident. He hadn't participated in the rally itself, however, and was quickly released. With the democracy movement running out of steam, he put his activism aside to pursue his career as a lawyer.\ |
| 47 | As the Emperor took the reins of the country, restrictions on political parties and public meetings were gradually eased, and Yukio joined the newly-born Liberal Party (later re-named Democratic Party) in 1996. He was appointed a member of the diet in 1999 and was later elevated to Minister of the Economy. He entered the spotlight in the Great Earthquake of 2011, when he stayed up to assure citizens that the government had things under control and to update the public on the situation regarding the situation of the Fukushima Power Plant. Yukio gained the sympathies of the public for his care.\ |
| 48 | As a candidate, Yukio proposed a bipartisan solution, and promised to end economic stagnation whilst improving living standards. For the sake of Japan, he prepares for the hard work...[[/labelnote]] |
| 49 | ---- |
| 50 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: In real life, Edano, while Chief Cabinet Secretary, was the face of the government response in the wake of the 2011 earthquake, and became famous and respected for providing updates on the situation so regularly as to risk losing sleep. The exact same thing happens in the MTNOTL, but with Edano as Minister of the Economy, and the less effective government response than in OTL presumably leading to less sleep (and even more popularity) for Edano. |
| 51 | * InternalReformist: Edano wants to reform Japanese democracy as much as possible. |
| 52 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Edano is willing to cooperate with the opposition in fixing Japan's problems, even though they promise to obstruct his legislation. |
| 53 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: As a last ditch resort, Edano's party can form a united front with the Labor-Farmer Mass Party and other minor parties in an attempt to stop Ishihara from taking power. |
| 54 | [[/folder]] |
| 55 | |
| 56 | [[folder:Sadakazu Tanigaki]] |
| 57 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_sadakazu_tanigaki.png]] |
| 58 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 59 | ->'''Party:''' Rikken Jiyūtō - Shin Honryū[[note]]Constitutional Liberal Party - Mainstream[[/note]] |
| 60 | ->'''Ideology:''' Free-Market Conservatism[[note]]Conservatism[[/note]] |
| 61 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Sadakazu Tanigaki was born in Fukuchiyama in the final year of the Second World War. He had an unremarkable childhood and later became a lawyer. He only became involved in politics in the early 90s, following the footsteps of his father, an ex-member of the Taisei Yokusankai who had been disgraced after the Mutō coup.\ |
| 62 | A member of the Constitutional Liberal Party, formerly the People's Interest Party, a moderate center-right party, he held a number of posts during the 2000s, when governments were appointed directly by the Emperor. During the elections, Sadakazu campaigned on a pro-business platform promising to open new markets for Japanese businesses and encourage economic growth - something that would be beneficial to all of Japan. After a victorious campaign, he seeks to enact his agenda through internal reforms and by establishing bilateral relations with minor Asian countries, former members of the Sphere. But by doing so, he must, inevitably, contest the influence of the Chinese and the Americans. By trying to avoid them, he has stumbled right into them. Not to mention the growth of nationalism - an issue he has also chosen to ignore.\ |
| 63 | In spite of them, Sadakazu and his peers set their sights onwards - to bring prosperity to the Japanese people, and seek equal footing among world powers... [[/labelnote]] |
| 64 | ---- |
| 65 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Tanigaki secretly views Japan's military crusades as the cause of unnecessary suffering, and instead wants to spread Japanese influence through peaceful means. |
| 66 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: Tanigaki ignores the rise of far-right extremism for the sake of political convenience, potentially opening the doors to something much worse down the line. |
| 67 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He is one of the most balanced candidates for Japan, and will rule as a moderate. |
| 68 | [[/folder]] |
| 69 | |
| 70 | [[folder:Toshihiro Nikai]] |
| 71 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_toshihiro_nikai.png]] |
| 72 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 73 | ->'''Party:''' Rikken Jiyūtō - Hanshuryūha[[note]]Constitutional Liberal Party - Anti-Mainstream[[/note]] |
| 74 | ->'''Ideology:''' Liberal Conservatism |
| 75 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Born in Wakayama Prefecture at the eve of [=WWII=], Toshihiro Nikai's father was an assemblyman, whose dedication to politics left little time for his family. His mother was a rare specimen; a woman who worked as a physician, not relegated to living as a housewife as traditional values dictated. The contrast between the socially conservative order of Japanese society and the flexible nature of Nikai's family was only the first of many dualities he would come across.\ |
| 76 | Though Mutō's IJA government kept civilians away from high-ranking government posts, Prefectural Assemblies were up for grabs. And so, After Nikai's father passed away, he decided to return to Wakayama and take his father's seat. Thus began his career.\ |
| 77 | Nikai spent twenty years in the assembly, before he was finally able to move up in politics. He would become friends with the famed Ichiro Ozawa, and aided in the creation of the Liberal Party, the predecessor to the Democratic Party. Eventually, he and other conservatives would grow disappointed with the [=DP=]'s policies, and would move to the [=CLP=]. Nikai quietly built his connections in the [=CLP=], culminating in his victory. With a mixed, pragmatic agenda, his innovative solutions to Japan's state of affairs hinges on foreign policy, and whether or not Japan may have a future as a peaceful Asian nation...[[/labelnote]] |
| 78 | ---- |
| 79 | * BoringButPractical: Nikai is one of the least remarkable candidates, but his premiership will see Japan normalize relations with former foes and bring democracy to the rest of the Empire. |
| 80 | * {{Realpolitik}}: Nikai recognizes the importance of China in East Asia and the world, and views anti-Chinese foreign policy as futile and harmful to Japan. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:Tetsuzo Fuwa]] |
| 84 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_tetsuzo_fuwa.png]] |
| 85 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 86 | ->'''Party:''' Taishū Ronōtō - Kaikaku-ha[[note]]Labor-Farmer Mass Party - Reformists[[/note]] |
| 87 | ->'''Ideology:''' Popular Front[[note]]Progressivism[[/note]] |
| 88 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Kenjiro Ueda, also known by his pen name, Tetsuzo Fuwa, is a veteran of the Japanese left. Born in 1930, he showed a passion for writing in his youth - a passion that would kickstart his political career. He was arrested by the Tokko in 1955 for an anti-imperialist poem. In jail, he was mistreated and pressured into "converting" to anti-communism. He would refuse again and again, and remained in jail until 1964 - when he was finally released with a pardon.\ |
| 89 | A year later, he began to write several books about communist thought - many of which were written and distributed clandestinely. However, following the IJA coup, he fled the country, taking refuge in the rebirthed USSR, where he became a co-founder of the new incarnation of the Japanese Communist Party. Unfortunately for him, his criticisms of Bukharinism and calls for greater party-democracy led to him being deported back to Japan by Sergey Akhromeyev. In a repeat of history, he was sent to jail, and was once again released, this time by an Imperial Decree by Amperor Akihito.\ |
| 90 | Afterwards, Tetsuzo joined the Labor-Farmer Mass Party, and his influence guided the party towards Democratic Socialism. In spite of his age, Tetsuzo, with the help of his comrades, hopes to bring greater freedoms to Japan - to undo the evils committed by the IJA and to, at last, bring happiness to the troubled people of Japan.[[/labelnote]] |
| 91 | ---- |
| 92 | * BeingGoodSucks: Fuwa seeks to implement egalitarian social reforms and expand democracy, but knows he will have to compromise and water down his policies if he wants to get anything done. |
| 93 | * DarkHorseVictory: The left is clearly on the back foot in Japan, with severe limitations imposed upon them. So, Fuwa's victory is all the more surprising. |
| 94 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Fuwa was originally a loyal communist, who was exiled to the Soviet Union and helped to reestablish the Japanese Communist Party, but grew disillusioned with Communism and eventually returned home. |
| 95 | * InternalReformist: He is a democratic socialist who wants to improve the livelihoods of the common man and implement political reforms. |
| 96 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Ishihara wins the elections, he flees the country for good and distances himself from politics, abandoning his party. |
| 97 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: Fuwa can only take power if his party forms a coalition with the liberals, in which case, it will become a popular front of liberals, social democrats, socialists, and centrists. |
| 98 | [[/folder]] |
| 99 | |
| 100 | [[folder:Fukushiro Nukaga]] |
| 101 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_fukushiro_nukaga.png]] |
| 102 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 103 | ->'''Party:''' Rikken Jiyūtō - Seitōkyōgi[[note]]Constitutional Liberal Party - Orthodoxy[[/note]] |
| 104 | ->'''Ideology:''' Anocracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 105 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Sometimes politicians aren't remarkable, or charismatic. Sometimes, politicians are shaped by the interests of a group instead of their views. This is, and has always been, the case for Fukushiro Nugaka.\ |
| 106 | Educated in Waseda University, Fukushiro is the face of the Heisei Democrats. Like other Heisei Democrats, he is a conservative with nearly three decades of political experience. He has lurked in the House of Representatives, forming alliances with bureaucrats and political families who hold great political capital. Like other politicians of his calibre, he has flocked to the Constitutional Liberal Party and helped to turn it into the most powerful party in Japanese politics. And of course, like other Heisei Democrats, he has his own relationship with corrupt schemes hidden from the public. Though the [=CLP=] attempted to revitalize itself, with some trying to push the Heisei Orthodoxy out, Nugaka stood up to preserve the tried and tested methods that have shaped Japan's politics. To him and the orthodoxy as a whole, political stability trumps even the slightest chance of radical change. By appealing to these ever-so-present insecurities, they have won.\ |
| 107 | Nugaka's premiership may not last long, but it is significant. The Heisei Establishment has won, and it will gradually lead Japan to prosperity - hopefully.[[/labelnote]] |
| 108 | ---- |
| 109 | * CorruptPolitician: Nukaga is the most corrupt out of all potential candidates, so much so that his own election is a scheme to empower his group and dominate Japanese politics for good. |
| 110 | * StatusQuoIsGod: Nukaga and his allies are the face of the Heisei establishment, and will only empower it further if they manage to be elected. |
| 111 | [[/folder]] |
| 112 | |
| 113 | [[folder:Shintarō Ishihara]] |
| 114 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shintaro_ishihara.png]] |
| 115 | ->'''Role:''' Member of the Diet, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 election) |
| 116 | ->'''Party:''' Teikoku Ishin no Kai - Kyokuu[[note]]Imperial Restoration Association - Far Right[[/note]] |
| 117 | ->'''Ideology:''' Ultranationalism |
| 118 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Born in 1932, Shintaro Ishihara was once known merely as a prestigious writer. His first successful novel, Season of the Sun, earned him the Akutagawa Prize. Afterward, he moved on to screenplays, writing for several movies - some of which were adaptations of his novels. In the 1960s, he stepped back from his career in movies and returned to writing. With the advent of Ikeda's rule and the increasingly liberalizing nature of Japanese politics, Shintaro's reactionary views began to shine brighter - and thus began his life as an ultranationalist.\ |
| 119 | After the IJA Coup ousted Ikeda, Shintaro returned to his career in movies. He directed several propaganda films, especially during the Great Asian War. His entry into politics began around this time, as he began to make connections within right-wing circles and the IJA. He rose through the political hierarchy until becoming a member of the House of Representatives in the 90s, later becoming Governor of Tokyo. His success as Governor worried the opposition - who sought to stop him in his tracks, seeing him as a danger to the country's democratization process. The Emperor, however, afraid to anger the IJA's favorite candidate, didn't budge. And so, Shintaro's influence grew further and further, culminating in his electoral victory. Shintaro and his colleagues hope to spread the glory of Yamato with an "East Asian Crusade" - and to stomp out those they see as traitors to Japan's future...[[/labelnote]] |
| 120 | ---- |
| 121 | * DystopiaIsHard: |
| 122 | ** Ishihara succeeds in taking power, eroding Japanese democracy, and restoring one-party rule. But after [[spoiler: invading China and failing miserably, he destroys the Empire, and plunges Japan into chaos.]] |
| 123 | ** After the Labor-Farmer Mass Party is dissolved thanks to him, its' members become disillusioned with reformist politics and instead flock to the revolutionaries of the Japanese Communist Party. |
| 124 | ** He meddles in the high command of the Imperial Japanese Army and tries to fill it with yesmen to ensure the military is loyal to him. [[spoiler:As it turns out, the IJA is plagued by poor leadership during the Fourth Sino-Japanese War, and the military turns against him.]] |
| 125 | * EvilOldFolks: Ishihara is a leading Japanese ultranationalist who is 84 years old by 2017. |
| 126 | * FishOutOfWater: ZigZagged. Ishihara realizes governing a country is not the same as making grandiose promises, but he easily implements his agenda thanks to useful political allies and widespread support by parts of the Japanese establishment. |
| 127 | * GloriousLeader: He uses populist and nationalist rhetoric to rally his supporters, playing into anti-Chinese resentments caused by the Great Asian War. When that brings him to power, he rapidly erodes Japan's nascent democracy. |
| 128 | * {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler: He blames Japan's defeat on the high command of the Imperial Japanese Army, when he sidelined useful officers for political reasons and threw them into a pointless war in the first place.]] |
| 129 | * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: [[spoiler: If China has collapsed by 2017, Ishihara will prepare a year-long mobilization and try to invade China during the chaos.]] |
| 130 | * PatrioticFervor: Ishihara is a known ultranationalist hardliner, and so are his supporters. |
| 131 | * RedScare: One of his first acts is to destroy the Labor-Farmer Mass Party, accusing Fuwa and his supporters of being Comintern agents. |
| 132 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler: After losing the war against China, he will resign and retire from politics completely, citing his health as the primary cause.]] |
| 133 | * SuccessionCrisis: His sudden resignation takes his party by surprise, and, without a clear successor, the government is thrown into chaos. |
| 134 | * TyrantTakesTheHelm: As soon as the results come in and Ishihara is named as the victor, the world knows Japan's democracy will not last long. |
| 135 | * {{Warhawk}}: Ishihara believes Japan will rise to superpower status once more by beating China in open combat. |
| 136 | * WickedCultured: Before entering politics as the imperialist far-right's preferred candidate, Ishihara made his name as an acclaimed author. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | ! Japanese Civil War (Stage I) |
| 140 | |
| 141 | [[folder:Japanese Opposition]] |
| 142 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jpopposit.png]] |
| 143 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 144 | ->'''Official Name:''' Japanese Opposition, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 145 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Hantai Undō[[note]]Opposition Movement[[/note]] |
| 146 | ->'''Ideology:''' Provisional Government[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 147 | ---- |
| 148 | * TheAlliance: The Opposition is composed of the vast majority of pro-democracy groups, with the help of the far-left. |
| 149 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: The pact between the liberal and socialist parts of the opposition, while strong at the immediate outset, is not without tension and [[spoiler:may collapse if Naoto's government proves unable to bring the war to a conclusion]]. |
| 150 | |
| 151 | !! Naoto Kan |
| 152 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_naoto_kan.png]] |
| 153 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_naoto_kan_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 154 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 155 | ->'''Party:''' Hantai Undō - Jiyūshugisha[[note]]Opposition Movement - Liberals[[/note]], Minshutō[[note]]Democratic Party[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 156 | ->'''Ideology:''' Provisional Government[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]], Liberalism (Post-war) |
| 157 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Naoto Kan was born in 1946, the son of an executive, and, following the tradition of soon-to-be Japanese politicians, he sought a career in the field of law. From early on, he participated in grassroots student movements, interacting with progressives like Ichikawa Fusae and flirting with left-wing politics. He sought to formally enter politics in the 70s but was barred from doing so due to the Mutō Coup and the political chaos that followed the end of the Great Asian War.\ |
| 158 | When the chaos ended following the Emperor's intervention, Naoto finally entered politics. He and his colleagues used their credentials as veterans of the Japanese New Left to gain several posts. A member of the Democratic Party, Naoto's political career itself was rather disappointing. He became embroiled in two different scandals as a minister and lost his popularity with progressives. It seemed like the last nail on the coffin came with Shintaro Ishihara's election, as liberals were ejected from government posts and forced out of the Diet by IJA military police.\ |
| 159 | But surprisingly, Naoto decided to cooperate with the ultranationalists. But he was not a traitor, and, when the time came, he and Ichiro Ozawa launched a parliamentary coup, triggering the civil war. Now, Naoto hopes to redeem himself, and be seen as something more than a backstabber...[[/labelnote]] |
| 160 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]When Naoto Kan stood next to Ichiro Ozawa and proclaimed the return of democracy to Japan, he didn't expect he and his comrades - in that wide alliance of pro-democracy groups - would be able to stand up to the might of the IJA. He did not expect the Opposition would hold together, and the Emperor's words remained more ambiguous than ever, in such a time of uncertainty. Thankfully for them, the storm has passed.\ |
| 161 | During the last days of the civil war, he and his allies were able to draft a proper constitution for tomorrow's Japan. With peace arriving at the islands and Naoto's emergency powers suspended, democracy has returned. But democracy is not established through a signature on a piece of paper - there's much work to be done. The country has been destroyed by war, and Naoto hopes to rebuild it as fast as possible in a bid to eradicate instability. Politically, he hopes to strengthen the institutions to counter the increasingly militant radicals to his left. Naoto's popularity aside, the people of Japan have found some degree of peace and solidarity under his leadership. Moderate politicians are working together to advance his agenda, exiles are returning to the nation to aid in its reconstruction, and volunteers are flocking to citizen's committees to aid their local communities and help the government to reestablish proper controls. Clearly, good days are yet to come...[[/labelnote]] |
| 162 | ---- |
| 163 | * TheAtoner: Naoto wants to make up for two scandals that afflicted him while a minister, which led to him losing credibility with progressives. He also wants to regain the trust lost to his CooperationGambit. |
| 164 | * CooperationGambit: Naoto collaborated with the Ishihara government in order to subvert it and eventually enable him to launch TheCoup that started the Civil War. |
| 165 | * EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:If the Opposition fails to win the civil war in the first stage and begins to crumble, Naoto will be ousted by his closest friend and political ally, Ozawa.]] |
| 166 | * HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Naoto will manage to create a strong democracy in Japan post-war, compared to OTL where Naoto Kan resigned from his position as Prime Minister in the wake of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_nuclear_disaster Fukushima nuclear disaster.]] |
| 167 | * PacifismBackfire: {{Downplayed}}. After reunifying Japan, Naoto defangs the IJA and demobilizes the liberal democratic militias, even though their leftist counterparts don't follow suit. However, they're still far from a major threat to the democratic government, and moderation still reigns. |
| 168 | * RebelLeader: Naoto is the initial leader of the democratic resistance to the southern Japanese junta. |
| 169 | |
| 170 | !! Ichirō Ozawa |
| 171 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ichiro_ozawa.png]] |
| 172 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ichiro_ozawa_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 173 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State ([[spoiler:Civil War Stage II]]), Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 174 | ->'''Party:''' Hantai Undō - Shukyuuha[[note]]Opposition Movement - Conservatives[[/note]], Minshutō - Kyōken-teki[[note]]Democratic Party - Authoritarian[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 175 | ->'''Ideology:''' Civilian Dictatorship[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Controlled Democracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 176 | ->'''Biography (Warning: Unmarked Spoilers)''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Ichiro Ozawa was born to a moderately well-to-do family as the Second World War raged on. During the 1950s, his father founded a Keiretsu - and his family enriched itself, especially during the Economic Wars, where Keiretsus began to expand. His father sought a political career, and encouraged young Ichiro to do so - paving the way for the young man to take up his father's torch after the latter died in 1969. His initial career, however, would be short-lived.\ |
| 177 | Following the IJA Coup, he remained in jail for four years, before being set free. Even though he was free, he would be prevented from participating in politics for almost ten years. He would finally return in the 90s, and built an intricate web of intra-parliamentary alliances. Through this power, he ensured stable democratization for Japan. But even that didn't stop the butchers of '87 from seizing power. Ichiro was allowed to remain in the Diet as a lowly politician reduced of his true value. But he did not accept it. When the time came, he and his best friend, Naoto Kan, brought an end to the far-right government. But that only created further chaos. Naoto's incompetence and the traitorous reds brought the Opposition to its knees. In a painful decision, he stabbed his friend in the back and seized power. Now, he hopes to put back the pieces of Japan's hopes for democracy...[[/labelnote]] |
| 178 | ->'''Biography (Warning: Unmarked Spoilers)''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]There are few words that can be said for Ichiro Ozawa's trajectory. Filled with bleak fates, he ensured Japan's democratization, only to have it taken away by the people he himself put his entire trust in. He tried to bring back what was lost, only to drive his country to ruin. Once again, he fought for what he believed was right, but saw his allies fall to incompetence, petty infighting, and lack of spirit. But no longer will he subject himself to such humiliation.\ |
| 179 | Taking matters into his own hands, he will no longer be a mere backroom politician or a pawn in a game of radicals. Now, he wll be the architect of Japan, to rid it of its terrible, blood-stained past, and bring hope and freedom to a land accustomed to authoritarianism and ultranationalism. According to his ideal of "constructive democracy", in order for Japan to build a stable basis for liberal democracy, a period of constitutional authoritarianism is necessary. After all, were the nationalists not brought to power through the vote? And so, Ichiro thinks, to hell with them all. The communists, the nationalists, and even the liberals. Until the people of Japan are saved from the destruction caused by their own choices, dreams of equality, greatness, and democracy must come second. And so, a man who was once rich with willpower and courage is reduced to a cold, gloomy personification of disillusionment and betrayal.\ |
| 180 | Two things Ichiro has felt far too much.[[/labelnote]] |
| 181 | ---- |
| 182 | * {{Cincinnatus}}: Ozawa believes in transforming Japan into a liberal democracy, [[spoiler:but only after a temporary period of constitutional authoritarianism to rebuild and ensure radical ideologies will never take power again]]. |
| 183 | * TheCoup: He was the co-leader of the attempted pro-democracy coup that started the Civil War and established Opposition control in northern Japan along with Naoto. [[spoiler:Ozawa will launch another one if the conflict drags on for too long, which also causes the Opposition's communists to defect]]. |
| 184 | * CynicismCatalyst: [[spoiler:The defection of the communists and the inability of the Opposition coalition to win the war are this for Ozawa.]] |
| 185 | * IDidWhatIHadToDo: As much as it pains him to do so, Ozawa views [[spoiler:his coup against Naoto's government and degradation of civil liberties as necessary to guarantee the survival of Japanese democracy in the long term]]. |
| 186 | * JadeColoredGlasses: [[spoiler:Naoto's failure to manage the Opposition and the war effort in such a way as to prevent the Civil War from lasting long enough for the communists to defect leads fellow democrat Ozawa to take over the government and institute authoritarian "constructive democracy".]] |
| 187 | * JerkassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:Ozawa is not exactly wrong about the Japanese people being the ones responsible for voting in the ultranationalists, and thus also responsible for the tragedies that happened afterwards.]] |
| 188 | * RedBaron: Like in real life, Ozawa's acumen as a backroom politician has led to him being dubbed the "Shadow Shōgun". |
| 189 | [[/folder]] |
| 190 | |
| 191 | [[folder:IJA Government Forces]] |
| 192 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ijawarflag.png]] |
| 193 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 194 | ->'''Official Name:''' Imperial Japanese Army Government Forces, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 195 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Gunji Seiken - Hoshukeikai[[note]]Military Junta - Conservative Faction[[/note]] |
| 196 | ->'''Ideology:''' Military Junta[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 197 | ---- |
| 198 | * DefectorFromDecadence: The Kyoto junta was originally formed after its future leaders, who watched as they were replaced with ultranationalist sycophants, forced Ishihara's resignation and took over the government in his place. |
| 199 | |
| 200 | !! Kōji Yamazaki |
| 201 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_koji_yamazaki.png]] |
| 202 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State |
| 203 | ->'''Party:''' Gunji Seiken - Hoshukeikai[[note]]Military Junta - Conservative Faction[[/note]] |
| 204 | ->'''Ideology:''' Military Junta[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 205 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Kōji Yamazaki belongs to the "third generation" of IJA officers, those who graduated in the aftermath of the Great Asian War. His generation is one of interventionist officers who wished to preserve their grip over Japan at all costs. The same men who shouted "Open fire!" during the Meiji Shrine Incident and frowned at the Emperor's intervention.\ |
| 206 | But Kōji had no interest in politics. He aligned himself with a conservative wing of the army that opposes both the liberals and the ultranationalists. During Ishihara's rule, he was barred from rising to the Army General Staff as the Prime Minister filled the top brass with his allies. And so, Kōji participated in the "Greater East Asia Unification War", and returned home in defeat. Ishihara tried to placate him and other neutral generals for the loss, but this only helped to sour their opinion of the Prime Minister. With ill health and most of Japan against him, Ishihara resigned. Even then, the country was in chaos. A power struggle erupted between Ishihara's former allies, the economy was in shambles, and people took their rage to the streets. What other choice did they have but to restore order?\ |
| 207 | With this in mind, he organized a coup. But the memories of the Mutō Regime are still fresh in the minds of the people. Now, Kōji hopes for a quick victory, especially as cracks slowly appear in his Junta. Victory rests on a knife's edge...[[/labelnote]] |
| 208 | ---- |
| 209 | * {{Cincinnatus}}: Downplayed. Yamazaki is a military man, not a politician, and will step down after winning the civil war... to be replaced by Otsuji, an ex-military politician just as anti-democratic as Yamazaki, who will ensure the IJA will dominate Japanese society. |
| 210 | * TheDissenterIsAlwaysRight: The Yamazaki clique's concerns about Ishihara's military plans were easily proven right, prompting Ishihara's embarrassed resignation and the military takeover. |
| 211 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Yamazaki is many things - mainly "anti-democratic military strongman" - but ultranationalist is not one of them. He is the leader of a moderate clique in the military that held just as much disdain for Ishihara as it did for the liberals. |
| 212 | * IgnoredExpert: Yamazaki was sidelined in the run-up to the war with China in favor of [[YesMan Yes-Men]]. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | !! Hidehisa Otsuji |
| 215 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_hidehisa_otsuji.png]] |
| 216 | ->'''Role:''' Chairman of the House of Representatives (Ishihara cabinet), Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 217 | ->'''Party:''' Kokubō Kyōkai - Antei Seisakukai[[note]]National Defense Association - Stable Policy Group[[/note]] |
| 218 | ->'''Ideology:''' Oligarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 219 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Hidehisa Otsuji is a product of Japan's postwar history. His father commanded the Yugiri, a Fukubi-class destroyer, and returned home from the Greater East Asia War as a victor. As such, his family was granted with several social benefits and Hidehisa grew up to follow in the footsteps of his dad. But instead of joining the Navy, he joined the Army. Graduating from the IJA Academy, he later fought in the Great Asian War as a Shōsa, the equivalent of a Captain. But unlike his father, he returned home from the war in disgrace. Japan, the once indomitable master of Asia, had lost. Retiring from the IJA, Hidehisa entered politics and gained a seat in the lower house. He would witness the downfall of the IJA Junta, and, creating firm alliances with other ex-IJA legislators from the "second generation" of post-war servicemen, he formed a clique that represented the old guard of the IJA, one that longed for the days where all was said and done by the protectors of the empire. He endorsed Ishihara, being rewarded with the post of Chairman of the House of Representatives. But as it all came crashing down, his clique demanded the PM's resignation, triggering the events that led to the civil war. But with the IJA triumphant and Yamazaki dissolving his provisional junta, Hidehisa and his allies have rallied and organized a new government. His faction, the Stable Policy Group, now hopes to entrench the IJA in Japanese politics - forever.[[/labelnote]] |
| 220 | ---- |
| 221 | * EvilReactionary: Otsuji longs for the Mutō days, when the IJA enjoyed paramount influence in Japanese society. |
| 222 | * StatusQuoIsGod: He wants to cement the IJA's role in Japanese society for good. |
| 223 | [[/folder]] |
| 224 | |
| 225 | [[folder:Imperial Court]] |
| 226 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_the_japanese_emperorsvg.png]] |
| 227 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of His Imperial Majesty's Supreme Government]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/naval_ensign_of_the_empire_of_japansvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 228 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Imperial Court in Tokyo (Matsudaira)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_sessyo_flagsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 229 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan (Naruhito/Katsutoshi)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 230 | ->'''Official Name:''' Imperial Court in Tokyo, His Imperial Majesty's Supreme Government (IJN coup), Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 231 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kyūtei - Ten'nō[[note]]The Court - Emperor[[/note]] |
| 232 | ->'''Ideology:''' Semi-Constitutional Monarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 233 | ---- |
| 234 | * ArtShift: The Imperial Court is one of the only statelets that uses non-photographic artwork for its reunification image, let alone for all of its three paths, reflecting their Meiji-esque spirit. |
| 235 | * ChoosingNeutrality: The Kantō region, and by extension Tokyo, is (at the start of the Civil War) voluntarily neutral in the conflict between the IJA and Opposition forces. |
| 236 | * DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The superevent audio that accompanies the Kazoku taking over the Court and then Japan has an unidentified person commit {{Seppuku}}, with an agent of the Kazoku [[OrderedToDie presumably supervising to ensure that it is done]].]] |
| 237 | * NeutralNoLonger: One way or another, the Imperial Court will break its neutrality either through submission to a non-republican government and the installation of Naruhito as its figurehead or by fighting outright. |
| 238 | * PraetorianGuard: While the IJN handles the task of fighting for the Court largely independently, the Imperial Guard answers directly to the Emperor alone - [[spoiler:even if the Emperor himself answers to someone else]]. |
| 239 | * SemperFi: With the near-entirety of the IJA fighting under the southern Japanese junta and Japan's farthest-flung Pacific territories under Imperial control, it is Navy troops that serve as the Imperial Court's main fighting force, though the Court still retains control of the [[PraetorianGuard Imperial Guard]]. |
| 240 | * StandardRoyalCourt: Without Yokusankai-type particrats or (as many as usual) military men constraining them, Naruhito's and the Kazoku aristocrats' powers are stronger than usual in Kantō, leading to this trope being played straight for the first time since the Meiji Restoration. |
| 241 | |
| 242 | !! Naruhito |
| 243 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_naruhito.png]] |
| 244 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_naruhito_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 245 | ->'''Role:''' Emperor[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 246 | ->'''Party:''' Kyūtei - Ten'nō[[note]]The Court - Emperor[[/note]], Teikoku Saiken Iinkai[[note]]Imperial Reconstruction Board[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 247 | ->'''Ideology:''' Semi-Constitutional Monarchy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 248 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Naruhito, the Reiwa Emperor, is the 126th monarch of the Imperial House of Japan. Being born during Hirohito's reign, the young Naruhito grew up with a fascination for basketball and the history of transportation. Perhaps, both served as an escape from the isolated and pampered life of the royals. When his father rose to the throne and did away with the restrictions placed upon the royal family, Naruhito was allowed to travel overseas. He wrote about his travels, gleefully detailing the personal independence given to European royals. To him, they stood in sharp contrast to Japan's royals, who were subjected to complete isolation. This belief in personal freedom would mold his dream of a better Japan, one designed like the constitutional monarchies of Europe. But during the Heisei era, Naruhito witnessed his father bend to unfair compromises that skewered Japanese democracy. He privately protested, but his father insisted that he remain silent. As Emperor, he ignored his father's warnings and made political statements about Japan and the world. For this, he paid dearly. After Ishihara's election, Naruhito was silenced. Once again, he was isolated. But as the world moved around him, this would change. When the chaos ensued, Naruhito and his allies took ownership of the Kantō region and the distant Pacific colonies. But the Emperor now has to contend with the opportunists of the Court, seeking to turn him into a mere puppet...[[/labelnote]] |
| 249 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Japanese history is adorned with tails of great emperors. Giants who saved their nation from harm, or brought it out of the darkness. Naruhito may never reach the level of enlightenment these men had, but like them, he has a deep love for his people. And unlike them, he will not rule on behalf of his people, but instead, he will rule with them.\ |
| 250 | From the very beginnings in the Imperial Court, Naruhito was surrounded by wicked "advisors" who sought to derail his righteous goals. Be it the snobbish aristocrats or the silver-tongue admirals, he was surrounded by snakes. Yet, he overcame this challenge - putting the Navy in its place, and purging the Court of the Kazoku's influence. Afterward, he glanced towards his external enemies - and reclaimed his birthright as the one true leader of all of Japan. Just like Meiji routed the Shōgun and the Bakufu, he routed the insurgents and the warlords.\ |
| 251 | And now, the Emperor has begun to take the first steps toward carrying out his grand plan. What he dreamed of for so many years - a truly democratic Japan. Reorganizing the Parliament and a special commission known as the "Imperial Reconstruction Board", composed of several pro-democracy figures and moderate activists. The rising sun, the same that once stood for hatred and death, will soon shine brightly with the glory of a wonderful Japan.[[/labelnote]] |
| 252 | ---- |
| 253 | * GildedCage: Like his grandfather before him, the Emperor Shōwa [[spoiler:(and his great-great-great-grandfather before him, the Emperor Kōmei), Naruhito after Matsudaira's soft coup will be, for all intents and purposes, a prisoner in his own Palace and a living rubber stamp for a renewed Tokugawa shogunate]]. |
| 254 | * TheGoodKing: If Naruhito manages to reunify Japan himself, he will begin finish what his father started and bring democracy to Japan - and without old age, Shōwa Statists, or [=CLP=] hangers-on to plague him, he can do so [[TheUnfettered without compromising]] this time. |
| 255 | * InternalReformist: After visiting the monarchies of Europe, Naruhito was inspired to follow their example and used his position to speak out in favor of reforming Japan as a constitutional monarchy. |
| 256 | * PuppetKing: Of course, this does happen to a degree if any government not led by Naruhito himself takes over Japan and doesn't get rid of the monarchy, but this is especially apparent if [[spoiler:the Kazoku take over]]. |
| 257 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Ever since his father managed to break the isolation of the Imperial Family, Naruhito has been trying to build a constitutional monarchy where all of Japan's people can enjoy the freedom he briefly enjoyed until the Heisei establishment emerged. |
| 258 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: Naruhito's portrait shows him in his traditional attire as Emperor, but after winning the civil war it will change to one of him wearing a simpler suit. This reflects him managing to finish what his father started, bringing democracy to Japan and finally ruling ''along'' with his subjects instead of merely ruling over them. |
| 259 | |
| 260 | !! Katsutoshi Kawano |
| 261 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_katsutoshi_kawano.png]] |
| 262 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_katsutoshi_kawano_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 263 | ->'''Role:''' Military Advisor, Head of State (Civil War Stage II), Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 264 | ->'''Party:''' Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun[[note]]Imperial Japanese Navy[[/note]], Zenkoku Minshutō - Tekido[[note]]National Democratic Party - Moderates[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 265 | ->'''Ideology:''' Military Junta[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 266 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]The son of a Rear Admiral in the IJN who served in the Second World War, Katsutoshi had always sought to follow in the footsteps of his father. Entering the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, he would graduate in the late stages of the Great Asian War, but would not see any action in the conflict. By the 90s, he would command the Ishikari, a destroyer, and rose through the upper ranks in the following decades. He had been seen as an incompetent officer throughout his career, thanks to a training accident in the late 200s and his perceived meagerness. But during the invasion of China, Katsutoshi commanded the Navy and ensured that, even in the late stages of the war, Japan remained dominant in the sea. Of course, the Chinese warlords didn't exactly have much of a navy other than shrimp boats, and Japan still lost, but the blame couldn't be assigned to him. Thanks to his long-time career and successes in the field, he was appointed head of the IJN General Staff. But as his terrible luck would have it, this would fall apart. In the confusion of the Civil War, he and his peers declared support for the Emperor. Almost accidentally, they found that the Navy was, for once, the strongest body in the armed forces, and a chance to hold onto that power emerged. So, portraying themselves as reformist admirals, they gained the Emperor's favor. With his permission, they couped the government and put the Kazoku in their place. Now, the IJN is here to stay...[[/labelnote]] |
| 267 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Sometimes legends don't come by easily. Every now and then, they must write themselves into existence. This has been the case for Katsutoshi Kawano. Once treated like an incompetent swine by his colleagues, he not only outdid the Emperor himself but also the foxes, tigers, and bears roaming and feasting upon the carcass of the old Japan. Now, his name has been carved into the annals of Japanese history as their modern savior.\ |
| 268 | But these romantic notions can't cover up his actions. Still keeping the veil of reformism that the IJN once took pride in, Kawano has entrenched his National Democratic Party and formed a de facto one-party state, with him at the helm as the Prime Minister. As the simplicity of his early rule is now outdone by the complexity of national governance, he has done away with the mass repression seen during the early stages of the Junta, to a more passively authoritarian, hierarchical system. The government remains dominated by IJN officers, and, enforcing this closed system with political suppression and censorship, his "Republic of Admirals" is set to hold onto Japan with a tight grip.\ |
| 269 | His "Moderates" are currently the majority, but the Hardliners and Reformers are only expected to grow with time. Some hear echoes of a familiar story, and only the future will tell if their rule will be everlasting, or if they will be banished into the wind like their Army foes...[[/labelnote]] |
| 270 | ---- |
| 271 | * FullCircleRevolution: Kawano's big-tent "National Democratic Party" is implied to be little stabler than the very [[RightHandVersusLeftHand Yokusankai]] of old the military once toppled, with his Moderates risking losing power to the Reformers and Hardliners. |
| 272 | * InternalReformist: [[InvokedTrope Invokes]] this trope often in reference to himself and the IJN when dealing with the public and the Emperor, but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] it. |
| 273 | * InterServiceRivalry: Kawano defangs the IJA after taking over Japan, giving the IJN the last laugh in one of the most brutal and longest-running examples of this trope in the world. |
| 274 | * MythologyGag: Kawano's post-war bio indicates the onset of a "familiar story" of a power struggle between Hardliners, the ruling Moderates, and Reformers, much as with a good number of undemocratic political struggles (e.g. in Germany and Japan) in TNO proper. |
| 275 | * PragmaticVillainy: Rejecting the trappings of a traditional Japanese junta, Kawano instead opts to bring democracy to the Empire - albeit merely to legitimize his rule; democracy is completely dominated by the National Democratic Party, which is the Navy's political vehicle. |
| 276 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: Kawano trades his military uniform for a civilian suit after winning the civil war, representing the shift to a civilian façade for military rule. |
| 277 | * TakeThat: One leveled at a common trope in media regarding Imperial Japan where if the IJA is acknowledged as being at fault, the IJN is a moral or strategic paragon; admirals and their underlings are usually depicted as [[InternalReformist Internal Reformists]], or the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Men]] in a room full of [[GeneralRipper Generals Ripper]] or [[GeneralFailure Failure]]. While the IJN certainly had its [[UsefulNotes/IsorokuYamamoto Yamamotos]] or [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsumasa_Yonai Yonais]] and Navy personnel did indeed tend to be the saner people in the room, this distracts from the compliance of the Navy as a whole in an ultranationalist war machine, its own fair share of war crimes (when it had the chance to commit any, usually with prisoners captured at sea) and the influence of simply self-serving men like Kawano - who, indeed, feigns political reform to preserve his own power - within it. |
| 278 | |
| 279 | !! Munetoshi Matsudaira |
| 280 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_munetoshi_matsudaira0.png]] |
| 281 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_munetoshi_matsudaira_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 282 | ->'''Role:''' Political Advisor, [[spoiler:Chief Advisor[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Civil War Stage II)]] ([[spoiler:Kazoku coup]]) |
| 283 | ->'''Party:''' Kyūtei - Kanpaku[[note]]The Court - Chief Advisor[[/note]], Kokutai - Matsudaira-shi[[note]]The Kokutai - Matsudaira Clan[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 284 | ->'''Ideology:''' Aristocratic Conservatism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 285 | ->'''Biography (Warning: Unmarked Spoilers)''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Munetoshi Matsudaira was born as the fourth child of one of the heads of the Tokugawa clan, the same that had been deposed with the Meiji Restoration. He would marry into the Matsudaira Clan, the parent clan of the Tokugawa family and historic rulers of the Fukui Domain. By doing so, he earned the title of Marquess and a seat in the House of Peers. There, he would make several useful connections. His influence would only grow in the 90s, when his clan and others aided an inexperienced Akihito in ruling Japan - using the opportunity to push for a more conservative agenda. Outside of politics, he participated in several prestigious events and was seen as an important figure in the upper echelons of Japanese society.\ |
| 286 | Of course, the situation he finds himself in is the same as it was 30 years ago. A country in chaos, an inexperienced Emperor, and the military threatening to shut it all down. Only in this case, it is worse. And the situation required...drastic measures. By convincing the Emperor into mobilizing the Imperial Guard to arrest the IJN conspirators, Munetoshi used the opportunity to placate liberal reformers and allies of the Emperor as participants in the plot. In the ensuing power vacuum, Munetoshi became the chief advisor, the Kanpaku. But can he outsmart his external enemies, and take control of Japan...?[[/labelnote]] |
| 287 | ->'''Biography (Warning: Unmarked Spoilers)''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Intelligence and cunning are two traits that, if mastered, brings individuals to the heights of power. Munetoshi Matsudaira knows this very well. Officially, Japan is a regime where the Emperor's word is the word of god. But behind the doors of the Imperial Palace, there is another truth.\ |
| 288 | They call him the "Invisible Regent", the one who decides what the Emperor's orders are. The one who rules on his behalf and turns him into a prisoner in his own castle. All for the greater good.\ |
| 289 | The upper echelons of government are dominated by the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, with "lesser" clans being relegated to lower, often legislative functions. In the military, the state, and the economy, one's position is dictated by clan affiliation. As for the commoners, they must contend with being loyal subjects and work for the good of the Empire. They know that going against the interests of the nation is to offend the Emperor - and to fight against the Emperor means death. And for the outsiders, Matsudaira sums up his isolationist stance with a single phrase: "No nation shall harm us, and we shall harm none." With the realm secured and their legitimacy gained, the so-called "Matsudaira Period" is only beginning. So long as men like Munetoshi exist, and so long as men like him rule over this nation, no harm will come, and Japan will only grow in its sacred glory...[[/labelnote]] |
| 290 | ---- |
| 291 | * AristocratsAreEvil: [[spoiler:By restoring the power of the Kazoku aristocrats, Matsudaira effectively undoes all the political development Japan has undergone since Emperor Meiji died. The Matsudaira-Tokugawas eventually become so powerful - and their rule so feudalistic - that they undo everything since Meiji ''reclaimed power from them''.]] |
| 292 | * TheChessmaster: An influential nobleman with a long history of manipulating Emperors still finding their political feet, Matsudaira [[spoiler:manipulates the Imperial Guard into shutting down the IJN's brewing coup, allowing him to establish rule by the courtiers and the Tokugawa clan with grateful reformists and Imperial loyalists out of the way]]. |
| 293 | * EvilChancellor: [[spoiler:After leading a soft putsch of the Kazoku aristocratic families, Matsudaira - ostensibly just Naruhito's "Chief Advisor" - rules Japan as its ''de facto'' Shōgun with the Emperor as his puppet, isolated from the rest of Japan Hirohito-style.]] |
| 294 | * EvilReactionary: [[spoiler:Matsudaira returns Japan to pre-Taishō stratification, with the Tokugawa clan restored and all challenges to the "Emperor"'s reign being ruthlessly put down. The fact that his title is "Kanpaku" hearkens back as far as the ''Heian period'', when the traditional holders of that title, members of the Fujiwara clan, were at their strongest in terms of using that position to act as [[TheManBehindTheMan The Men Behind The Men]].]] |
| 295 | * FeudalFuture: [[spoiler:Matsudaira drags Japanese society back into the Edō era, complete with isolation (of the Emperor from the country and the country from the world), rule of the Tokugawa, and one's clan (if any) determining where one will go in life.]] |
| 296 | * HiddenElfVillage: {{Downplayed}}. While Matsudaira [[spoiler:hearkens back to the Meiji and Tokugawa eras in most areas and does embrace isolationism, his foreign policy is still a far cry from puritanical ''Sakoku'' and is more based on mutual non-interference]]. |
| 297 | * HistoricalVillainUpgrade: [[spoiler:The real-life Matsudaira is someone who's main claim to fame is heading an aristocratic club, certainly not someone who tried to become an aristocratic puppet-master.]] |
| 298 | * TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Matsudaira exploits Naruhito's inexperience to effectively become Japan's shadow ruler while the Emperor is moved away from the public eye.]] |
| 299 | * OminousLatinChanting: Well, [[https://youtu.be/NIjnCNtOiP0 Ominous Japanese Chanting]], anyway. This accompanies the superevent that marks [[spoiler:what is ostensibly]] the "[[BlatantLies Reiwa Restoration]]". |
| 300 | * RedBaron: Matsudaira is known as [[spoiler:the "Invisible Regent" for his backstage control of the supposedly absolute monarchy]]. |
| 301 | * TakingUpTheMantle: A member of the closely related Tokugawa and Matsudaira clans, Matsudaira follows in the footsteps of his forefathers to [[spoiler:essentially become a modern Shōgun, with Naruhito as his PuppetKing]]. |
| 302 | [[/folder]] |
| 303 | |
| 304 | [[folder:Karafuto Prefecture]] |
| 305 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_karafuto_prefecturesvg.png]] |
| 306 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 307 | ->'''Official Name:''' Karafuto Prefecture, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 308 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Karafuto Kenritsu Seifu[[note]]Karafuto Prefectural Government[[/note]] |
| 309 | ->'''Ideology:''' Civilian Dictatorship[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 310 | ---- |
| 311 | * ButtMonkey: Karafuto as a whole has been this for a long time. Its many prewar woes have ranged from apathy from the central government to abysmal employment brought about by the Zaibatsus being free to exploit cheap Korean labor (and the few Karafuto locals they do employ). Things were looking up during Tatsuya Hori's governorship [[HopeSpot until the civil war broke out and the Soviet Union took advantage of the situation to try and reclaim Sakhalin]]. |
| 312 | * DarkHorseVictory: Forced to foot it alone by dint of distance and suffering persistent military harassment by the Soviet Union, few expect the insignificant (though not tiny) prefectural government of Karafuto to establish control over all of Japan. |
| 313 | * DavidVersusGoliath: Karafuto is a quite small island compared to the massive Soviet Union eager to take advantage of the civil war and reclaim Sakhalin. |
| 314 | * DirtyCommunists: From the outbreak of the Civil War, Karafuto is plagued with Soviet attacks and military operations launched with the goal of subsuming Sakhalin. This comes back to bite the Soviet Union if Karafuto unifies Japan, implementing ''highly'' intense anti-communist foreign policy. |
| 315 | |
| 316 | !! Tatsuya Hori |
| 317 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_tatsuya_hori.png]] |
| 318 | ->'''Role:''' Governor of Karafuto[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 319 | ->'''Party:''' Karafuto Kenritsu Seifu[[note]]Karafuto Prefectural Government[[/note]] |
| 320 | ->'''Ideology:''' Civilian Dictatorship[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 321 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]If there's one man who's ever cared for Karafuto, it's Tastsuya Hori. Born and raised in Karafuto, he would transform an abandoned, backwater, colonial frontier into a respectable Prefecture. Though Karafuto had been integrated into Mainland Japan, it was treated like a colony. Funding cuts, indifference from Tokyo, cheap Korean labor for the Zaibatsus and a revolving door of failed governments were the norm. Hori lived through those days where Karafuto was forgotten, and swore to change everything. So when he assumed the post of Governor in 2002 as an independent, Hori stood up to the Zaibatsus with regulations and laws to protect workers from exploitation. He reorganized the bureaucracy and uncovered a corrupt scheme organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs, targeting the Northern Territories. This event single-handedly led to the fall of the Nakagawa Cabinet and allowed Hori to clean up the mess in his own government, with Tokyo's blessing.\ |
| 322 | But everything he went through as a Governor did not prepare him for this. Right now, Japan is in shambles, and Karafuto is alone - too distant from the conflict to claim allegiance to whatever side. This lone prey is perfect for the Soviet bear, who wishes to exploit Japan's peril to steal Karafuto's resources - and maybe Karafuto as a whole. The future is dim, but so long as Hori is in charge, he will do what he must to ensure Karafuto survives.[[/labelnote]] |
| 323 | ---- |
| 324 | * FishOutOfWater: Hori's biggest problems as Karafuto's governor went from unemployment and dealing with Tokyo's standard corruption to having to fend off the Soviet Union completely alone while all of Japan south of his prefecture is in chaos. |
| 325 | * HopeSpot: Just as two decades of Hori working hard for the common Karafuto citizen were going to pay off, Japan collapsed. |
| 326 | * InternalReformist: Hori has been this since he became the Governor, working for many years to bring the level of development seen virtually everywhere else in the Home Islands to Karafuto. |
| 327 | * PassingTheTorch: If the Karafuto governments successfully takes over Japan, Hori has his protégé and successor as Governor, Kosei Nakajima, appointed Prime Minister. |
| 328 | * ReluctantRuler: It's not like Hori ''accidentally'' became the governor of Karafuto - indeed, he actively pursued the governorship for Karafuto's sake, and has held it since 2002 - but he never expected to have to rule it ''independently''. |
| 329 | * UltimateAuthorityMayor: Was thrusted into this role with the outbreak of the Civil War. |
| 330 | |
| 331 | !! Kōsei Nakajima |
| 332 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_kosei_nakajima.png]] |
| 333 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 334 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Han'eitō - Hattenkai[[note]]Japan Prosperity Party - Developmentalist Faction[[/note]] |
| 335 | ->'''Ideology:''' Paternalistic Conservatism[[note]]Conservatism[[/note]] |
| 336 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]In many ways, Kosei Nakajima would be nothing if not for Tatsuya Hori. Born in Karafuto, he would be raised in Toyohara, and would join the local city hall after graduating from university. Appalled by the state of the Prefecture, he, along with citizens and local government officials, would form the Karafuto Representation League, advocating for government reform between Karafuto's diverse communities. The organization would be shut down by the IJA in 1988, but would be reorganized in 1991 as the Karafuto Citizens' Association.\ |
| 337 | Having dedicated manay years to local politics, he would later become mayor of Toyohara in 1995, where he caught the attention of Tatsuya Hori. The two would form an unshakeable alliance, with Hori governing Karafuto and Nakajima governing the largest city in the island. Having served three terms, Nakajima decided to join Hori in Prefectural politics, and was destined to become his successors. And indeed, Hori has gifted him not with the office of Governor, but that of Prime Minister.\ |
| 338 | Nakajima's rule has mostly been a continuation of Hori's with Nakajima continuing to enforce Hori's statist economic programs, welfare policies, and anti-Soviet foreign policy. With the state of emergency being lifted, Japan is on the road to freedom and prosperity. The reds can try to rock the boat as much as they like, but the ship of liberty has sailed, and it will never sink again.[[/labelnote]] |
| 339 | ---- |
| 340 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: Since 1995, when Nakajima became Toyohara's mayor, Nakajima and Hori have been inseparable. |
| 341 | * NumberTwo: Nakajima has been this to Hori for a long time, going from mayor of the biggest city on Karafuto to his deputy and successor. |
| 342 | * TakingUpTheMantle: After being made Prime Minister by Hori, Nakajima implements Hori's policies on the national level. |
| 343 | [[/folder]] |
| 344 | |
| 345 | ! Japanese Civil War (Stage II) |
| 346 | |
| 347 | [[folder:Revolutionary Japan]] |
| 348 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/revolutionaryjapanflag.png]] |
| 349 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese People's Republic]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/postrevolutionaryjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 350 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Proletarian State of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/proletarianjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 351 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Democratic Republic of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maoistjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 352 | ->'''Official Name:''' Revolutionary Japan, Japanese People's Republic (Shirai/Kasai, Post-war), Proletarian State of Japan (Karatani, Post-war), Democratic Republic of Japan (Shigenobu, Post-war) |
| 353 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Nihon Kyōsan-tō - Rōnō-ha[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Worker-Farmer Faction[[/note]] |
| 354 | ->'''Ideology:''' Communism |
| 355 | ---- |
| 356 | * BilingualBonus: The text on Revolutionary Japan's flag reads "Long live the Japanese Communist Party! Long live the revolution!" |
| 357 | * DefectorFromDecadence: The communists split from [[spoiler:the Opposition if the Civil War war drags on past 2023]]. |
| 358 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork: The JCP isn't the most unified political entity. Its leaders span the full gamut of democrats and authoritarians, all squabbling over the best path in which to take the party and Japan. |
| 359 | |
| 360 | !! Satoshi Shirai |
| 361 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_satoshi_shirai.png]] |
| 362 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_satoshi_shirai_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 363 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Chairman[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 364 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Kyōsan-tō - Rōnō-ha[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Worker-Farmer Faction[[/note]] |
| 365 | ->'''Ideology:''' Communism |
| 366 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Satoshi Shirai grew up witnessing Japan's chaotic political climate following the end of the Great Asian War. Along with other leftists, he immigrated to the Soviet Union and became a member of the "Muscovite Left". There, he studied Leninism, Japanese imperialism and geopolitics, forming the base for his most notable work; the theory of "Perpetual Imperialism", citing Japan's refusal to abandon its' colonial ties and refusal to admit its' defeat in a post-Japanese Asia.\ |
| 367 | But his break with Bukharinism came after he read the works of Hitoshi Yamakawa. Interested by Yamakawa's pragmatic, direct-action-based approach, he began to contest the predominant views of the Muscovite Left. Clashing with Fukumotoists, he grew frustrated with traditional Leninism and left the [=USSR=], moving to Taiwan. There, he wrote books criticizing Bukharinism, instead proposing a "party of the masses" and greatly emphasizing the need for democracy. And when Japan's young democracy failed at the hands of Ishihara, Shirai gained a large following of reformist-turned-revolutionary Marxists, who still maintained a humanistic view of political issues and held doubts about the Soviet Model. After Japan collapsed into civil war, he and other Japanese communists put their differences aside to fight for a red Japan. Though his new generation of dedicated Yamakawists form the majority, will their views thrive amidst a sea of hostility...?[[/labelnote]] |
| 368 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]From the very early days of the Revolution, Satoshi Shirai and his comrades held the dream of constructing a worker's democracy in Japan. After many internal squabbles, pragmatic moves and sacrifices, what they once thought was a dream is now the reality of the Japanese People's Republic. Seeking a synthesis of general Leninist structures with grassroots democracy, Shirai refused to suppress the bottom-up system that was born with the revolution. Though it cost them efficiency and party unity, when the dust finally settled, it was all worth it. With proper laws and structures to prevent any further democratic backsliding, the people of Japan now enjoy the privilege of having a voice in their government - to recall their representatives and vote for those who they truly wish to see in power. As for the opposition, non-party members are as diverse and divided as the JCP itself. What both camps agree on is their mutual opposition to each other's policies, and while some radicals may point to the independents as counter-revolutionaries, Shirai knows that, as Rosa once said, freedom only for the supporters of government is no freedom at all. Outside of the state, the people rebuild their country and settle down. All over Japan, solidarity thrives. Yet, this is only the beginning of a new chapter of Japanese history. Whatever sacrifices, whatever road Japan must take to ensure their survival, the torch of Yamakawa will guide them onwards and onwards.[[/labelnote]] |
| 369 | ---- |
| 370 | * BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Shirai essentially advocates a synthesis of the Ultra-Leftists' ideas on governance with standard Leninism and some elements of Bukharinist economics, and WordOfGod confirms that Shirai is simply the middle path between the two. |
| 371 | * ChummyCommies: Shirai is the leader of a faction of the JCP that rejects authoritarianism and embraces a truly free worker's democracy. |
| 372 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Other than being one of the many leftists who split from [[spoiler:an Opposition unable to quickly defeat the government forces]], Shirai also broke ties with the [=USSR=] out of dissilusionment with orthodox Leninism and Bukharinism. |
| 373 | * TheGoldenRule: While an adherent to Lenin's ideas to an extent, Shirai tolerates independents raising genuine opposition to JCP policies as Rosa Luxemburg instructed: "Freedom only for the supporters of the government, only for the members of one party – however numerous they may be – is no freedom at all." |
| 374 | * MythologyGag: The focus for Shirai after founding the Japanese People's Republic is called "The Unthinkable", in reference to the starting focus for Japan's Communist subtree in vanilla [=HOI4=] ("The Unthinkable Option"). |
| 375 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Embodying a compromise between Ultra-Leftist commitment to democracy and the existing success of Leninism, Shirai works to bring the Japanese people freedom from above. |
| 376 | |
| 377 | !! Kojin Karatani |
| 378 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_kojin_karatani.png]] |
| 379 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_kojin_karatani_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 380 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State (JCP election), Chairman[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 381 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Kyōsan-tō - Sai Sayoku[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Ultra-left[[/note]], Chūōrōdō-sha Gikai - Sayoku[[note]]Central Workers' Assembly - Left[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 382 | ->'''Ideology:''' Left Communism[[note]]Left Libertarianism[[/note]] |
| 383 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Kojin Karatani earned his credentials in the student movement of the 60s. Back then, he witnessed the repression of the Japanese new left, the fall of Ikeda's government, and the failures of nonviolent methods. Fearful, he fled to the Soviet Union in the 1970s. In the public libraries of Vladivostok, he studied Marxism and Kantian philosophy - and proudly began to call himself a Communist.\ |
| 384 | But there too he witnessed the degeneration of the USSR into a brutal dictatorship under Sergey Akhromeyev, culminating in his disillusionment with Marxism-Leninism and departure to Taiwan in 1983. Working with other Japanese authors on philosophical works, Karatani would later become a voice for Libertarian Marxism within the confines of the Japanese left.\ |
| 385 | As Japan backslid into Fascism once more, Karatani became a complete radical. He had not only rejected Leninist methods but reformist ones as well. At that point, Karatani began to advocate for a "third path" within the Communist movement. With the civil war in full swing, he hesitantly returned to Japan - where he was disgusted at the "passivity" of the Japanese left. He contested for the leadership of the JCP - and, against all odds, he, a mere intellectual with no political background, won. Now, perhaps, he can guide the revolution to an enlightened path...[[/labelnote]] |
| 386 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Kojin Karatani has witnessed several events that shaped his life - but none of them had been created by his own hands. Karatani's rule was initially shaped by confusion and strife, as he made the transition from intellectual to a politician. But of course, he wouldn't be a benevolent king like Shirai, nor a Soviet puppet like Kasai. He would be the worker's man.\ |
| 387 | Kojin empowered the worker's councils and decentralized the Japanese state as much as it was viable. He decreased the influence of the party and emphasized transparency. Of course, the latter didn't come without drama. Kojin had to get his hands dirty and purge some Vanguardist voices from his own party. But in the end, with the dissolution of the JCP and the creation of a non-partisan socialist democracy centered on the Central Workers' Assembly, The revolution marches on.\ |
| 388 | His relationship with the Soviets wasn't so great. Both sides constantly took potshots at each other through accusations of revisionism and opportunism. Now that Japan is red, the rift has finally occurred. Kojin is ready to pass the torch to his young successor, Kohei Saito. But before he does so, he will take the first steps to ensure that not only Japan - but all of Asia - is saved from Capitalist and Soviet imperialism.[[/labelnote]] |
| 389 | ---- |
| 390 | * ChummyCommies: Karatani is a hardline left communist who seeks to radically implement direct democracy and negate statism, culminating in the JCP's outright dissolution. |
| 391 | * DarkHorseVictory: Karatani's victory in the leadership election of the JCP is the unlikeliest result as he is a mere intellectual with no political background and much less influence than Shirai's or Kasai's faction. |
| 392 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Even more so than Shirai. Karatani also moved into self-imposed exile in the Soviet Union after Mutō's coup, but became disgusted by Marxism-Leninism after witnessing the evils of the Akhromoyev dictatorship. |
| 393 | * GoodIsNotSoft: |
| 394 | ** Karatani's disdain for reformist socialism stems from [[ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer the failure of peaceful methods]] to counter the Mutō dictatorship and from his disregard for Japanese leftist "passivity". |
| 395 | ** Karatani's Japan founds the East Asian Worker's Pact to forcefully challenge both the West and the authoritarian Soviet Union. |
| 396 | * TheGoodKing: [[InvokedTrope Invokes]] this in criticism of Shirai. Karatani shares Shirai's goal of building a true communist democracy, but wants no one man or even the JCP to act as its paternalistic protector; he wants to give power directly to the workers. |
| 397 | * PassingTheTorch: Explicitly stated in his bio. After setting Japan on its first steps towards liberating all of Asia "from Capitalist and Soviet imperialism", Karatani will allow his mentee, Kohei Saito, to take his place. |
| 398 | |
| 399 | !! Akira Kasai |
| 400 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_akira_kasai.png]] |
| 401 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_akira_kasai_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 402 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Chairman[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 403 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Kyōsan-tō - Mosukuwaha[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Moscow Faction[[/note]] |
| 404 | ->'''Ideology:''' Bolshevism[[note]]Communism[[/note]] |
| 405 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Akira Kasai in Suita, Osaka, in 1952. Like many other Japanese leftists, his political life began with the student movements of the 60s. But as the movements were repressed further and further, Akira moved to the Soviet Union, where he would finish his education, getting a degree in Economics. He would then translate several essays on Marxian Economics into Japanese, later writing his own works. But of course, he wouldn't be relegated to a petty existence.\ |
| 406 | Akira was regarded as a respected intellectual. After Emperor Akihito issued several pardons and released political prisoners, Akira was allowed to return to Japan. There, he joined the Labor-Farmer Mass Party and became a member of the House of Representatives. But secretly, Akira was spying on his party and internal Japanese politics for the Comintern. When it was clear that it was too risky to continue his task, he returned to Vladivostok.\ |
| 407 | But with the civil war raging on and a golden chance to turn Japan red, Akira returned to Japan. He was chosen by the Comintern as their preferred candidate for leadership of the JCP. Akira and other returning Japanese Marxist-Leninists, the so-called "Muscovite leftists", were viewed with suspicion. But thanks to some dirty work, Soviet meddling, and a little bit of luck, Akira may now lead Japan towards their own Red October...[[/labelnote]] |
| 408 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]What is the taste of victory? To Akira Kasai, it is bitter.\ |
| 409 | Japan has faithfully implemented the Soviet Model, with centralized planning and limited market mechanisms. Because of the current state of the Japanese economy, the country is dependent upon the USSR. Politically, Akira faced incredible resistance against fully implementing Leninist structures inside of the JCP, forced into justifying his ban on factionalism and meddling within the councils with promises of stability and unity. The people of Japan are indifferent to a regime they have no input over, only hoping to escape the pit of chaos they've found themselves trapped in for the last few years.\ |
| 410 | Before, Akira believed that his actions would lead to a better future for Japan. Now, his opinions have changed. He has come upon the stark realization that he was merely a pawn in a game of chess between world powers. He has realized what his opponents were fighting to prevent, in the worst moment possible. Perhaps it's too late to salvage what was lost. But so long as he has a say on what happens in Japan, he will ensure that the worst doesn't fall upon his people - and keep the Soviets at a comfortable distance.\ |
| 411 | To vindicate himself in the eyes of history, it is the least he can do...[[/labelnote]] |
| 412 | ---- |
| 413 | * HeelRealization: After reuniting Japan under an authoritarian, Soviet-esque, and Soviet-dependent system for the supposed betterment of Japan, Kasai realizes that he's little more than a tool for Soviet interests and starts to work to minimize their influence on his country. |
| 414 | * TheMole: Was one for the Comintern. |
| 415 | * HistoryRepeats: Kasai's ban on factions and meddling within the councils in service of "stability and unity" as he implements his Leninist agenda echoes the Soviet Union's own descent into authoritarianism. |
| 416 | * ThePuppetCutsHisStrings: Starts to try working towards this after realizing he's just a Soviet stooge. |
| 417 | * PuppetKing: Part of a faction of Japanese communists who not only gained prominence in the Soviet Union but also stuck with it and didn't move to Taiwan, Akira is the primary representation of Soviet and Comintern interests in the JCP. |
| 418 | |
| 419 | !! Fusako Shigenobu |
| 420 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_fusako_shigenobu.png]] |
| 421 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_fusako_shigenobu_postwar.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 422 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State (Coup), Chairwoman[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 423 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Kyōsan-tō - ZANCHŪKYOKU[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Interim Central Directorate[[/note]], Nihon Kyōsantō - Mou-ha[[note]]Japanese Communist Party - Maoist Faction[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 424 | ->'''Ideology:''' Mao Zedong Thought[[note]]Communism[[/note]] |
| 425 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Fusako Shigenobu was born into a military family. Her father served in the war, being deployed to Manchukuo. Her rebellion against everything she knew began in the halls of Meiji University. Becoming involved in the Japanese New Left during its heyday, she and her colleagues began to radicalize. When the IJA took power, they left it all behind and moved to the USSR. There, they formed the Japanese Red Army; vowing to start a worldwide revolution with their own hands.\ |
| 426 | The JRA fought during the Oil Wars of the 70s, later carrying out terrorist attacks in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Though the Soviets denied aiding the JRA, whenever Fusako and her comrades found themselves in trouble, they were always welcomed in Moscow. But, due to internal disputes and disagreements, the group would split in half. By the 90s, the JRA had gone silent. But in Vladivostok, their remnants waited, quietly biding their time, resorting to subversive methods and propaganda. They knew that when the next decade of chaos came, they would drop their pens and raise their weapons once more. And surely, When the civil war began, Fusako was welcomed as the grandmother of the Revolution, and was allowed to train the inexperienced Mountain Village Operation Units. With the JCP in disorder, she has couped the government, and is now the true heir to red Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 427 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Fusako Shigenobu stands as the first lady of the Japanese revolution. For decades, she dreamed of the day she would stand in front of the ruins of the Imperial Palace and proudly raise the red flag, claiming victory upon the reactionaries. It seems like that day has finally come.\ |
| 428 | Abandoning the shameful politicking of the old JCP, Fusako and her proud Maoist Faction have toiled for the working class. Indeed, Fusako's land reforms and social programs have begun to pay off. But Fusako is no saint. She understands that in order to bring a deep social revolution, blood must be spilled. And so, the proud militiamen of the Mountain Village Operation Units, now outdone by the reformed Red Army, have been turned into tools for Fusako's political biddings. Their ranks filled with veterans, fanatical students, ex-cons and party youths, the populace have begun to refer to the MVOU as "Fusako's Gangs". But her militias are not pitchfork carrying mobs. Indeed, they are organized, and propped up by the state. Their main concern is to maintain order in the streets with popular justice - sending dissidents to show trials in popular courts and using capital punishment to deter criminals. Of course, the terror is only a temporary measure. Japan is currently weak, and though the reactionaries have been routed, the stench of counter revolution is still present. One thing is certain; when these days come to pass, the Empress of Terror will never be forgotten.[[/labelnote]] |
| 429 | ---- |
| 430 | * ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: Shigenobu's Japanese Red Army and later the Mountain Village Operation Units. |
| 431 | * DirtyCommies: A Shigenobu government is more or less the worst ending for Revolutionary Japan, with Red Guard-esque "Mountain Village Operation Units" purging dissidents to enforce Maoism on Japan. |
| 432 | * TheDreaded: Shigenobu is known as the "Empress of Terror", and not just because of her past as a Maoist terrorist. |
| 433 | * EvilOldFolks: She is, in her late 70s, the oldest and most brutal potential leader of the JCP. |
| 434 | * OldSoldier: Shigenobu is a veteran of the left-wing volunteers during the Oil Crisis. |
| 435 | * VisionaryVillain: Shigenobu commits her atrocities in the name of realizing the Maoist revolution in Japan. |
| 436 | [[/folder]] |
| 437 | |
| 438 | [[folder:Hokkaido Government]] |
| 439 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hokkaidoflag_7.png]] |
| 440 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the State of Japan/Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 441 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Republic of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/republicofjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 442 | ->'''Official Name:''' Hokkaido Government, State of Japan (Fukushima, Post-war), Republic of Japan (Inoue, Post-war), Empire of Japan (Suzuki/Koike, Post-war) |
| 443 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Yotōrenritsu - Josei Shinpotō[[note]]Ruling Coalition - Women's Progressive Party[[/note]] |
| 444 | ->'''Ideology:''' Progressivism |
| 445 | A secessionist state [[spoiler:from the Japanese Opposition]] in the later stages of the Civil War, with Progressives, Liberals, Conservatives and Nationalists vying for control not by blood, but by vote. |
| 446 | ---- |
| 447 | * TheAlliance: [[spoiler:Just like the erstwhile Opposition]], the Hokkaido Government is a coalition of liberal democrats vying to restore democracy, although [[spoiler:they lack communist or anocratic elements for the same reasons they seceded in the first place]]. |
| 448 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Constitutes the last remnants of those advocating for liberal democracy after [[spoiler:Ichirō Ozawa's coup against Naoto Kan collapses the Opposition]]. |
| 449 | |
| 450 | !! Mizuho Fukushima |
| 451 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_mizuho_fukushima.png]] |
| 452 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_mizuho_fukushima_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 453 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 454 | ->'''Party:''' Yotōrenritsu - Josei Shinpotō[[note]]Ruling Coalition - Women's Progressive Party[[/note]] |
| 455 | ->'''Ideology:''' Progressivism |
| 456 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Mizuho Fukushima is a long-time advocate of civil rights in Japan. Born in 1955 in the city of Nobeoka, she grew up under her mother's wing, who raised her to be yet another "Good Wife, Wise Mother". But as she saw the rise of the Japanese New Left movement, a spark was lit - and so began her time as an activist.\ |
| 457 | In 1973, Fukushima entered law school in Todai. Entering university is the most cataclysmic phase of the Japanese New Left, she would witness the chaos and the heavy suppression of the New Left Movement after the glorified murderers of the IJA marched into the streets. Fukushima would quietly fight for civil rights and to unveil the murders committed by the IJA on the eve of the coup and later in the Meiji Shrine Incident. Later, she and other activists fought for greater participation in politics for women, including the female vote. In 2009, she and other activists formed the Women's Progressive Party, with Fukushima at its' head. The party would be suppressed, and their efforts would be once again thwarted by Ishihara's election. Quietly, Fukushima withdrew from politics, saving her strength for the future. And surely, after the tragic war against China came the civil war.\ |
| 458 | Finding herself In Hokkaido's newly-formed statelet, the people elected Fukushima and her coalition to lead them in these troubled times. And so, she and her comrades will fight on as they always have.[[/labelnote]] |
| 459 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Back in those early nights at Sapporo, Fukushima and her allies found themselves isolated - stuck in the north with a small army and strong enemies to the South. But as the harbringers of destruction tired themselves out, the light of Hokkaido began to shine brighter.\ |
| 460 | Fukushima held her progressive coalition together, 'juggling the interests of trade unionists, feminists and Ainu activists. Without resorting to autocratic means, her statelet now shines bright amongst the democracies of the world. The ideals of equality, justice, democracy and harmony have been burned into the constitution of the new Japan - changing the country's history forever. And at the front of this massive change, stands Fukushima.\ |
| 461 | Still, with all of Japan in her hands, Fukushima has to juggle with even more interest groups. The issue of the monarchy is currently unsolved, And as peace sets in and parties are formed, more options are given to the people of Japan. But unlike the glorified ultranationalist despots and the communist dogmatists, Fukushima is not afraid of passing the torch and respecting the wishes of her people. Still, she hopes to continue as Prime Minister of the new Japan, and continue to improve the lives of her people - ensuring that Japan becomes a land for all, a shining beacon of liberty for the whole world to be inspired by.[[/labelnote]] |
| 462 | ---- |
| 463 | * BreakingTheGlassCeiling: If she is victorious, Mizuho Fukushima becomes the first female Prime Minister of Japan. |
| 464 | * Housewife: Subverted. Her mother educated her to become a "Good Wife, Wise Mother" as is expected of women in her society but she found her calling as an activist for democracy and women's rights. |
| 465 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: After Ishihara's election, Fukushima withdrew from politics, saving her strength for the future. |
| 466 | |
| 467 | !! Tatsuo Inoue |
| 468 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_tatsuo_inoue.png]] |
| 469 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_tatsuo_inoue_2_9.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 470 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Election), President[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 471 | ->'''Party:''' Nihon Jiyūtō[[note]]Japanese Liberal Party[[/note]] |
| 472 | ->'''Ideology:''' Classical Liberalism[[note]]Liberalism[[/note]], Liberal Radicalism[[note]]Liberalism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 473 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]"I am not a radical". Tatsuo Inoue has had to repeat these words time and time again, in futile attempts to explain his beliefs. Born in Osaka and later working in the city's university, the Handai, Tatsuo grew attached to Liberalism. rejecting both the reactionism of the ruling authorities and the radicalism of the Japanese New Left. But above all else, he sees justice as his guiding ideal. In his eyes, the people of Japan may only be freed through reason, by the guiding torch of the enlightenment. And eventually, this sense of liberation through justice applied to his stance on the monarchy.\ |
| 474 | Tatsuo saw the strain the monarchy placed upon the Emperor. He considers it as a dehumanizing institution, one that isolates the Imperial Family from society and places them upon a golden throne they never chose to sit upon. And with this rationale, he tried to spread his ideas. But with the limitations of the Heisei Democracy, he was unable to do so. When the war started, Tatsuo retired and moved to Sapporo, where he found not only safety from the war, but the birth of a new democracy.\ |
| 475 | Creating the Liberal Party of Japan with a few other intellectuals, his party broke from the ruling coalition and was able to sweep the polls with their proposals to protect Hokkaido's newly-born democracy and expand it even further. Now, His vision of Japan is only a few steps away...[[/labelnote]] |
| 476 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Tatsuo Inoue's vision of Japan was once a passing dream, one that seemed impossible in the past. But his frustrations - along with the old world, have been swept away.\ |
| 477 | Inoue has been guided by reason and justice. Through fierce dialogues, compromises, triumphs and defeats, he was able to reform the young democracy of Hokkaido, allowing for greater popular participation and applying deliberative methods. By doing away with the partisan and hierarchical nature of traditional representative systems, he allowed for more input, flexibility, and debate in policy-making. Then, he moved to socioeconomic issues. Applying a scientific method, he surrounded himself with experienced advisors and welcomed the input of separate interest groups; trade unions, civil rights groups, and the business community. In a tiresome journey, they reached a satisfying balance. But his greatest, and perhaps most controversial triumph came with the third act.\ |
| 478 | After defeating the opposing factions and drafting a new constitution, Inoue completely abolished the Emperor system. The change was criticized, as it was "too sudden" and "too radical". Conservatives may protest. But it matters little. A new era has already begun, and instead of dying for the Hinomaru, the Japanese people will be illuminated by the Murasaki banner...[[/labelnote]] |
| 479 | ---- |
| 480 | * GracefullyDemoted: Part of Inoue's rationale for abolishing the monarchy is that a Republican system actually ''helps'' Naruhito and the Imperial family, whom he sees as victims of isolation and being forced to [[ReluctantRuler Reluctantly Rule]]. |
| 481 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war, Inoue changes from his simple shirt to a suit, representing his ascension from a pro-democracy activist to President of all of Japan. |
| 482 | |
| 483 | !! Muneo Suzuki |
| 484 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_muneo_suzuki_3.png]] |
| 485 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_muneo_suzuki_4.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 486 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Election) |
| 487 | ->'''Party:''' Jinmin Seikatsu tō[[note]]People's Life Party[[/note]] |
| 488 | ->'''Ideology:''' Green Conservatism[[note]]Conservatism[[/note]] |
| 489 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Muneo Suzuki is a controversial figure. But he always finds a way to return to the spotlight. Though he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994, his career truly began when Shoichi Nakagawa, who entered politics after his father retired, was appointed Prime Minister in 2001. Muneo, who had worked under him and his father, would become Minister of Home Affairs. At that moment, Muneo stepped into the political world of the Heisei Democracy. Though the P.M. and his cabinet were subjected to Imperial decrees, they were able to sway the Emperor's decisions and alter proposed reforms. One proposal Muneo himself had pushed for was to increase state investments in Hokkaido; a project that would later become a front for briberies and other scandals via the Bureau of Public Works. The Nakagawa cabinet was dissolved in 2006, and Muneo left with a slap on the wrist: 3 years of house arrest.\ |
| 490 | He later formed the People's Life Party and passed his seat in the House to his daughter, aiming to become Governor of Hokkaido. Unfortunately for him, he saw mediocre results in the 2017 elections. But things were changing. Under Ishihara, Muneo's party was forced into a pro-government coalition. After the mess that was the war, Muneo sided with the Opposition. After it collapsed, he returned to Hokkaido and ran for the local government, appealing to localist sentiments. And surprisingly, he has won. Hopefully, his luck won't run out soon.[[/labelnote]] |
| 491 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Muneo Suzuki was once a mediocre politician with a mediocre career, featuring corruption as its highlight. But no more. Ever since he was elected on that faithful day, defeating the progressive coalition and its rivals, it is safe to say he is more than just a crook.\ |
| 492 | Muneo fulfilled his promises. For one, his party pushed for legislation to improve Hokkaido's democracy, patching out the flaws left behind by the Heisei Democracy. He's promoted special programs targeted toward the Ainu people and organized several cultural events. Later, at the end of the race for reunification, he prepared economic recovery programs for the North as a whole and pioneered green legislation. But how can a man like him do so much, and keep his alliances intact?\ |
| 493 | It's simple: He keeps his potential rivals in on his schemes. Once they're knee-deep in dirty money, he blackmails them into being his yesmen. And so, this mixture of political knavery, excessive public programs, localist rhetoric and artificial political alliances have been branded "Muneoism". In foreign policy, Muneo may call himself a pacifist, but he is an opportunist - he sees the benefits of a closer relationship with China and the USSR, even if their ideological outlooks don't align. Regaining legitimacy and putting an end to Sino-Japanese hostilities would solidify him as the father of modern Japan. It is the last score that needs to be settled, and his image relies solely on its success...[[/labelnote]] |
| 494 | ---- |
| 495 | * Blackmail: Muneo keeps his potential rivals in check by having them participate in his corruption and then threatening to reveal their part in it if they do not support his policies. |
| 496 | * CorruptPolitician: Muneo's entire political career has been filled to the brim of corruption scandals. Even when becoming Prime Minister, he was able to keep his position in secure by involving his political rivals in his scandals, in order to keep their mouths shut. |
| 497 | * {{Nepotism}}: As he was making his bid to become Governor of Hokkaido, Muneo left his seat in the House to his daughter. |
| 498 | * PetTheDog: Muneo is a very corrupt man who nonetheless uses his ill-gotten power to pass environmental policy and give the oppressed Ainu people more rights. |
| 499 | * {{Realpolitik}}: Muneo seeks a closer relationship with China and the USSR for opportunistic reasons. |
| 500 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Muneo got away with only 3 years of house arrest despite his pivotal role in the corruption throught the Bureau of Public Works. |
| 501 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Interestingly enough, Muneo isn't this in opposition to [[CorruptPolitician corrupt politicians]]. He ''is'' the corrupt politician, but uses his illicit activities to secure genuinely good policies in the face of any opposition. |
| 502 | |
| 503 | !! Yuriko Koike |
| 504 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yuriko_koike.png]] |
| 505 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yuriko_koike_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 506 | ->'''Role:''' Minister of Foreign Affairs[[note]]Foreign Minister[[/note]] (Ishihara cabinet), Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Election) |
| 507 | ->'''Party:''' Zenkoku Kaikakutō[[note]]National Reform Party[[/note]] |
| 508 | ->'''Ideology:''' Right-Wing Populism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]], Dominant-Party Democracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 509 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Yuriko Koike is the daughter of Yujiro Koike, a bureaucrat and member of the nationalist wing of the Taisei Yokusankai. From the beginning, Koike stood out amongst the youth of her generation. She rejected the New Left, being indifferent to the militancy of her colleagues. She would become a journalist and report on the Great Asian War, witnessing Japan's humiliating defeat. Bitter, she distanced herself from foreign correspondence and returned to work in Japan. And so, in 1978, she interviewed Shintaro Ishihara, marking the beginning of her interest in politics. Even then, she struggled because of the restrictions placed upon her sex. She believed her destiny was to continue working as a journalist. But then, Ishihara's victory gave her a chance. Though he held reactionary views, Ishihara's affinity with Koike, one that had built over many years, allowed her to enter politics and become the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs. But this didn't last long, as Ishihara's cabinet was dissolved with his resignation.\ |
| 510 | In the subsequent escalation, Koike would find herself in an odd alliance with dissidents, as she protested against Ishihara's overthrow and the opportunistic coup. Stuck in Hokkaido in the chaos of the civil war, she has used the situation to her advantage, becoming the main figure of Hokkaido's conservatives and displacing the ruling coalition. Maybe now, she restore some order back to her troubled homeland...[[/labelnote]] |
| 511 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]From the day she was elected in Hokkaido, Yuriko Koike and her party have been accused of forming a "fifth column", of betraying the opposition. But from day one, her loyalty was to Japan and its people - not the jargon the opposition claimed to stand for.\ |
| 512 | From Sapporo, she reorganized her territories and implemented several reforms. At first, taking a pragmatic approach, with measures that relieved the population in the chaos of the civil war, and later to larger, bolder projects. As the war came to a close, she carried out massive privatizations and tax cuts, in an effort boost GDP growth and attract foreign capital. Her government poured money into creative arts, earning the trust of the intellectual class and creating the basis for a bustling industry. But two of her projects stand out as remarkable; namely, her government's dedication to environmental causes and woman's rights; greatly increasing the rights and opportunities of Japanese women and recognizing the importance of environmental laws.\ |
| 513 | All these actions have created a solid electoral nucleus of middle-class Japanese families, bureaucrats, intellectuals and businesspeople. With political dominance being certain, Koike can take pride in knowing that she is building a pure, truthful, and perfect Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 514 | ---- |
| 515 | * BreakingTheGlassCeiling: Yuriko Koike becomes the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs as part of Shintaro Ishihara's cabinet and can become the first female Prime Minister of Japan if she is elected and wins the war. |
| 516 | * NotInThisForYourRevolution: Koike sided with the opposition only because the military coup overthrew Ishihara, she doesn't believe in their cause for liberal democracy. |
| 517 | * PetTheDog: Koike will turn Japan into a dominant-party system but she also brings genuine reforms for environmental causes and women's rights. |
| 518 | * TokenEvilTeammate: Yuriko Koike has the only authoritarian path of the Hokkaido Government by installing a dominant-party system in Japan. |
| 519 | [[/folder]] |
| 520 | |
| 521 | [[folder:Chūgoku Clique]] |
| 522 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chugokuflag.png]] |
| 523 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 524 | ->'''Official Name:''' Chūgoku Clique, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 525 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kokumin-teki Kakumei-ha[[note]]National Revolutionaries[[/note]] |
| 526 | ->'''Ideology:''' Revolutionary Nationalism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 527 | ---- |
| 528 | * ALighterShadeOfBlack: Masahisa Satō and his Chūgoku Clique are fascistic and militarist nationalists but they are not as extreme as the ultramilitarists of Toshio Tamogami's Kyushu Clique, whom Satō considers to be an "egotistical fanatic". |
| 529 | %%* BilingualBonus: |
| 530 | * RenegadeSplinterFaction: From the IJA Government Forces. |
| 531 | |
| 532 | !! Masahisa Satō |
| 533 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masahisa_sato0.png]] |
| 534 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masahisa_sato.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 535 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Daigensui[[note]](Commander-in-Chief) Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 536 | ->'''Party:''' Kokumin-teki Kakumei-ha[[note]]National Revolutionaries[[/note]], Kakumeigo Kensetsu Undō[[note]]Revolutionary Construction Movement[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 537 | ->'''Ideology:''' Revolutionary Nationalism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 538 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Masahisa Satō is a third generation serviceman, one who is deeply devoted to Japanese nationalism.\ |
| 539 | Being raised in the 60s, back when Japan was still the master of Asia, the Empire shaped his worldview - from the comics, the shows, the military parades and the feelings of pride. Yet, all of these things disappeared when Japan lost the Great Asian War. Having been conscripted and trained to become a combat medic, he narrowly avoided deployment as a ceasefire was signed. Still, he would later be deployed in Chosen's Heian-Haku Prefecture, where Chinese-trained rebels fought on. Satō retired from the IJA in the late 2000s and entered politics, joining the Constitutional Liberal Party and later gaining a seat in the House of Representatives. He was disgusted by what he believed was the decadent state of Japanese politics; dominated by businessmen and bureaucrats. He left the CLP and slowly gravitated towards nationalism. He concluded that the only way to "revitalize" Japan would be through a "National Revolution". He was inspired by the League of Blood, how their sacrifice led Japan down a path to great power status. But Satō was never fully on board with the Ultramilitarists.\ |
| 540 | Having participated in the IJA coup, he sparred with Toshio Tamogami, viewing him as an "egotistical fanatic". This rivalry eventually lead him to this point - an armed clique by his side and the tools to fulfill his dreams of a National Revolution...[[/labelnote]] |
| 541 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]Masahisa Satō has carved the road to reunification with blood. Surrounded by enemies, each battle was like an uphill struggle. But skirmish after skirmish, the National Revolution he dreamed of only came closer. Now, it is finally here.\ |
| 542 | Satō became the fear of the Japanese elites. His ruthless persecution against perceived enemies of the state and near-total domination over society and politics has been a trait of his rule since day one. But unlike Tamogami, he isn't a fanatic. With Japan under his reign, he believes that the brunt of his work is already completed. Now, he must ensure that his National Revolution may be finished. He has seen that some measures may not be practical in the long-term. He has done away with the war economy and implemented a form of Corporatism, granting a small degree of economic freedom. Secondly, he has taken a step backwards with state repression, putting an end to the terror that once defined his rule. But while he may be pragmatic, he is still committed to his goals. To ensure continued nationalist fever, the state has enacted mandatory military service and promoted militant youth groups, as well as a barrage of propaganda. But one issue remains unsolved. Satō has slowly realized that the age of empires is over. Japan is in no place to wage ambitious wars, but the dreams of a glorious conquest tugs at his heartstrings. In the end, this internal conflict may forever change Japan's image - and Asia's future...[[/labelnote]] |
| 543 | ---- |
| 544 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Satō became disgusted with Japanese politics, seeing them as decadent and dominated by businessmen and bureaucrats. |
| 545 | * PragmaticVillainy: |
| 546 | ** After reunifying Japan, Satō would tone down the state's suppression on its dissidents, less oppressive when compared to his rule in the early stages of the Chūgoku Clique, albeit still being authoritarian. |
| 547 | ** Satō would replace the war economy after reunification in favour of an economic system similar to Corporatism; granting a little economic freedom to its citizens, in order to encourage economic growth. |
| 548 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war, his portrait changes from a military uniform to a civilian suit. |
| 549 | * VisionaryVillain: Satō's ambition is to remake Japan through a "National Revolution", which would turn the country into a militarist fascist state exalting nationalism. |
| 550 | [[/folder]] |
| 551 | |
| 552 | [[folder:Kyushu Clique]] |
| 553 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyushuflag.png]] |
| 554 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ijawarflag.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 555 | ->'''Official Name:''' Kyushu Clique, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 556 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kyokujitsu no Gun[[note]]Army of the Rising Sun[[/note]] |
| 557 | ->'''Ideology:''' Ultramilitarism[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 558 | ---- |
| 559 | %%* BilingualBonus: |
| 560 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The IJA faction that's taken over Kyushu calls itself the "Army of the Rising Sun". |
| 561 | * RenegadeSplinterFaction: From the IJA Government Forces. |
| 562 | |
| 563 | !! Toshio Tomogami |
| 564 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_toshio_tamogami.png]] |
| 565 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_toshio_tamogami_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 566 | ->'''Role:''' Minister of Defense[[note]]Defense Minister[[/note]] (Ishihara cabinet), Head of State, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 567 | ->'''Party:''' Kyokujitsu no Gun[[note]]Army of the Rising Sun[[/note]], Sensō Kaigi[[note]]War Council - Militarists[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 568 | ->'''Ideology:''' Ultramilitarism[[note]]Ultranationalism[[/note]] |
| 569 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Toshio Tamogami's military career began in 1971 when he graduated from the IJA Air Academy. Serving in the Great Asian War as part of a bomber squadron, he pioneered the destructive use of cluster bombs in air raids over Shanghai and Nanjing. He would be shot down by Chinese fighters and held in captivity for the rest of the war, later being released in a prisoner exchange. He would also briefly participate in the Suez Crisis of 1981, where the Italians, with help from the Japanese Air Force, stopped the Egyptians from taking the canal.\ |
| 570 | Tamogami's hopes to return home a hero, like the men who served in the Greater East Asian Holy War, were shattered. Coming home from a humiliating war and later from a distant and forgotten conflict, this resentment would add fuel to his ultranationalist views. Retiring in 2008, he would join Ishihara's Imperial Restoration Party and enthusiastically supported him. This would later earn him the post of Minister of Defense, and with Ishihara's approval, Tamogami rapidly prepared the armed forces for the upcoming intervention in China. In the aftermath of the war, Tamogami refused to go through with Ishihara's orders to purge the conservative wing of the IJA, resigning and later participating in the coup. His rivalry with Masahisa Satō damaged the integrity of the junta, and now, he has holed up in Kansai, preparing for what he believes is his duty: to save Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 571 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]From day one, Toshio believed Japan was corrupted; dominated by traitorous bureaucrats and greedy capitalists, in service of an anti-Japan agenda. He saw Japan's decline as a symptom of this overlying illness, and had hoped men like Ishihara would cure it. But when push came to shove, he was the one who routed the traitors and empowered the people of Japan.\ |
| 572 | With total power, Tamogami has turned Japan into a military state. A system where all is subjected to the will of the state and its national interests. He hopes to dedicate all his strength to restoring the empire, with his sights on Chosen, Taiwan and Hawaii. In his view, maintaining a totalitarian and expansionist state is the only way to maintain Japan's purity. The Empire may be isolated, but the people of Japan, mighty and pure as they are, don't need to bend to their enemies.\ |
| 573 | Tamogami views himself as the greatest man in Japan's history, for what he represents. Accordingly, he has built a cult around his ideals - a cult for the Japanese Empire, to worship the sun and accept Japan's global dominance as a fact dictated by fate itself. But Japan is exhausted. The toll of decades of stagnation, a failed war and a chaotic civil war has left them with nothing but ashes. Whether or not the Empire rises above once more, Toshio will inherit nothing but rubble...[[/labelnote]] |
| 574 | ---- |
| 575 | * BloodKnight: Japan's defeat in the Great Asian War has led to Tamogami becoming a fanatical militarist hell-bent on bending all of Asia to Japan's will. |
| 576 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: In spite of his ultranationalist inclinations, Tamogami refused to help Ishihara purge the IJA's conservatives, and joined the Kōji junta. |
| 577 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Tamogami views himself as the greatest man in Japan's history. |
| 578 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war, his portrait changes from a military uniform to a civilian suit. |
| 579 | * VisionaryVillain: Tamogami thinks transforming Japan through totalitarian militarism and expansionism will rid it from the corruption he believes to exist within the country, he vows a cult to the Japanese Empire and its destined global supremacy. |
| 580 | |
| 581 | !! Tropes pertaining to the rework |
| 582 | ->'''Role:''' Minister of War (Nishida cabinet), Warlord (Japanese Civil War) |
| 583 | ---- |
| 584 | * {{Warhawk}}: Tamogami is a hardline Japanese nationalist who believes the only way to fix Japan's troubles is to reassert Japan's military power through open conflict. |
| 585 | * GeneralRipper: If China falls to civil war and Japan is let by Nishida, Tamogami and his like-minded allies in the Imperial Japanese Army will stage a terrorist attack and pin the blame on a supposed Chinese terrorist group, in hopes that doing so will convince Nishida to wage war with China. |
| 586 | [[/folder]] |
| 587 | |
| 588 | [[folder:Kyoto Emergency Government]] |
| 589 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyotoemergencygovernmentflag.png]] |
| 590 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan (Kishi/Abe)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 591 | ->'''Official Name:''' Kyoto Emergency Government, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 592 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Shūgiin - Kishi-ha[[note]]House of Representatives - Kishi Faction[[/note]] |
| 593 | ->'''Ideology:''' Reform Bureaucracy[[note]]Fascism[[/note]] |
| 594 | ---- |
| 595 | * CommieNazis: The reform bureaucrats' economic system blends Nazi corporatism and Soviet economic planning. |
| 596 | * {{Retcon}}: Kishi's Reform Bureaucracy is classified as National Socialism in the video, to simulate the syncretic national project merging Corporatism, Soviet-inspired economic planning, and Speer-esque reforms advocated by its' followers. Long after the video was uploaded, Sov retconned Reform Bureaucracy back to Fascism, where third-position ideologies are kept. |
| 597 | * SiblingRivalry: Nobuo Kishi and Shinzō Abe are brothers and rivals for power in Kyoto and Japan. |
| 598 | |
| 599 | !! Nobuo Kishi |
| 600 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_nobuo_kishi.png]] |
| 601 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_nobuo_kishi_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 602 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 603 | ->'''Party:''' Shūgiin - Kishi-ha[[note]]House of Representatives - Kishi Faction[[/note]], Han'ei Kyōkai - Kanryou[[note]]Prosperity Association - Bureaucrats[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 604 | ->'''Ideology:''' Reform Bureaucracy[[note]]Fascism[[/note]], Managerial State[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 605 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Nobuo Kishi is the son of Nobukazu Kishi, who in turn was the eldest son of Nobusuke Kishi, the Devil of Showa. However, his biological father is Shintaro Abe. Nobuo was unaware of his relation to the Abe family before his adulthood, being much closer to Kishi.\ |
| 606 | It is almost like Nobuo was raised to enter politics. He grew up in Manchuria with his grandfather, the most powerful man in East Asia. From day one, Nobuo wished to emulate him, and would rapidly enter politics after his passing. Being elected to the House of Representatives in 1999, Nobuo would quickly become a favorite of right-wing Japanese media. He attributed the fall of the Empire to the liberal reforms of the 60s, and firmly defended the "Managerial State" model pushed by Nobusuke and Mutō. And thus, the reform bureaucrats rose from the ashes.\ |
| 607 | In the elections, he backed Ishihara and saw his faction grow in the Diet. Nobuo used his power to further Ishihara's backsliding into authoritarianism but later began to perceive Ishihara as an incompetent strongman. His faction distanced itself from Ishihara and surrendered to the IJA in their coup. But as the junta collapsed, Nobuo and his allies reorganized the Diet, with the House electing Kishi as Prime Minister. But as his forces prepare to fight for Japan, Nobuo is fighting another challenge coming from within...[[/labelnote]] |
| 608 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]The remnants of the Imperial Diet had little when it came to the fight to reunite Japan. Yet, with Kishi's leadership and a little bit of luck, Japan is now united under a legitimate government. Kishi has rebuilt Japan as a Managerial State. Destroying the laissez-faire Capitalism that predominated in the past, the new economic system is a unique blend of German-inspired corporatism and Soviet-inspired economic planning. And though Japan presents itself like a democracy with its' formal structures, it stands upon a web of alliances, favors, corruption, and shady dealings. Nobuo lies at the top of this pyramid, but he has empowered a bureaucratic caste, one that has much more influenced than he could ever imagine.\ |
| 609 | Indeed, the people who control Japan belong to a tight ring of "state managers" and backroom politicians. A long time ago, these men relied on Kishi alone. But as time passes, even Kishi himself has realized that he was used for the wants of power-hungry men. From lshihara's election, the IJA Coup, the Diet's insurrection, and the destruction of the Abe clique, all these actions weakened Kishi from the inside out. Now, he is at the mercy of men who could dispose of him at any second. Less like a puppet king, but more like Ceasar, surrounded by conspirators. It seems like Kishi himself will be the first victim of this new era of treachery, being killed by his gun...[[/labelnote]] |
| 610 | ---- |
| 611 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: If Kishi wins the Civil War, he will realize too late that his whole political career has empowered a managerial caste that can dispose of him at any moment. His bio states that he is likely to be assassinated soon, with his death covered up as a suicide. |
| 612 | * TheCoup: If the Civil War enters its second stage, Kishi will lead a coup against the IJA Junta and restore the pre-Civil War Diet with him as Prime Minister. |
| 613 | * PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Under Kishi Japan presents itself as a democracy but in reality is controlled by scheming bureaucrats behind the scenes. |
| 614 | * PuppetKing: {{Downplayed}}. Kishi's postwar bio compares him more to a Caesar surrounded by conspirators than a puppet king. However, it's also clear that he is unable to do anything about what is going on around him anymore. |
| 615 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When it became clear that Ishihara wasn't being [[DoWrongRight an effective dictator]], Kishi and his clique in the Diet disassociated themselves from Ishihara before the IJA's coup, allowing him to survive politically under Yamazaki's junta. |
| 616 | * VillainWithGoodPublicity: Kishi is popular amongst right-wing media for his anti-liberal views, and single-handedly contributed to the revival of the Reform Bureaucrats. |
| 617 | ** However, his attempts at diplomacy after the war are less successful, as Japan's neighbors distrust him and suspect that it may be an attempt to influence them into the unofficial Tokyo Sphere. |
| 618 | |
| 619 | !! Shinzō Abe |
| 620 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shinzo_abe.png]] |
| 621 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shinzo_abe_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 622 | ->'''Role:''' Speaker of the House of Representatives[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Anti-Kishi coup), Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 623 | ->'''Party:''' Shūgiin - Abe-ha[[note]]House of Representatives - Abe Faction[[/note]], Kokka Hijō Jitai Seifu[[note]]National Emergency Government[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 624 | ->'''Ideology:''' Civilian Dictatorship[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Authoritarian Conservatism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 625 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Shinzō Abe bet his life on politics but has had to travel through hell to get here. The son of Shintaro Abe, an influential MP, Shinzō held a deep admiration for his grandfather, Nobusuke. But for most of his early life, Nobusuke was distant. Later in the 70s, when Abe was in university, Nobusuke left Manchukuo for Japan to "aid" Akira Mutō. Around this time, Shinzō finally met his distant brother, Nobuo.\ |
| 626 | Their relationship was one of cordiality, but subtle tension. After Shintaro and Nobusuke passed away, Nobuo and Shinzō would struggle over their thrones. Shinzō was the first to enter the House of Representatives, being elected in '97, and disapproved of Nobuo's entry into politics. He saw his younger brother as idealistic, passionate, and naive, someone who would be easily exploited. And he was right. Shinzō witnessed Nobuo become a mask for bureaucrats who used his grandfather's image for their corrupt interests. Shinzō had worked tirelessly in the Diet to bring Japan out of stagnation, and to witness Nobuo rise to the top was the greatest insult. Having stuck with his brother all the way up to the civil war, he decided enough was enough. Waging war against the reform bureaucrats and splitting the House and his family, he has put his brother back in his place. Taking over the reins, he must now fix the mess that is Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 627 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]Back during those days in the Diet, men like Shinzō were dismissed as mere blue-blood princelings. Individuals who entered politics simply because of their relatives. But unlike his younger brother, Shinzō had a natural skill for politics. He may not have had the same public support and prestige, but his success was almost guaranteed.\ |
| 628 | Now in charge of all of Japan, Shinzō has prolonged the state of emergency and has solidified his dictatorship. But he is not another petty strongman or an egotistical maniac. Instead, he is a smart ruler. His skill nearly matches that of his grandfather. Only, Shinzō has another vision for Japan.\ |
| 629 | Forming his ideological basis on social conservatism and nationalism, he hopes to rebuild Japan and strengthen what remains of the Empire. Shinzō dreams of turning Japan into a prosperous nation and has harnessed a mixture of liberal and nationalist economic ideas in a bold plan to, as he says, bring back his country. He knows very well that he cannot rule with brute force alone; the future of his rule and that of Japan lies in the success of these plans. And if he gets there, the pride of the empire may be restored. Not only this, but his family's honor. Holding onto a castle of cards, he hopes his efforts will not go in vain...[[/labelnote]] |
| 630 | ---- |
| 631 | * TheCoup: Abe can lead a coup against his brother to take power from the reform bureaucrats for himself. |
| 632 | * EmergencyAuthority: Even after winning the civil war, Abe doesn't end the state of emergency and instead solidifies his dictatorship. |
| 633 | * PragmaticVillainy: Is a wily political operator almost on par with Nobusuke Kishi, his grandfather. From the moment Kishi followed Abe into the Diet, Abe has distrusted him as naive and easily exploited. |
| 634 | * VisionaryVillain: Shinzō Abe dreams of turning Japan into a prosperous nation using a mix of liberal and nationalist economics and knows the future of his rule rests on the success of his grand plans. |
| 635 | [[/folder]] |
| 636 | |
| 637 | [[folder:Hiroshima Prefecture]] |
| 638 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiroshimaprefectureflag.png]] |
| 639 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan (Murai)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 640 | ->'''Official Name:''' Hiroshima Prefecture, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 641 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Heisei Minshu Shugi-sha[[note]]Heisei Democrats[[/note]] |
| 642 | ->'''Ideology:''' Neoconservatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 643 | ---- |
| 644 | |
| 645 | !! Yoshihiro Murai |
| 646 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yoshihiro_murai.png]] |
| 647 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yoshihiro_murai_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 648 | ->'''Role:''' Governor of Hiroshima[[note]]Head of State[[/note]], Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 649 | ->'''Party:''' Heisei Minshu Shugi-sha[[note]]Heisei Democrats[[/note]], Jiyū Ishin-tō[[note]]Liberal Restoration Party[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 650 | ->'''Ideology:''' Neoconservatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 651 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Yoshihiro Murai takes pride in being a self-made man in Japanese politics. Born in Osaka Prefecture, Yoshihiro was conscripted into the IJA in 1980 and would stay in the Army up until 1991. Afterward, he settled down in Hiroshima with his family and would later be elected into the Prefectural Assembly as an independent. Steadily, he made his own connections in the Assembly, eventually joining the Constitutional Liberal Party and running for governor in 2007. His bid was successful, and he was elected as governor of Hiroshima.\ |
| 652 | Mural's main focus as governor was to improve economic growth. He would pioneer several privatizations in the prefecture, improving Hiroshima's economy somewhat but worsening social inequality. This issue would be intensified after the Great East Japan Earthquake, when several refugees from Tohoku moved to the south as a result of the slow government response in their home region. With them, came an increase in crime rates. Murai saw this as an opportunity, successfully using anti-crime measures to rally his electoral base and deal with the issue.\ |
| 653 | Murai, who had backed Fukushiro Nukaga in the elections, was quick to turn on Ishihara on the eve of the IJA coup. As such, he would be thrust forth as the leader of the Heisei Democrats, and Hiroshima would become a fortress for the ideals that shaped the old Japan. And now that he is free from the junta, he sees another chance to grow...[[/labelnote]] |
| 654 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]Though Hiroshima held firm in the civil war, it needed much more to survive. Some dogmatists will certainly criticize Yoshihiro Murai for his cooperation with the OFN, but he was able to preserve the most important thing to him: the integrity of his nation.\ |
| 655 | Being a man who puts practice above theory, Murai believes the Japanese Empire as a whole is on the back foot. Over the last fifty years, their greatest threat has been their Chinese nemesis and the Russian communists, not the Americans. Japan's gains in the Pacific mean little in comparison to the spoils to be gained out west. Of course, the alliance with the OFN is only a temporary arrangement until Japan can lift itself back up once more.\ |
| 656 | Domestically, Murai hopes to gain access to American markets. Perhaps, by doing so, Japan can open the doors to much-needed riches, and hopefully crawl out of its perpetual economic slump. And by ruthlessly persecuting suspected radicals, he believes the Heisei democracy will survive and thrive, not as a failed experiment, but instead, as the blueprint for a stable Japan, one free of Utopian dreams and filled with strength.[[/labelnote]] |
| 657 | ---- |
| 658 | * EnemyMine: Murai will ally himself to the OFN because he sees China and Russia as the greater enemies. This alliance is not meant to last however. |
| 659 | * SelfMadeMan: Yoshihiro Murai prides himself on being a political self-made man. |
| 660 | [[/folder]] |
| 661 | |
| 662 | ! Japanese Civil War (Stage III) |
| 663 | |
| 664 | [[folder:Ainu Moshiri]] |
| 665 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ainuflag_0.png]] |
| 666 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Federation]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/postainuflag.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 667 | ->'''Official Name:''' Ainu Moshiri, Japanese Federation (Post-war) |
| 668 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Ekashi[[note]]The Chief[[/note]] |
| 669 | ->'''Ideology:''' Tribal Chiefdom[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 670 | ---- |
| 671 | |
| 672 | !! Haruzou Urakawa |
| 673 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_haruzou_urakawa.png]] |
| 674 | ->'''Role:''' Chief[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 675 | ->'''Party:''' Ekashi[[note]]The Chief[[/note]] |
| 676 | ->'''Ideology:''' Tribal Chiefdom[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 677 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Haruzou Urakawa is a testament to the resilience of the Ainu people. His father was Harumatsu, the offspring of a Japanese father and an Ainu mother, who saw Haruzou as his favorite child. Growing up, he followed in the footsteps of his father - working in forestry and trying to create his own business. Though it seemed like he was destined to succeed, he, like many others, would go bankrupt during the Great Asian War. Around this time, his father contracted a disease and passed away. Struck by his father's death, he would frequent Buddhist temples for some time, perhaps in a search for answers. Well, there, he would find one.\ |
| 678 | From a Buddhist priest, Haruzou discovered that his lineage traced back to an Ainu chief. Without his father, the Haruzou was the natural successor. Hesitant, he agreed to become the Chief. As his life fell apart around him, Haruzou decided to dedicate his entire life to one thing and one thing only - to ensure the survival of his culture, to serve his troubled people and shine a light on their struggles. And so, Haruzou and his sister, Shizue, fought for their basic rights. To be heard in a country where they are silenced - and to show that Ainu Moshiri lives. Soon, they became the voice of their people, those who embodied their struggle to be seen. But when the storms came, rocking Yamato into chaos, it became clear that, like their ancestors, the Ainu people would have to fight once more. Now, hoping to survive the chaos, the Ekashi leads his people...[[/labelnote]] |
| 679 | ---- |
| 680 | * PassingTheTorch: Upon their victory, Haruzou hands over supreme power to his sister Shizue and chooses to become a merely symbolic figure for the Ainu people. |
| 681 | * ReluctantRuler: Haruzou was reluctant to enter politics with his sister, and only became Ekashi of the Ainu Moshiri to make sure that his people can survive the madness of the civil war. |
| 682 | * TurnToReligion: Haruzou begins to frequents Buddhist temples after the death of his father. |
| 683 | |
| 684 | !! Shizue Ukaji |
| 685 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shizue_ukaji.png]] |
| 686 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 687 | ->'''Party:''' Hokubu Minzokutō[[note]]Northern Races' Party[[/note]] |
| 688 | ->'''Ideology:''' Left-Wing Indigenism[[note]]Progressivism[[/note]] |
| 689 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Shizue Ukaji grew up ashamed of her Ainu identity. Like many men and women who were pressured into assimilation, she simply shut her lips and never spoke of her roots. But unlike those troubled individuals, whose origins were lost after their passing, she did not forget. Shizue was captivated by art - and through art, she found pride in being an Ainu. Through poetry, through the exquisite patterns, through the dressings and customs that enriched the soul. With the help of her brother, she became an activist, hoping to rekindle the pride and memory of her forsaken people. While her brother was at first reluctant to enter politics, Shizue's poems and activism always emphasized sociopolitical issues faced by the Ainu. But even then, Japan was not ready to face these troubles. And god knows how long it would've taken had things not gone the way they did.\ |
| 690 | As Japan collapsed and the Ainu were forced into fighting for themselves, Shizue aided her brother in governance. Though he was vested with the powers of a supreme chief, he could not have come this far without Shizue. Seeing his younger sister as a more experienced leader, he retired from politics, choosing to become a merely symbolic figure for the Ainu people. Now, as a proper government is formed, Shizue can finalize the work of her ancestors, and ensure no harm will come to her people.\ |
| 691 | Maybe now, they may find their peace.[[/labelnote]] |
| 692 | ---- |
| 693 | * {{Foil}}: Serves as one to the EAAJAF's Hisaichi Ugaji. Shizue grew up ashamed of her own Ainu identity thanks to being pressured into assimilation, while Hisaichi only become obsessed with Anti-Japanese thought due to witnessing a workers' strike being brutally put down. Shizue became an activist and poet to preserve the Ainu's customs, while Hisaichi joined the EAAJAF and became a [[FarEastAsianTerrorists ruthless terrorist]] in his quest to make the Japanese pay for their crimes. In the end, Shizue establishes [[TheFederation a stable democratic federation]] where the Ainu can finally find peace and avoid extinction while Hisaichi's genocidal crusade against his own people results in a [[CrapsackWorld living hell]] for most of the population. |
| 694 | [[/folder]] |
| 695 | |
| 696 | [[folder:Northern District Army Tank Brigades]] |
| 697 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/northtankbrigadeflag.png]] |
| 698 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of Japan (Taura)]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 699 | ->'''Official Name:''' Northern District Army Tank Brigades, Empire of Japan (Post-war) |
| 700 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Sensha Dai-ni Shidan[[note]]2nd Tank Division[[/note]] |
| 701 | ->'''Ideology:''' Warlordism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 702 | ---- |
| 703 | * EliteArmy: Taura's troops are the most experienced forces of the Hokkaido Government. |
| 704 | |
| 705 | !! Masato Taura |
| 706 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masato_taura.png]] |
| 707 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masato_taura_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 708 | ->'''Role:''' Commander of the Northern District Army[[note]]Head of State[[/note]], Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 709 | ->'''Party:''' Sensha Dai-ni Shidan[[note]]2nd Tank Division[[/note]], Kokuritsu Tōgō Seifu[[note]]National Integration Government[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 710 | ->'''Ideology:''' Warlordism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Stratocracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 711 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Masato Taura is not a textbook hero. He has served Japan for decades, commanding several tank divisions. By the late 2010s, he was satisfied with his service, and simply hoped to retire. And then, the war came. Leading the famed 2nd 'Geki' Tank Division, his main concern was to keep his men alive. But he is no coward - his division performed quite well during the war, thanks to his careful planning and close cooperation with other units. Upon his return, Taura was granted the Order of the Rising Sun and command of the Northern District Army. Satisfied, he once again hoped to retire. But then, the civil war began.\ |
| 712 | Taura didn't wish to pick any sides. At first, he hoped to sit things out. But his inactivity allowed the coup to fail in the north, and he fell under the jurisdiction of the Opposition. Being far from home and forced to fight for a cause he had no sympathy for, Taura became increasingly rebellious. When the communists launched their own revolt, he aided in the separation of Hokkaido. Being the most experienced officer, he was granted command of Hokkaido's army. But the lack of progress in the frontlines put Hokkaido in an increasingly volatile position, and the beginning of the resource war marked its' downfall. Now, he finds himself leading the remnants of the North District Army, with the 2nd Tank Division forming the bulk of his elite forces. But can he survive, and return home...?[[/labelnote]] |
| 713 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]Masato Taura remembers when the Sapporo garrison fell to the terrorists, forcing his tank brigade into retreating with a caravan of refugees to Abashiri. Fighting in Hokkaido was his greatest test; a cold environment, where any other tank commander would foil to the elements. But Taura knew the odds, and he knew the only alternative to victory was death. And so, during those days, he extracted as many resources as possible and utilized civilians to fill in his ranks. And though this worsened the conditions for the already suffering populace of Hokkaido, worsening the famines in the north, Taura believes his crimes were justified to destroy an even more monstrous enemy.\ |
| 714 | But all of that has passed. He was able to march his column south and return home. As the undisputed leader of Japan, he has applied his military values to his rule. After all, he is no politician. Still, he has been somewhat benevolent, allowing for greater freedoms and still maintaining some degree of contact with civil society, allowing them to influence his rule. But his main concern is to stabilize Japan, and ensure that his military ideals of order and hierarchy will keep Japan safe for decades to come. No matter what future generations think of him - he has survived. And by surviving, he has won.\ |
| 715 | Maybe now, he can put all of this mess behind him.[[/labelnote]] |
| 716 | ---- |
| 717 | * AFatherToHisMen: Taura's main concern throughout the Fourth Sino-Japanese War was to keep his men alive. |
| 718 | * FourStarBadass: Taura's performance during the Fourth Sino-Japanese War won him the Order of the Rising Sun and a promotion to command of the Northern District Army. He is put in command of Hokkaido's army after its separation from the Opposition because he is the most experienced officer. |
| 719 | * NeutralityBacklash: Taura refuses to pick any sides when the civil war begins, resulting in the failure of the coup in northern Japan and placing under the jurisdiction of the Opposition, for which he holds no sympathy. |
| 720 | * NotInThisForYourRevolution: Taura is forced to fight for the Opposition and would aid the separation of Hokkaido because of the communists' own revolt rather than any genuine attachment to the government's cause. |
| 721 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war, his portrait changes from a battlefield uniform to a dress uniform. |
| 722 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Taura's requisition of resources and impressement of civilians into his army worsens the famine touching northern Japan but he believes it to be justified to defeat the EAAJAF. |
| 723 | [[/folder]] |
| 724 | |
| 725 | [[folder:Tōhoku Soviet Republic]] |
| 726 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tohokusrflag.png]] |
| 727 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Soviet Republic]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/posttohokusrflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 728 | ->'''Official Name:''' Tōhoku Soviet Republic, Japanese Soviet Republic (Post-war) |
| 729 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Jinmin Kakumei-tō[[note]]People's Revolutionary Party[[/note]] |
| 730 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stalinism[[note]]Communism[[/note]] |
| 731 | ---- |
| 732 | %%* BilingualBonus: |
| 733 | * CommieLand: Tōhoku is a Stalinist totalitarian dictatorship where any deviation from the party line is suppressed, dissidents and enemies are branded parasites, counterrevolutionaries and traitors and sent to labor camps or executed, all must praise Comrade Shiomi, the Lenin of the East. |
| 734 | * DirtyCommunists: Tōhoku's Stalinists do not tolerate any position different from their own and resort to deportation to labor camps and summary executions to suppress dissent. |
| 735 | |
| 736 | !! Takaya Shiomi |
| 737 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_takaya_shiomi.png]] |
| 738 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_takaya_shiomi_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 739 | ->'''Role:''' Chairman[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 740 | ->'''Party:''' Jinmin Kakumei-tō[[note]]People's Revolutionary Party[[/note]] |
| 741 | ->'''Ideology:''' Stalinism[[note]]Communism[[/note]] |
| 742 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Takaya Shiomi is one of the legendary names of the Japanese New Left. Yet, today, many leftists recoil whenever his name is mentioned.\ |
| 743 | Long ago, he led a revolutionary group known as the Red Army Communist League. He and his comrades organized subversive activities and prepared for an eventual armed struggle. However, the League fell apart in 1967 due to internal strife. Shiomi then gravitated within several minor groups. Most importantly, he maintained contact with the Japanese Red Army, as a sort of ideological forefather to its' leaders. Still, they would fail nonetheless. Shigenobu and her remaining comrades had been reduced to servants of Moscow. Seeing the Soviets as opportunistic imperialists, who used their comrades as mere tools against their Asian rivals, he grew critical of the Comintern. And as he did, he grew increasingly nationalistic. Shiomi argued that to bring Communism to Japan, the revolution would require firm leadership and an appropriation of Japanese values. Namely, Japanese nationalism, one that emphasized Japan's fight against European imperialism and the greatness of her people.\ |
| 744 | By the time he left Taiwan and went to Hokkaido, he was already a prominent figure of the Stalinist left. His followers hail him as a new Lenin, he who will raise the red flag over Japan. With the JCP growing exhausted over the war, his followers revolted and established the TSR. The first step has been taken, but there is a long road ahead...[[/labelnote]] |
| 745 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]The dreams of a Japanese revolution were once in peril. The JCP was corrupted to the bone by SMERSH agents, bourgeois reformists, and ultra-left factionalism. Surely, communism was destined to fail under the wings of these Bukharinist thugs. But Takaya Shiomi rose like a red saint, routing the counterrevolutionaries and the traitors; ensuring the revolution would succeed no matter the cost.\ |
| 746 | Following Stalin's line, he has completely done away with any semblance of the disgusting state capitalism promoted by Bukharinism. The economy is dictated by the state and the state only, no more petty bourgeois elements or ultra-left revisionism. With strict party discipline and hierarchy, Shiomi now hopes to lift his country from the ground. The mighty Japanese people, who routed the imperialists from Asia alone, do not depend upon anyone to fulfill their national construction and realization of Communism. Yet, past the glimpses of his tightly-controlled state, some ungrateful parasites speak of lies, such as "summary executions", "labor camps" and a "cult of personality". Clearly, these fools who oppose him will have their lips sealed shut by the time Japan shows the world their might. A beacon of pure socialism for all of Asia to look up to and sing their praises to Comrade Shiomi, the Lenin of the East![[/labelnote]] |
| 747 | ---- |
| 748 | * CommieNazis: Takaya Shiomi incresingly mixes Stalinism with Japanese nationalism. |
| 749 | * CultOfPersonality: As befitting of a Stalinist, Shiomi creates a cult of personality around himself, praising him as the "Lenin of the East". |
| 750 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Shiomi splits from the JCP and the rest of the Japanese communists because he sees them as Soviet puppets, bourgeois reformists, and ultra-left revisionists. |
| 751 | * TheDreaded: Shiomi is feared among the Japanese Left for his brutal Stalinist ideals and unending hate for the "revisionist" Comintern, which is proven right when Shiomi revolts against the JCP should they fail to win the civil war in time. |
| 752 | [[/folder]] |
| 753 | |
| 754 | [[folder:East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front]] |
| 755 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eaajafflag.png]] |
| 756 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Ainu-Lewchewan Soviet Republic]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ainulewchewanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 757 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Anarchist Front]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japananarchistfrontflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 758 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Fraternity League]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japanfreternityleagueflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 759 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Communal Armies]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japancommunalarmiesflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 760 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Democratic Federation]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japandemocraticfederationflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 761 | ->'''Official Name:''' East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, Ainu-Lewchewan Soviet Republic (Isonash, Post-war), Japanese Anarchist Front (Toyama), Japanese Fraternity League (Toyama, Post-war), Japanese Communal Armies (Kurihara), Japanese Democratic Federation (Kurihara, Post-war) |
| 762 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' EAAJAF - Sasori Saibō[[note]]East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front - Scorpion Cell[[/note]] |
| 763 | ->'''Ideology:''' Anti-Japaneseism[[note]]Left Libertarianism[[/note]] |
| 764 | ---- |
| 765 | * ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: The EAAJAF initially consists of Anarchists, Anti-Japaneseists, and other leftists, but as Ugajin consolidates his control and purges the other cells, the front becomes a hub for criminals, rapists, and infuriated Burakumin, Zainichi and Ainu minorities looking to enact their revenge. |
| 766 | * BattleTrophy: Under the EAAJAF, the skulls of the exterminated Japanese are used as trophies. |
| 767 | %%* BilingualBonus: |
| 768 | * BoomerangBigot: The EAAJAF's end goal is the annihilation of the culture, nation, and people of Japan, despite being made up of a good number of Japanese people itself. |
| 769 | * HistoricalBadassUpgrade: In real life, the EAAJAF existed for a mere three years and managed to kill only eight people in the single attack it successfully carried out under that name. In this timeline, it has the ability to take over the entirety of Japan and fulfill its insane goals. |
| 770 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: On the national level. According to the EAAJAF, the only way for any Japanese person to "purify" themselves of their ancestor's misdeeds is to abandon all ties to Japanese culture and [[WithUsOrAgainstUs join the EAAJAF in exterminating their own people]]. |
| 771 | * TheRemnant: Before the civil war, the Scorpion Cell was the only surviving cell of the EAAJAF after the repression brought by the success of Operation Rainbow, the assassination of Prince Naruhiko. |
| 772 | * RevolvingDoorRevolution: The EAAJAF can undergo two coups in a row, first Toyama against the Scorpion Cell, then Kurihara against Toyama. |
| 773 | |
| 774 | !! Hisaichi Ugajin/Isonash |
| 775 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_hisaichi_ugajin.png]] |
| 776 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_isonash.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 777 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State |
| 778 | ->'''Party:''' EAAJAF - Sasori Saibō[[note]]East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front - Scorpion Cell[[/note]], Sekai Kakumei Rōnin[[note]]World Revolution Ronin[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 779 | ->'''Ideology:''' Anti-Japaneseism[[note]]Left Libertarianism[[/note]] |
| 780 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Hisaichi Ugajin began his terrorist activities in the 70s. From all of the events that led him to take this decision, one stood out. After Moving to a Doya-gai to familiarize himself with the workers, he witnessed the frustration and resentment of the laborers transform into a riot, one that was brutally suppressed by the military police. There, in Kamagasaki, where he witnessed the blood of the masses being splattered over the streets, he would be moved into joining the EAAJAF. Ugajin joined the new Scorpion Cell. There, he absorbed the insanity of Anti-Japanese thought, believing that he was fighting evil itself. Back then, the Front was being hunted down for bombing the headquarters of the Nissan-owned Mangyo, and in 1978, the Daidojis were arrested and later executed. The remaining members of the Wolf Cell and the Fangs of the Earth Cell prepared their revenge, titled Operation Rainbow; the assassination of Prince Naruhiko. And sure enough, in 1981, royal blood was spilled on the streets of Kyoto, and the EAAJAF was hunted down once again. With other members dead or giving up the fight, The Scorpion Cell was the only one left. Silently, Ugajin planned extensively for "Operation Sunset", an elaborate plan to foster chaos and destroy Japan.\ |
| 781 | Though his prospects once seemed dim, today, Yamato is dying by its' own hands. And so, he will hunt them down to the ends of the earth, avenging his comrades, until the Sun finally sets...[[/labelnote]] |
| 782 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]][[evil:A few years back, Japan had a population of 134 million. Today, there are only 10-50 million, give or take. And not a single one of them would dare to call themselves "Japanese".\ |
| 783 | Hisaichi Ugajin led an army of misfits, rapists, criminals and vengeful minorities in an endless battle against everything they knew. They fought the sun itself, and they won. As the proud parasites flee or are given the sweet release of death, Ugajin and the other members of the EAAJAF, the Ronin of the World Revolution, purify their souls of Japaneseism. Now, Hisaichi has become Isonash - the great hunter.\ |
| 784 | Isonash and his men have destroyed every evil in the world. Be it the state, the corporations, and the people of Japan themselves. In its place, there is only them - only the pure, those with no national consciousness, those who have not been tainted by greed or the crimes of their ancestors. Those who, in the fight, have absolved themselves of their original sin, and now live as one in their purified collectives. And to the rest, those who don't deserve a grave or a name for themselves, their skulls will be used as trophies, and will only be remembered in disgrace. And even if some try to fight back, Isonash will hunt them down.\ |
| 785 | The sun has finally set. And it will never rise again.]][[/labelnote]] |
| 786 | ---- |
| 787 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: After the EAAJAF's anti-Japanese genocide kicks into full swing, Hisaichi embraces Ainu and Ryukuan culture and takes the Ainu name "Isonash". This stands in stark contrast to the Ainu Moshiri, which is ''actually'' run by Ainu but is infinitely more inclusive than the EAAJAF. |
| 788 | * BoomerangBigot: Hisaichi wants to wipe the Japanese off the face of the earth, despite being Japanese himself. |
| 789 | * DownerEnding: The EAAJAF Scorpion cell is one of the worst endings that Japan can find itself in, as the EAAJAF will conduct a complete genocide against the Japanese. |
| 790 | * GenocideFromTheInside: Hisaichi is a Japanese terrorist who wants to destroy every last vestige of the Japanese people. |
| 791 | * HunterOfHisOwnKind: Literally. After gaining control of all of Japan, Hisaichi takes an Ainu name that translates to "great hunter". |
| 792 | * KnightTemplar: Hisaichi has a noble goal of amending for Japan's litany of past crimes, but is also under the impression that [[HonorBeforeReason exterminating every trace of the Japanese people is a productive or acceptable way to do this]]. |
| 793 | * MeaningfulRename: After conquering Japan, Hisaichi changes his name to "Isonash" ([[RedBaron "great hunter"]] in Ainu) to signify how he mercilessly hunts down anyone who displays Japanese "national consciousness". |
| 794 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war "Isonash" adopts Ainu clothing in his portrait. |
| 795 | |
| 796 | !! Koichi Toyama |
| 797 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_koichi_toyama.png]] |
| 798 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_koichi_toyama_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 799 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State (Anti-Scorpion Cell coup), President[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 800 | ->'''Party:''' Tora Saibō[[note]]Tiger Cell[[/note]], [[spoiler:Warewaredan[[note]]Our Group[[/note]]]] (Post-war) |
| 801 | ->'''Ideology:''' Anarcho-Communism[[note]]Communism[[/note]], [[spoiler:Fascist Anarchism[[note]]Fascism[[/note]]]] (Post-war) |
| 802 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Koichi Toyama is a long-time anarchist dissident. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, he began as a dissident activist, at first revolting against what he saw as a poor, hierarchical education system, dropping out of school entirely, and giving up his life in the name of his beliefs. He was arrested for his activism several times, partially because of his far-left activism, and partially because of his violent acts. Being in and out of prison, his views would slowly shift, but he remained loyal to anarchism nonetheless.\ |
| 803 | In the subsequent years, Toyama continued to organize and participate in the anarchist movement. During the war against China, he protested fiercely. The government, sick of his antics, gave him a life sentence and an uncomfortable cell to go along with it. During the civil war, he and other anarchist figures were freed by the EAAJAF and taken under their wing. After agreeing to work with the Front, he joined the Tiger Cell and began to plot in silence. Eventually, he and his followers carried out a putsch against the Scorpion Cell, killing them and subsequently destroying their ideology.\ |
| 804 | But as his expectations of anarchism fall flat, with the communes rejecting him and slowly overtaking his influence, something strange brews inside of Toyama. But what could it be...?[[/labelnote]] |
| 805 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]"Lost" would be a good word to describe how Toyama felt not very long ago. Though he and his comrades had liberated the front from its' scourge and returned power to the people, they saw themselves losing ground to the individuals they despised. Even after the revolution, the people of Japan continued to reject Toyama and his gang's radicalism. Even in anarchy, they wanted their sacred "moderation". Well, to hell with them all.\ Toyama and his allies reorganized as the informal "Warewaredan"; Our Group. Composed of disappointed leftist radicals, nihilists and proto-fascists, they pushed back against the so-called "moderates" of the communes with brute force. The Japanese can have their beloved democracy alright, but if they dare to steer too far from Toyama's anarchism, they can expect to see their names carved on a tombstone.\ |
| 806 | Toyama has created something monstrous, yet beautiful. Though it all began as a quest to save himself from irrelevancy, he eventually grew to see Fascism as the successor of Anarchism, one that stems from the boiling pot of the lower classes. But even then, Toyama's insistence on implementing his views through force and his largely contradictory ideology has created its' own issues. No matter. Japan will follow Toyama. If not, the dan will prepare their molotovs...[[/labelnote]] |
| 807 | ---- |
| 808 | * AnarchyIsChaos: Under the rule of Koichi, Japan descends into chaos, with multiple communities clashing with each other and [[spoiler:the Dan silencing any dissidents]]. |
| 809 | * AnarchoTyranny: [[spoiler:Koichi grows disillusioned with left-wing anarchism and ends up formulating "fascist anarchism", and executes everyone who opposes him while still organizing Japan along anarchistic principles.]] |
| 810 | * BombThrowingAnarchists: The Japanese Anarchist Front consists of bandits and criminals who will implement an anarchist system in Japan. |
| 811 | |
| 812 | !! Yasushi Kurihara |
| 813 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yasushi_kurihara.png]] |
| 814 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yasushi_kurihara_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 815 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State (Anti-Toyama coup), President[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 816 | ->'''Party:''' Kyōdō Rikugun[[note]]Communal Army[[/note]], Renpō Gikai[[note]]Federal Diet - Left[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 817 | ->'''Ideology:''' Vanguard Anarchism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Anarchist Revisionism[[note]]Socialism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 818 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to show]]Yasushi Kurihara is one of the youngest figures in the Japanese Civil War. Born in 1979, Kurihara's resentment towards Capitalism emerged in his early years. The crises, the inhumane conditions and the passivity of the reformists fed the flame of radicalism in his heart. In university, he read the forbidden works of ōsugi Sakae, becoming an anarchist. As Japan crawled towards democracy, Kurihara wrote about leftist politics, defying anti-communist laws. But Kurihara wasn't much of a nuisance to the state. Though he protested, his voice was often unheard, drowned out in a sea of dissent. So, when the civil war came, Kurihara resigned from politics and took the road to Hokkaido. And on the way, he was stopped by the EAAJAF.\ |
| 819 | Horrified, he agreed to work with them for his own survival. A member of the minor Wasp Cell, he served in the rearguard, dealing with logistics. This allowed him to maintain contact with the Front's communes, and his Cell would be instrumental in Toyama's Coup. Seen as a hero, Kurihara was elected political commissar of the 12th "Kaihe" Brigade. But although anarchy was restored, Kurihara witnessed the power of the communes eroded by Toyama's lackeys. With no other choice, he did the unthinkable, shutting down the communes and couping Toyama. Hoping to eventually restore anarchy, he raises the sacred black banner and prepares for the final struggle...[[/labelnote]] |
| 820 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to show]]In drastically different conditions to those seen in Barcelona and Huliaipole, Kurihara was forced to save anarchy from itself. But as those weeks' events reverberate in the present, he wonders if he is a hero who routed a corrupting force from a pure experiment, or if he is a traitor who betrayed his people, being no better than Bukharinist rabble. Whatever the answer is, he is responsible for something. Like when he allowed the commissars to persecute dissidents like the Chekist scoundrels of the JCP, or when he witnessed the web of corruption being built under his nose, and in both cases, he did nothing. He created this mess. But he might as well end it.\ |
| 821 | Defying the cliques, he put an end to the emergency and reopened the communes. Yet, the pure democracy they created in the past can't be decreed into existence. Corruption is everywhere, from the bottom to the top, from local communes to the Federal Diet. The traitors hold onto their militias like private armies, intimidating voters into choosing their political allies or family members to represent them in the Diet. All Kurihara has left are the people at large, who still sympathize with him, and a fraction of the military, who remain loyal to anarchism. All they need is a spark, an incentive to weed out the despots and stop them from destroying everything.\ |
| 822 | Perhaps, a life could be the one spark they need...[[/labelnote]] |
| 823 | ---- |
| 824 | * CommissarCap: Kurihara wears a peaked cap and black coat in his portrait and is an elected political commissar before his coup against Toyama. |
| 825 | * JoinOrDie: Kurihara agreed to work with the EAAJAF as they would've killed him otherwise. |
| 826 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: Kurihara's re-opening of the communes following the Japanese reunification only empowers the corrupt political commissars even more, and they proceed to turn the anarchist experiment into little more than a military-led junta. |
| 827 | * ThePoliticalOfficer: Kurihara is elected political commissar of the 12th "Kaihe" Brigade after Toyama's coup and holds this position until his own coup against Toyama. |
| 828 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: Kurihara changes from his commissar uniform to a civilian attire after winning the civil war. |
| 829 | * TokenGoodTeammate: Of the possible leaders of the EAAJAF, Kurihara is the only one who doesn't want to be a mass murderer or a tyrant and genuinely wishes to bring freedom to Japan through Anarchism, even if he isn't successful. |
| 830 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Kurihara only shuts down the communes and overthrows Koichi to give Anarchy a chance at survival. |
| 831 | [[/folder]] |
| 832 | |
| 833 | [[folder:Yamaguchi Citizen's League]] |
| 834 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yclflag.png]] |
| 835 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Federal State of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/federal_states_of_japan_flag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 836 | ->'''Official Name:''' Yamaguchi Citizen's League, Federal State of Japan (Post-war) |
| 837 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Mintōren - Shuryū[[note]]Mintohren - Mainstream[[/note]] |
| 838 | ->'''Ideology:''' Progressive Liberalism[[note]]Liberalism[[/note]] |
| 839 | ---- |
| 840 | * HopeSpringsEternal: Even when the Japanese Civil War has deteriorated to the point the people's suffering becomes boundless, and being subjugated of oppression by Japanese despots and militarists, the Japanese-Koreans might manage to liberate themselves from the Chūgoku Clique, in hopes of creating a better future for all. |
| 841 | |
| 842 | !! I Kyonje |
| 843 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ri_keisai.png]] |
| 844 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ri_keisai_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 845 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 846 | ->'''Party:''' Mintōren - Shuryū[[note]]Mintohren - Mainstream[[/note]], Hikari no Tō[[note]]Party of the Light[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 847 | ->'''Ideology:''' Progressive Liberalism[[note]]Liberalism[[/note]] |
| 848 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]I Kyonje, also known as Takayasu Keisai, was born to Korean parents in Osaka, but grew up in Shimonoseki. His mother had long forgotten her language, and his father was, in a twisted kind of irony, relegated to toiling to construct the damned Japan-Korea tunnel. The two had long given up in preserving their roots, and as such, I grew up ashamed of his own identity, and tried to keep it hidden and assimilate into the Japanese populace. But he was still seen as alien. No matter how hard he tried to suck up to the Yamato, he was always punched down as a foreigner, even when he had been born and raised in the same land as them. Unable to pursue higher education or even find a job, he decided enough was enough. At just 18 years of age, he founded the Mukuge no Kai; what would later become the Mintohren in 1975. Over the next decade, the Mintohren resisted the IJA Regime and the injustices in Japanese society. I was arrested in 1983, and remained in jail until the junta fell.\ |
| 849 | After being released, he resumed his work as an activist. In the Heisei Era, the Mintohren became the largest Zainichi Korean organization in all of Japan. So it is no surprise that when Ishihara took power, the Mintohren was suppressed. Kyonje was imprisoned once again, but his organization lived. Launching a large revolt with the help of the B.L.L. and liberal activists, the Mintohren overthrew the IJA. Now, I hopes to liberate all of Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 850 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]I Kyonje, like many other Zainichi Koreans, saw Japan's unrelenting nationalism as a poison. One that overtook everything, and destroyed humanity wherever it went. But I, like many other Zainichi Koreans, sees Japan as their home. And the fight waged by them over the last few months was to claim their right to be seen as equals.\ |
| 851 | Indeed, I is no despot or nationalist hardliner. He has carried out liberal reforms from day one, even when so-called "reformists" were hesitant to do so. He elevated Zainichi Korean activists to public positions, but hasn't excluded ethnically Japanese activists from his circle. His whole life has been dedicated to this sole purpose - to elevate his people to the same level as the Yamato, no more, no less. But l's reforms have had a much wider scope. Namely, in the reorganization of Japan's polity. Inspired by the United States, Japan now has a federalist system, with special autonomy given to certain Prefectures, like Hokkaido. The Emperor has retained his position as a figurehead, silencing accusations of Republicanism from conservatives, and other aesthetical changes.\ |
| 852 | But foreign policy has been the most important point. In a project spearheaded by foreign minister Kan Sanjun, Japan now hopes to build an East Asian trade bloc, with hopes of regional integration. The future seems bright. Hopefully, it will remain so...[[/labelnote]] |
| 853 | ---- |
| 854 | * {{Freakiness Shame}}: {{Subverted}}: Kyonje grew up being ashamed of his Korean identity in a Japanese-dominated society, so he started presenting himself to be more "Japanese" when he was young in an attempt to mask his Korean heritage but to no avail. Seeing pandering to the Japanese to no use, he will instead embrace his Japanese-Korean identity and establish the Mintohren to help the suppressed and disenfranchised minority. |
| 855 | * LightIsGood: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by the reformist "Party Of the Light" that Kyonje organizes following the civil war, which aids Kyonje in his mission to turn Japan into a progressive country with a federalist system. |
| 856 | [[/folder]] |
| 857 | |
| 858 | [[folder:Keihanshin Economic Directorate]] |
| 859 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/keihanshinflag.png]] |
| 860 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese Directorate]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/japan_flagedit.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 861 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Yamaguchi-gumi/Japanese Syndicate]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yamaguchigumiflag.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 862 | ->'''Official Name:''' Keihanshin Economic Directorate, Japanese Directorate (Kubota, Post-war), Yamaguchi-gumi (Tsukasa), Japanese Syndicate (Tsukasa, Post-war) |
| 863 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Riji-kai - Gyōsei Shimon Iinkai - GYŌSHINKAI[[note]]Board of Directors - Administrative Advisory Board[[/note]] |
| 864 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporatocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 865 | ---- |
| 866 | * NeonCity: Japan's society changes at a fast pace in the post-war, rapidly turning Japan's cities' infrastructure aesthetic into cities with thousand of advertisement boards and neon lights. |
| 867 | * OneNationUnderCopyright: Japan politics under the directorate are dominated by the "Big Four" Zaibatsus which are - Sony, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Mitsui, while the rest of the major companies play role in politics but are less dominant. |
| 868 | * {{Yakuza}}: Various Yakuza organizations serve as muscle for the Zaibatsus in their corporate wars, the biggest of which is the Mitsubishi-employed Yamaguchi-gumi. |
| 869 | |
| 870 | !! Masakazu Kubota |
| 871 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masakazu_kubota.png]] |
| 872 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_masakazu_kubota_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 873 | ->'''Role:''' President of the Directorate[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 874 | ->'''Party:''' Riji-kai - Gyōsei Shimon Iinkai - GYŌSHINKAI[[note]]Board of Directors - Administrative Advisory Board[[/note]] |
| 875 | ->'''Ideology:''' Corporatocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 876 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Masakazu Kubota's history began when the old Japan ended. After the Yasuda Crisis, the Reforms of the 60s, the Great Asian War, and the subsequent economic crisis, the old "Big Four" Companies that sat at the top lost their status. Then came new competitors - Zaibatsus that sat at the periphery of the corporate world and emerging Keiretsus. In the aftermath of those disastrous decades, the Japanese business sector was in dire need of experts. And here is where Kubota steps in. From the 70s onwards, he served as an advisor to several companies, even holding senior posts. He forged ties with Big Four and played a minor role in founding the Gyoshinkai (Administrative Advisory Board) in 1985. The GSK was founded to represent and aid the entire Japanese business sector, but it later became the voice of the Big Four, who used it to push for the greater free-market reforms that shaped the Heisei Era.\ |
| 877 | By the 2010s, Kubota had become President of the Gyoshinkai. His balanced approach to leadership would prove helpful when Japan fell into civil war. As the situation spun out of control, Kubota met with several business leaders and proposed a plan to create a separate government in the Keihanshin metropolitan region, built to protect their businesses from the chaos. Now, he leads the Board of Directors, in a proto-state where only the [=CEOs=] decide who gets to govern or not. All he has to do is play his cards right, and prove his worth...[[/labelnote]] |
| 878 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Creating an entire statelet based on a business structure was a bold and dangerous idea. Masakazu Kubota knew that. He was the beating heart of the Board, an impartial leader who could easily maneuver between the corporations and ensure their interests were heard. But at any moment, the [=CEOs=] could vote him out and put one of their lackeys at the top, something that would escalate their everyday competition to outright hostility.\ |
| 879 | But Kubota held strong. Like throwing a bone to the dogs, he put an end to the laws and regulations that limited Japan's businesses, turning all territories under his jurisdiction into a haven for free market capitalism. Of course, Kubota has cared little for the mistreatment of workers, suppression of smaller businesses, and lack of accessibility for the poorer strata. To protect this new order, he strengthened the military and police, counterbalancing the power of the [=PMCs=] and the Yakuza and ensuring capital is defended by a single body.\ |
| 880 | This Japan is a nation of slaves, who are forced to toil for some corporate suits hiding away in their skyscrapers. No matter how much he tries to deny it, Kubota knows that all of this beauty he helped to construct will, someday, be engulfed in flames. Just like in Kanton and Manchukuo, it will not last...[[/labelnote]] |
| 881 | ---- |
| 882 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: While not as bloodthirsty as the Zaibatsus he serves as middleman to, Kubota cares little for mistreatment of workers, suppression of smaller businesses, and lack of accessibility for the poorer strata that they've created and mostly just turns a blind eye to the suffering of the people. |
| 883 | * TeamSwitzerland: Kubota serves as the impartial leader of the Board of Directors, the middleman between the [=CEOs=] who makes sure that their interests can be heard. Kubota also makes sure that the everyday competition between the Zaibatsus doesn't escalate into [[CorporateWarfare outright hostility]], and he has to play his cards right to make sure that he keeps his position and doesn't get replaced with one of their lackeys. |
| 884 | |
| 885 | !! Shinobu Tsukasa |
| 886 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_kenichi_shinoda.png]] |
| 887 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_kenichi_shinoda_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 888 | ->'''Role:''' Supreme Kingpin[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Takeover) |
| 889 | ->'''Party:''' Rokudaime Yamaguchi-gumi[[note]]Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi[[/note]], Kumicho[[note]]Supreme Kingpin[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 890 | ->'''Ideology:''' Kleptocracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] |
| 891 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Shinobu Tsukasa, born Kenichi Shinoda, is the Kingpin of the largest Yakuza organization in Japan, and he has earned that title. Being the first Kingpin to be born outside of the Kansai region, his life in the criminal underworld began in 1962. Shinoda joined a minor organization related to the Yamaguchi-gumi. In 1971, he killed a rival Yakuza leader with a Katana and spent the next decade in jail. After returning to the real world, he and Kiyoshi Takayama, a long-time friend, founded the Kodo-kai. After the war against the Ichiwa-kai, his efforts began to bear fruit. He successfully expanded the Kodo-kai into the Kansai region and defied the Yakuza tradition of closely cooperating with the police. And these bold, unconventional antics were exactly what brought him here. When he took over, the Yamaguchi-gumi reached its' peak. But over time, business began to slow down, the cops started sniffing around, and the coffers were drying up. It seemed like their time was coming to an end.\ |
| 892 | And then came the civil war. The hardships caused by the civil war were exacerbated by the rigid social structure of corporate rule, sending droves of men to the Yamaguchi-gumi's arms. The [=CEOs=] fought amongst themselves, and the [=PMCs=] had their loyalties split by corporate interests. Tsukasa saw this opportunity, playing the [=CEOs=] against one another and swiftly taking over. Now, the path to victory begins...[[/labelnote]] |
| 893 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Unlike other criminal organizations, the Yakuza has always had an intricate connection with Japanese society. As always, they were used by powerful forces to uphold order and do their dirty work. When the Mitsubishi Zaibatsu, a long-time "business associate", tried to employ the Yamaguchi-gumi to gain an edge over their rivals, they had no idea what kind of power they would unleash.\ |
| 894 | The Yamaguchi-gumi is well-organized. Better yet, they have a leader who is ambitious to do what must be done. So Tsukasa went, and seized power in one of the longest nights in Japanese history, where Yamaguchi-gumi assassins took down PMC leaders and [=CEOs=], essentially beheading the entire Directorate. Now, Tsukasa sits on the golden throne. His reward? A whole country.\ |
| 895 | It's not a secret that Tsukasa controls Japan. There might be a proto-government now, but the rules stay the same. Tributes are now taxes, community projects have become public works, and the usual thugs now wear fancier clothes. The Yakuza are no longer misfits. They are the beating heart of Japan. And they survive on loyalty and devotion. But now that there are enough spoils to go around, will these values survive, or will they be overtaken by greed? That greed, the same that tempts Tsukasa, day after day...[[/labelnote]] |
| 896 | ---- |
| 897 | * KingOfThieves: Shinobu Tsukasa is the boss of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest {{Yakuza}} organization in Japan. |
| 898 | * ThePurge: How Tsukasa and the Yamaguchi-gumi can potentially take power in Osaka. During one of the bloodiest nights in Japanese history, [=CEOs=] and [=PMC=] leaders are assassinated one-by-one by Yamaguchi-gumi assassins. This essentially beheads the entire leadership of the Directorate, and Osaka is quickly taken over by the Yakuza. |
| 899 | * SinisterShades: Shinobu Tsukasa, ruthless gangster and boss of the biggest criminal organization in Japan, wears a pair of shades in both of his portraits. |
| 900 | * VillainTeamUp: Various other Yakuza organizations ally with the Yamaguchi-gumi due to the chaos of the civil war. [[/folder]] |
| 901 | |
| 902 | [[folder:Buraku Liberation League]] |
| 903 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burakumin2.png]] |
| 904 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Japanese National Liberation Government/Republic of Japan/State of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 905 | ->'''Official Name:''' Buraku Liberation League, Japanese National Liberation Government (Post-war), Republic of Japan (Redemption path), State of Japan (Corruption path) |
| 906 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Buraku Kaihō Dōmei - Suiheisha[[note]]Buraku Liberation League - Levelers[[/note]] |
| 907 | ->'''Ideology:''' Revolutionary Front[[note]]Socialism[[/note]] |
| 908 | ---- |
| 909 | * ALighterShadeOfBlack: The leaders of the BLL may resort to some pretty under-handed tactics to liberate themselves from the IJA Government, but the IJA themselves are much worse and their atrocities are nothing compared to the [[WouldHurtAChild bayoneting of student protestors]] during the Meiji Shrine Incident of 1987. |
| 910 | |
| 911 | !! Ryū Matsumoto |
| 912 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ryo_matsumoto_constipated.png]] |
| 913 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ryo_matsumoto_2_cool.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 914 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 915 | ->'''Party:''' Buraku Kaihō Dōmei - Suiheisha[[note]]Buraku Liberation League - Levelers[[/note]], Kenpō Seitei Kaigi[[note]]Constituent Assembly[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 916 | ->'''Ideology:''' Revolutionary Front[[note]]Socialism[[/note]], Provisional Government[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Post-war), Personalistic Dictatorship[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] (Corruption path), Social Radicalism[[note]]Progressivism[[/note]] (Redemption path) |
| 917 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]The history of the Buraku liberation movement is shrouded in controversy. And there is no better example of this than Ryu Matsumoto. His grandfather, Jiichirō, was the founder of the National Levelers' Association, and later a member of the Taisei Yokusankai. During the war, Jiichirō enthusiastically supported Japan's Imperialism, but would align himself with the reformists when Tojo was removed from power. By speaking in favor of the Ikeda Reforms and granting funds to Buraku activists, he redeemed himself in the eyes of the Burakumin.\ |
| 918 | Though the BLL was founded only 20 years ago, it is the third incarnation of past liberation movements. Their predecessor was the Buraku National Liberation Committee, founded in 1968 by Zennosuke Asada. Asada was controversial, purging the committee and collaborating with Mutō to ensure the survival of the organization. Needless to say, the BNLC died with Asada. And that is where Ryu came in. He had taken his adoptive father's seat in the House of Representatives and spoke in favor of Burakumin rights. He would be one of the founders of the BLL and later served as its chairman. Like his predecessors, Ryu has abused the BLL and its' goals. But the BLL was all the Burakumin had - and when they lost everything, Ryu took advantage of it. Now, he's the de jure leader of the uprising, and hopes to take back the ground he's lost...[[/labelnote]] |
| 919 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]When Ishihara took power and suppressed the BLL, it seemed like it would be another fad in the history of the Buraku liberation movement. A noble cause suppressed by the deeds of power-hungry men, a lesson to be learned for future generations of Burakumin activists. But the BLL wasn't dead. Because whatever evils the leaders of the BLL did, the IJA surpassed them. Whatever progress the BLL won over the last 30 years, it was wiped clean in a matter of weeks. Even the Burakumin who initially supported the Junta would turn against them. And in that mess, they couldn't find a better man but Ryu. At first, Ryu was despised. He was controlled by his subordinates, radicals who hoped to dispose of him when the time was right.\ |
| 920 | But the disorder brought upon by the revolutionaries made the people beg for order. Using his "underworld connections" and political allies, he suppressed the revolutionaries and solidified his power. Though his government romanticizes the uprising, Ryu fought against it. Now, Ryu stands at a crossroads. A sea of doubts and uncertainties have washed over him. What would his grandfather think? He has one chance to put an end to the Buraku issue once and for all, yet, he has used it for his own greed. Perhaps, there is a chance for redemption, no matter how narrow it is. Or perhaps, [[red:all is already lost.]][[/labelnote]] |
| 921 | ---- |
| 922 | * ThePuppetCutsHisStrings: Ryū takes advantage of the dissatisfaction of the people with the disorder brought by the revolutionaries to oust them and solidify his power. |
| 923 | * PuppetKing: After winning the civil war Ryū is controlled by his subordinates, revolutionaries who hoped to dispose of him when the time was right. |
| 924 | * TwoRoadsBeforeYou: After winning the civil war, Ryū Matsumoto has the choice between continuing down the path of a corrupt dictator (reflected as his ideology changing to Personalistic Dictatorship) or to seek redemption (reflected as his ideology changing to Social Radicalism). |
| 925 | [[/folder]] |
| 926 | |
| 927 | [[folder:Hokkekō no Ran]] |
| 928 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hokkekonoranflag.png]] |
| 929 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Great Sacred Domain of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greatsacreddomainofjapanflag.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 930 | ->'''Official Name:''' Hokkekō no Ran, Great Sacred Domain of Japan (Post-war) |
| 931 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Hokkekō no Ran[[note]]Hokkeko Revolt[[/note]] |
| 932 | ->'''Ideology:''' Theocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 933 | ---- |
| 934 | * TheChurch: The Hokkekō no Ran is ruled by the Nichiren Shoshu, a branch of Buddhism. |
| 935 | * CorruptChurch: The Hokkekō no Ran will try to impose its form of Buddhism as the only religion in Japan. |
| 936 | * TheTheocracy: The Hokkekō no Ran is a warlord proto-state controlled by Buddhist monks and will evolve into a theocratic state if it wins the Japanese Civil War. |
| 937 | |
| 938 | !! Nichinyo Shōnin |
| 939 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_nichinyo.png]] |
| 940 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_nichinyo_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 941 | ->'''Role:''' Head Temple Taiseki-Ji[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 942 | ->'''Party:''' Hokkekō no Ran[[note]]Hokkeko Revolt[[/note]], Sōhonzan Taiseki-ji[[note]]Head Temple Taiseki-Ji[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 943 | ->'''Ideology:''' Theocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 944 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Nichinyo Hayase has dedicated his whole life to Nichiren Shoshu. He is the great-grandson of Nichio, the 56th head priest of the Taiseki-ji. It was only inevitable that he would follow the same path.\ |
| 945 | Taiseki-ji is not your everyday temple. It's the home of Nichiren Shoshu, where Nikko, one of Nichiren's disciples, built the pagoda that served as the basis of the whole temple. As such, the people who wander its halls are trained and raised for that sole purpose. And in Nichinyo's case, he is vested with symbolic authority. But Nichinyo has never been as remarkable as his predecessor, Nikken, who oversaw an era of progress and noteworhy events. After all, it was Nikken who celebrated various milestones, published important works, and excommunicated the heretics of the Soka Gakkai. These acts may not seem like much, but to a man in that position, it is enough to forge their names in history.\ |
| 946 | But the winds began to shift. Outside of the lonely walls of the temple, the nation fell into peril. And with no other authority in the region, the Taiseki-ji declared the surrounding areas to be under their jurisdiction. For the first time, the temple has had to reach out to the outside world, for the sake of maintaining the temple from the marauders who surround them. To protect Nichiren's legacy from those who diminish it, he will do what must be done.[[/labelnote]] |
| 947 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]In the countryside, armed peasants brandished their weapons and prepared to hold off another batch of bandits. In the pagoda, loyal servants handled bureaucratic affairs. In the barracks, cell leaders planned their next moves and dreamed of their own domain. All of these people answered to one man: Nichinyo Shoshu.\ |
| 948 | But Nichinyo is no despot. He is too old to take on the burden of governing all of these lands alone. Instead, he relies on his subordinates; be it generals, warrior monks who fought for him and continue to handle security in the domains. He counts on his apprentices, who relay his orders and aid in his rule. And above all else, he counts on the people under him. In the beginning, the Taiseki-ji was accepted as the sole authority in Shizuoka; the populace preferred to be ruled by orthodox monks than by cultists or bandits. They did not choose this state of affairs; they were subjected to it. As such, Nichinyo has ruled wisely. He has listened to his people and only demanded one thing from them: loyalty and faith. The issue is, the latter is not easy to gain.\ |
| 949 | The orthodoxy's attempts to impose their religion upon all of Japan has drawn fire from other sects and Shinto believers. Nichinyo knows he won't be here for long, and has accepted it. But will the people bend to his will once he is gone...?[[/labelnote]] |
| 950 | ---- |
| 951 | * HighPriest: Nichinyo Shōnin is the leader of the Nichiren Shoshu. |
| 952 | [[/folder]] |
| 953 | |
| 954 | [[folder:Sōka Gakkai]] |
| 955 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sokagakkaiflag.png]] |
| 956 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Humane State of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/humanestateofjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 957 | ->'''Official Name:''' Sōka Gakkai, Humane State of Japan (Post-war) |
| 958 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Sōka Gakkai[[note]]Value-Creation Society[[/note]] |
| 959 | ->'''Ideology:''' Theocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 960 | ---- |
| 961 | * PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: Minoru Harada believes Japan under the Sōka Gakkai is a pure Buddhist western-style liberal democracy. In fact the government, controlled by high ranking members of Sōka Gakkai, doesn't tolerate any opposition to its new-found dominance and persecutes Nichiren buddhists. |
| 962 | * TheTheocracy: The religious organization Sōka Gakkai becomes the state one and the same despite some liberal reforms because the government and its politics are dominated by high-ranking members. |
| 963 | |
| 964 | !! Minoru Harada |
| 965 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_minoru_harada.png]] |
| 966 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_minoru_harada_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 967 | ->'''Role:''' President of Sōka Gakkai[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 968 | ->'''Party:''' Sōka Gakkai[[note]]Value-Creation Society[[/note]] |
| 969 | ->'''Ideology:''' Theocracy[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], Theocratic Democracy[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 970 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Minoru Harada got involved with the Soka Gakkai in 1953 after some of his colleagues introduced him to the movement. There, he would meet Daisaku Ikeda. Ikeda had been arrested for participating in a strike in 1948, and after meeting Jōsei Toda in prison, Ikeda would dedicate his life to rebuilding the Soka. The movement was reborn in 1955 as the Soka Gakkai. The Japanese state ignored the movement's existence in its early days, but as it grew, it began to clash with the ruling authorities. Harada himself was a left-wing radical back then, and he would live through an often-forgotten incident in 1959, overshadowed by silence and time. In the 60s, the Soka Gakkai rode the wave of reforms that were sweeping through Japan. Ikeda had become more vocal about his convictions, calling for democracy and openly criticizing Japanese imperialism. As a result, when the IJA took power in the 70s, the Soka Gakkai was outlawed. Fleeing to America, the movement expanded to an international scope. The Soka Gakkai was responsible for launching propaganda campaigns and aiding in the immigration of several Japanese refugees following the Great Asian War. In 1991, it was legalized as part of the Heisei Reforms, and the movement slowly began to return home.\ |
| 971 | Then, disaster struck. Ikeda was killed in '94, and Harada took over, leading the organization in accordance with Ikeda's views. But now, they have a unique opportunity to shape Japan forever...[[/labelnote]] |
| 972 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Minoru Harada is no mighty general, no conqueror. He is simply a man who stood strong to his convictions and his mentor's ideals. Though his rule was surrounded by controversy, especially as the Soka deepened its' involvement in politics through the Komeito, he showed to be a decent leader. Flocking to a small strip of land with hopes of aiding an armed uprising was far from what Ikeda advocated for in his humanitarian work, but to Harada, it was necessary.\ |
| 973 | Harada's rule is divided between what it wants to be and what it is. In his eyes, his government upholds a form of humanism advocated by Ikeda. In his eyes, Japan is a pure Buddhist democracy, abiding by western ideals of liberal democracy and rule of law. And while the Soka has instituted some liberal reforms, it is still, in truth, theocratic. The Soka has made it clear that it will not tolerate any opposition to their religious dominance, persecuting Nichiren buddhists and remaining suspicious towards other traditionalist sects. It has reshaped Japan into a de facto theocratic state, and has dominated politics by elevating Soka members to high ranks of government. The Soka is the state - and the state is Soka. Still, Harada is simply following his concept of "Humane Rule", the idea that any state should try to advance social freedoms as well as general prosperity in order to bring happiness to society. And no matter what, Japan lies in his hands...[[/labelnote]] |
| 974 | ---- |
| 975 | * HighPriest: Minoru Harada is the president of the Sōka Gakkai, a Buddhist religious movement |
| 976 | * TakingUpTheMantle: After Daisaku Ikeda is killed, Minoru Harada took over, leading the organization in accordance with Ikeda's views. |
| 977 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: Minoru Harada wants Japan to be a Buddhist democracy, abiding by western ideals of liberal democracy and rule of law, but he ends up creating a theocracy with some liberal reforms. |
| 978 | [[/folder]] |
| 979 | |
| 980 | [[folder:National Socialist League]] |
| 981 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nslflag.png]] |
| 982 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Shogunate of Japan]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shogunateofjapanflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 983 | ->'''Official Name:''' National Socialist League, Shogunate of Japan (Post-war) |
| 984 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Nationalsozialistische Japanische Arbeiterpartei[[note]]National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party[[/note]] |
| 985 | ->'''Ideology:''' Warlordism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] |
| 986 | ---- |
| 987 | * DarkHorseVictory: The victory of the NSL is described in Kazunari's bio as seemingly impossible. |
| 988 | * GratuitousGerman: The name of the National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party is written in German rather than in Japanese. The same applies to the terrorist group Kazunari was a part of before the civil war, "Der Kreis"[[note]]"The Circle"[[/note]]. |
| 989 | * SkeletonMotif: The NSL's flag is a jolly roger with a skull wearing a hachimaki with a swastika in the sun and two crossed swords. |
| 990 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: After their victory, the NSJAP falls into infighting between extremists and "moderates" over ideological differences. |
| 991 | |
| 992 | !! Yamada Kazunari |
| 993 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yamada_kazunari.png]] |
| 994 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_yamada_kazunari_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 995 | ->'''Role:''' Head of State, Shogun[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 996 | ->'''Party:''' Nationalsozialistische Japanische Arbeiterpartei[[note]]National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party[[/note]], Nationalsozialistische Japanische Arbeiterpartei - Seitō-ha[[note]]National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party - Orthodox[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 997 | ->'''Ideology:''' Warlordism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]], National Socialism (Post-war) |
| 998 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Yamada Kazunari grew up despising the state of Japanese society and politics. He was shaped by the difficulties his country faced after the Great Asian War. In his mind, while his country fell into ruin, another nation was prospering: Germany. So, in university, he and a few friends established a "National Socialist Studies Club" to discuss Nazi ideology and Japanese politics. The small club would become an echo chamber for fascist ideology, and soon, it turned into "Der Kreis", a secret nine-man terrorist cell. In 1993, the group attempted to assassinate the head of the Soka Gakkai with a makeshift bomb, in what went down as a massive failure. As their leader, Kazunari took the brunt of the punishment, spending the next fifteen years in jail.\ |
| 999 | After leaving prison, Kazunari formed the National Socialist Renewal Party, a minor organization competing for the ideological fringes of the Japanese far-right. In 2018, he merged his party with several small Nazi groups and formed the NSJAP, united under the wing of the National Socialist League. Kazunari and his allies had little chance of competing against mainstream politics. but the civil war soon opened a window. Forging an alliance with the local reactionaries, they have managed to carve out a small warlord state. But their chances seem dim...[[/labelnote]] |
| 1000 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Many things seem impossible, but are, in truth, destiny. This is how Yamada Kazunari views his victory. From Nagasaki to Tokyo and then Sapporo, the swastika flies high. Many men have sacrificed their lives to get here - willingly or not.\ |
| 1001 | For the first time, Kazunari was granted total power. Earning his experience through the baptism of fire that was the civil war, his brutality only ramped up as time passed, purging the foolish conservatives aligned with his forces and stomping his perceived enemies. Following an Orthodox Nazi ideology, he has rejected "Speerist Thought" completely and embraced a "Corporatistic Autarky". And of course, Japan's minorities have been subjected to segregation and other abuses at the hands of his men. But the brutality of his state can barely compensate for the contradictions plaguing the NSJAP. A party that claims to reject Speerism, but is Germanophile. A party that claims to uphold "Aryan ideals" in an Asian nation. A party that is so distant from its own people that it refuses to acknowledge their disapproval and revolt. Day after day, the party tears itself apart between extremists and "moderates" over ideological differences. And for the first time, Yamada is being sidelined. The castle he built himself is slowly crumbling - and he will be there when it collapses upon him.[[/labelnote]] |
| 1002 | ---- |
| 1003 | * EvilChancellor: After his victory in the civil war, Kazunari takes the title of Shogun, leaving the Emperor as an entirely symbolic ruler. |
| 1004 | * FaceFramedInShadow: Kazunari's post-war portrait hides half of his face in darkness. |
| 1005 | * FarEastAsianTerrorists: Kazunari was a member of "Der Kreis", a secret nine-man terrorist cell. |
| 1006 | [[/folder]] |
| 1007 | |
| 1008 | [[folder:Happiness Realization Army]] |
| 1009 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/happinessrealizationarmyflag.png]] |
| 1010 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Flag of the Empire of the Eternal Sun]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empireoftheeternalsunflag.png]][[/labelnote]] |
| 1011 | ->'''Official Name:''' Happiness Realization Army, Empire of the Eternal Sun (Post-war) |
| 1012 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Kōfuku no Kagaku[[note]]Happy Science[[/note]] |
| 1013 | ->'''Ideology:''' Cultism[[note]]Fundamentalism[[/note]] |
| 1014 | ---- |
| 1015 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: Has [[EvilVersusEvil an intense rivalry]] with Aum Shinrikyo, just as in real life; in 1995, Ōkawa survived an attempt to gas him in his car with nerve agent. |
| 1016 | * LightIsNotGood: In keeping with Ōkawa's belief that [[spoiler:[[SternSunWorshippers he has the power of the sun behind him]]]], the fanatical cult of Happy Science works gold into practically everything, with a good dose of white too. |
| 1017 | * TheTheocracy: In the Happiness Realization Army, the state and the cult Happy Science are one. |
| 1018 | * YellowPurpleContrast: To Aum Shinrikyo, which has adopted purple as its ColorMotif. |
| 1019 | |
| 1020 | !! Ryūhō Ōkawa, [[spoiler:El Cantare]] |
| 1021 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/okawa_remade.png]] |
| 1022 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_ryuho_okawa_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 1023 | ->'''Role:''' Master of Happy Science[[note]]Head of State[[/note]], [[spoiler:El Cantare[[note]]Head of State[[/note]]]] (Post-war) |
| 1024 | ->'''Party:''' Kōfuku no Kagaku[[note]]Happy Science[[/note]] |
| 1025 | ->'''Ideology:''' Cultism[[note]]Fundamentalism[[/note]] |
| 1026 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Ryūhō Ōkawa, born Takashi Nakagawa, was raised in an ordinary, but deeply spiritual environment. His entry into the spiritual world came thanks to his father, who supported him in his journey from day one. Ōkawa was versed in both spiritual and secular topics, including Kantian philosophy, with which he was fascinated for. Unable to find employment because of the crisis brought by the Great Asian War, Ōkawa sunk into depression. But around this time, he had a vision, claiming to have come in contact with Nikkō Shōnin and later Nichiren, two Buddhist priests. He would then dedicate his life to founding a new religion. After founding what would later become Happy Science in 1989, he wrote three books that would outline the organization's beliefs. In 1990, Ōkawa declared that he was "El Cantare", a god whose other self was the Buddha,\ |
| 1027 | "Happy Science" stood in stark contrast to its rivals, like Aum Shinrikyo, by modeling itself like a business. They would expand their scope to politics, flirting with the far-right and backing Ishihara. Eventually, Ōkawa embraced the proposal of some followers to form an armed group, initially for self-defense. The small HRA would aid the Junta in the early stages of the civil war. But now, he and the HRA are alone in the anarchy. Part of him wants to leave, but the other part wants to stay and bring happiness to all of Japan...[[/labelnote]] |
| 1028 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]][[cinnamon:El Cantare is the one righteous god. Japan's reunification is proof. One man destroyed army after army of heretics, burning down their false idols and saving them from nothingness. The road to the sun has been established - and the people who march towards it glimmer with the hope of salvation. All religions will unite into one, and the dharma wheel will finally turn.\ |
| 1029 | El Cantare has brought happiness to a land once filled with misery. He has governed in the most enlightened of ways, blessing his loyal subjects with material and spiritual gifts. He is working to make Japan proud and prosperous - the land of the sun will shine with the new age.\ |
| 1030 | And to those pretentious cowards, those who would dare challenge El Cantare and spit in the corpses of his people, they will be forced to know their place, lest they be punished with the power of a thousand suns. El Cantare will not hold back - his people have been purified and granted a place in the afterlife. Should he be forced to turn the world into a ball of flame, he will proudly face the sun, knowing that he is merely a vessel for the doings of god. The cycle of life, purified of all sin and evil, will continue - today, tomorrow, and forever.]][[/labelnote]] |
| 1031 | ---- |
| 1032 | * AGodAmI: Ryūhō Ōkawa claims to be "El Cantare", a god whose other self was the Buddha. |
| 1033 | * HistoricalBadassUpgrade: In real life, Ōkawa was known for the sheer number of self-promotional books he churned out, being wildly overoptimistic about the power of his cult, and [[https://youtu.be/FJh9YKC5uAc acting as a medium for the spirit of Margaret Thatcher]]. Here, he genuinely has a shot at taking over Japan in MTNO and can act on his insane desires if he succeeds. |
| 1034 | * RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Shōkō Asahara's Red. Ōkawa's SanitySlippage is still in the works (or being successfully repressed) upon the start of the Civil War, and he has [[PragmaticVillainy run his cult like a business]] to expand its power; Aum Shinrikyo, on the other hand, as been full on AxCrazy from the start. |
| 1035 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: After winning the civil war, Ōkawa adopts a much more impressive attire [[spoiler:as "El Cantare"]]. |
| 1036 | [[/folder]] |
| 1037 | |
| 1038 | [[folder:Aum Shinrikyo ('''UNMARKED SPOILERS''')]] |
| 1039 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aumshinrikyoflag.png]] |
| 1040 | ->'''Official Name:''' Aum Shinrikyo, Realm of the True Dharma (Post-war) |
| 1041 | ->'''Ruling Party:''' Oumu Shinrikyō[[note]]Supreme Truth[[/note]] |
| 1042 | ->'''Ideology:''' Cultism[[note]]Fundamentalism[[/note]] |
| 1043 | ---- |
| 1044 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: Has [[EvilVersusEvil an intense rivalry]] with Aum Shinrikyo, just as in real life; the OTL cultists tried to kill Ryūhō Ōkawa with nerve agent in his car in 1995. |
| 1045 | * AxCrazy: The standard approach of Aum Shinrikyo in general. Its view is that if one doesn't outright join, getting murdered will be a ''virtue''. |
| 1046 | * {{Cult}}: One centered around the esotericist Messiah claimant Shōkō Asahara, and an unsavory one, at that. |
| 1047 | * DeadlyGas: Aum Shinrikyo is ''extremely'' fond of using this (sarin in particular) more or less all the time. |
| 1048 | * EvilerThanThou: No other Japanese warlord state is as deranged or bloodthirsty as that of the Aum Shinrikyo, which actively seeks the nuclear apocalypse. |
| 1049 | * EvilVersusEvil: Aum Shinrikyo is one of the Happiness Realization Army's foremost rivals in the Japanese new religious extremist scene. |
| 1050 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Terrifyingly enough, Aum Shinrikyo's members truly believe that they're ''saving'' every innocent they kill; likewise, they believe that they are saving the world from itself by bringing about [[purple:Armageddon]]. |
| 1051 | * PollutedWasteland: By the time they win the Civil War, Japan has been turned into an "unrecognizable wasteland" by their rampant use of chemical weapons. |
| 1052 | * YellowPurpleContrast: To the Happy Science Movement, which has adopted [[LightIsNotGood gold]] as its ColorMotif. Particularly appropriate given that purple is associated in Japanese culture with death. |
| 1053 | |
| 1054 | !! Shōkō Asahara |
| 1055 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shoko_asahara.png]] |
| 1056 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Post-war portrait]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portrait_japan_shoko_asahara_2.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 1057 | ->'''Role:''' Leader of Aum Shinrikyo[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] |
| 1058 | ->'''Party:''' Oumu Shinrikyō[[note]]Supreme Truth[[/note]], Oumu Shinrikyō - Shinja[[note]]Supreme Truth - Devotees[[/note]] (Post-war) |
| 1059 | ->'''Ideology:''' Cultism[[note]]Fundamentalism[[/note]] |
| 1060 | ->'''Biography''' [[labelnote:Click to Show]]Shōkō Asahara was born to a poor family, and went from a visually impaired man with few prospects of success to the most controversial religious man in Japan. Forming the Aum Shinsen no Kai in 1984 (later renaming it Aum Shinrikyo), his new religious movement exhibited a mixture of esoteric Buddhism and Christianity with yoga and meditation. The group would grow steadily over the years, taking in members from middle to upper class backgrounds. But after Asahara declared himself to be Jesus Christ in the flesh, the group rapidly turned into a fanatic cult. Asahara believed the world would end in 1997, and the only ones to be saved would be he and his followers. When Japanese society caught on, controversy began to surround the cult. Asahara retorted with aggression: ordering the assassination of an anti-cult lawyer and his family, as well as Daisaku Ikeda, head of the Soka Gakkai, and a sarin attack in Matsumoto. The group faced a trial in early 1995, but surprisingly, Shōkō got away with all of it: the murder of the Sakamoto family remained inconclusive, the death of Ikeda was pinned on a minor nazi group, and a local resident of Matsumoto was mistaken for causing the attack. Even with this saving grace, their ranks dwindled over time. Asahara took his most loyal followers and sealed himself off in Kamikuishiki. Secretly, his cult has been preparing for the [[purple:Armageddon, and it seems like it is finally here...]][[/labelnote]] |
| 1061 | ->'''Biography''' (Post-war) [[labelnote:Click to Show]][[purple:The snow-coated Mount Fuji glimmers above the doomed Yamato landscape. Shōkō Asahara rules as a god living among his people, for he is the savior, the son of the lord, and the voice of enlightenment.\ |
| 1062 | In a race to conquer their enemies, his fanatics coated Japan in sarin gas and aerosol, making up for their numbers with overwhelming brutality. Believing they are the only ones who can survive doomsday, they have indiscriminately killed men, women, and children, believing to be saving them through death. And though they have shown mercy to those willing to atone for their sins, they have transformed their home into an unrecognizable wasteland.\ |
| 1063 | Shōkō sits atop the pyramid, holding total power. And though he is happy with the tributes, the worship, and the authority he holds, his subordinates slowly isolate themselves from him. Behind closed doors, they plot and act without his blessing. Whatever these seniors plan, Shōkō and his allies know the end goal. Having harnessed the power of Japan's nuclear weapons, all of which were disabled in the outbreak of the civil war, they know the next step is to light the fuse that will start the fire. Once they finish putting them back together, they can bring about Armageddon - and save the world from its own degeneracy. After all, the beauty of this land is not enough to purify all of mankind...]][[/labelnote]] |
| 1064 | ---- |
| 1065 | * AGodAmI: In the 90s, Asahara declared himself to be Jesus Christ reborn, and after taking over Japan is all but worshipped as a god. |
| 1066 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Shōkō Asahara went from son of a poor family to leader of a murderous apocalyptic cult using chemical weapons with terrifying regularity, and can possibly become the leader of the entirety of Japan and the master of its nuclear stockpile. |
| 1067 | * OmnicidalManiac: At Asahara's direction, the "Realm of the True Dharma" pursues the reactivation of the nuclear weapons that were disabled upon the outbreak of the Civil War in order to instigate [[purple:Armageddon]]. |
| 1068 | * RedOniBlueOni: The Red to Ryūhō Ōkawa's Blue. Rather than do as the latter esotericist maniac has done and diversify his cult into politics and business to make it more appealing and influential, Asahara has instead been waging a campaign of terrorism against its enemies since the 90s. |
| 1069 | * SignificantWardrobeShift: Contrary to Ōkawa, Asahara begins wearing a ceremonial attire from his cult and changes for much simpler clothes after winning the civil war. |
| 1070 | [[/folder]] |
| 1071 | |
| 1072 | ! Tropes pertaining to the rework |
| 1073 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_japan_borderedsvg.png]] |
| 1074 | ->'''Official Name:''' Empire of Japan |
| 1075 | ---- |
| 1076 | * AllohistoricalAllusion: Japan's seizure of Dalian mirrors Russia's invasion of Crimea. |
| 1077 | * BlatantLies: Japan claims ownership over Dalian by insisting it was awarded to Japan through legitimate means via the Kwantung Leased Territory, even though the treaty that established it was immediately abolished as part of the peace negotiations at the end of the Great Asian War. |
| 1078 | * DemocracyIsFlawed: The Heisei Democracy is one of contradictions and setbacks, with various governments between 1991 and 2017 going back and forth on the issue of reform. Even after the 2017 elections, Japan's record of political freedoms is highly dubious. |
| 1079 | * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Should a civil war break out in China, some of the more hawkish Japanese Prime Ministers will seize the port city of Dalian. |
| 1080 | |
| 1081 | !!Potential Prime Ministers |
| 1082 | [[folder:Shoji Nishida]] |
| 1083 | [[quoteright:156:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nishida_pre_156_3.png]] |
| 1084 | [[caption-width-right:156:[[labelnote:Militarist Puppet]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shoji_nishida.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 1085 | ->'''Role:''' Prime Minister[[note]]Head of State[[/note]] (2017 Elections) |
| 1086 | ->'''Ideology:''' National Conservatism[[note]]Paternalism[[/note]], Aristocratic Conservatism[[note]]Despotism[[/note]] (National Security Law) |
| 1087 | ---- |
| 1088 | * ConspiracyTheorist: Nishida believes Japan lost the Great Asian War due to an international Jewish conspiracy to destroy Japan's position as a global power. |
| 1089 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being a Japanese nationalist, Nishida knows that invading China is unfeasible and would lead to hundreds of deaths for Japan, and will only do so if Tamogami's Plot succeeds and gives him no other choice but to invade. |
| 1090 | * EvilReactionary: Nishida is easily the most traditionalistic out of all potential Japanese prime ministers, holding political positions that are so reactionary they seem alien to the rest of the Japanese right. |
| 1091 | * PlausibleDeniability: In the path where Japan loses the war with China and Nishida is overthrown, he is able to deny his role in Japan's saber-rattling and wartime atrocities and instead blame it all on Tamogami and his goons. |
| 1092 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Nishida is antisemitic and socially reactionary, blaming all of Japan's faults on the United States, liberalism, and Jews. |
| 1093 | * PuppetKing: If Tamogami's plot succeeds and Nishida invades China, Nishida will be forced to make concessions to the Militarists in Tamogami's circle, eventually culminating in him becoming nothing short of a puppet to their interests. |
| 1094 | * RedScare: Nishida views the fringe left-wing parties in the Japanese political spectrum as "tools of international Marxist jewry" and works to outlaw them after taking power. |
| 1095 | * TyrantTakesTheHelm: Nishida is openly opposed to further liberalizing the Japanese political system, and should he be elected, Japanese democracy will undoubtedly backslide. His rise to power tells the world that something is terribly wrong with Japan. |
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