Earth Empires, Factbook: Great Solar Japan

by **Great Solar Japan** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:03 am

The Great Solar Japanese Empire

Basic Information

Official Name: Great Solar Japanese Empire
Head of State: His Imperial Majesty Emperor Hiro
Head of Government: Prime Minister Akhito To-Goba
Official Motto: "All the world under one roof"
Official Religion: Shinto

Introduction

The most powerful Asian state, Japan, has a long and confusing history, the last chapter of which is recounted below. But at present, it enjoys relative stability, under the leadership of the idealistic Emperor Hiro. Japan has a long record of advanced robotics and computer technology, but it found upon emerging from isolation that it had long fell behind the rest of the world in terms of technology. The Great Solar Japanese Empire was officially named in the year 3,290 AD, after Japan's first warship, the HIMS Hiro, was launched. This was the first in a line of ships that would make up the now powerful Japanese Imperial Spacefleet. Japan is ruled by an Emperor; a legislature known as the Diet, led by Prime Minister To-Goba, exists but in a near-powerless state. Japan's massive population was barely surviving following the emergance, due to overpopulation and resulting hunger. This forced Japan to rapidly militarize and set out to gain new land and food sources. But competition over the Earth has forced the Empire to look further, to the stars themselves.

by **Great Solar Japan** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:03 am

History

The history of Japan goes back nearly to the dawn of history, and what is recounted here is simply a description of Japan's recent history. The era of Imperial Japan is generally accepted as beginning with the Meiji Restoration. The fearful and timid rule of the ancient shogunate led many Japanese lords and people to begin urging for a return to rule by the Emperor, who had been powerless for centuries. A rebellion occured, ending in the rise to power of Emperor Mutushito, now known by his posthumous name, Emperor Meiji. A new constitution was drawn up, and Japan became an Absolute Monarchy.

The rise of Japanese democracy began under Meiji's succesor, Taisho. A legislature was established and power was transferred to a democratically elected government. But this resulted in the rise of far-Right groups such as the Imperial Way Faction. These extremists called for an aggressive foreign policy, and even proposed the restoration of the shogunate, or a very similar government. After a coup failed due to Emperor Showa's intervention, the Imperial Rule Assistance Association was established.

The IRAA was a union of all the Right-wing Japanese groups, that came to power in the 20th century. An attempt to establish a Fascist dictatorship was halted by the Emperor, who dissolved the government by force and restored the Absolute Monarchy on the advice of his brother, Prince Chichibu. Japanese power grew and Japan thrived for the next few hundred years, but eventually weak rule by the Emperors led the Japanese nobility to turn against the Emperor, and he was forced to abdicate. The military, however, came to the Emperor's rescue and a civil war broke out. The nobility withdrew from Tokyo, and set up a government of their own in Kyoto; Japan was divided, and it's empire collapsed through infighting.

By the year 3,000, the Kyoto shogunate was reconquered and Japan reunified, but under a new democratic government that had arisen in Imperial Japan as a result of the Emperor's weakness. This new government was much influenced by the military, but after reunification decided to enter a state of total isolation. The military disagreed, as did the now weakened nobility, and Japan spent the next 300 years in a state of turmoil. Feudalism reigned in the provinces while the big cities became the battleground for parlimentarian and militarist troops; but ultimately, every faction owed loyalty to the Emperor, so that when Emperor Hiro was crowned in the year 3278, his calls for unity were answered. The Diet, a parlimentary legislature, was installed, and the military kept much of it's power.

Overpopulation, hunger and national pride forced the new Japanese Empire to begin empire-building, emerging from isolation to make war against rival powers. It gained influence in China and conquered Taiwan; Vietnam came under the Empire's influence, souring relations with France. But the Emperor managed to secure positive relations with Britain and Russia, and Japanese robotics technology quickly entered competition with other nations' technology. Japan's first armoured cruiser, the HIMS Hiro, was launched shortly aferwards. This resulted in Japan becoming the Great Solar Japanese Empire; the space age had begun, and Japanese warships soon filled the sky. It was the dawn of a new era, and Japan was at the very heart of it...

by **Great Solar Japan** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:03 am

The Imperial Japanese Spacefleet

Upon emerging from isolation, the Japanese were amazed by the technology that had developed in their absence. By far the most impressive example was the Etherway, and the great starships of the western powers. The awe did not last long, though, and the Emperor quickly commissioned the construction of Japan's first spaceship. The HIMS Hiro, an armoured cruiser based on Russian designs of the same kind, was rushed into production. As such, despite being impressive it had a number of flaws. Once these flaws were ironed out, the Hiro became Japan's flagship and the model for a whole new class of ship, the Tennō-class.

The Imperial Spacefleet is still small, with Japan still learning about spacecraft and FTL technology. The Tennō-class was followed by the new Doragon-class light cruiser, comparable to the Russian protected cruisers. The Phoenix-class protected cruiser was also announced. Three Doragon-class cruisers and two Phoenix-class cruisers are currently operational. In the meantime, Japanese scientists furiously work to bring Japanese technology to a level comparable with the West.

Japan has recently unveiled the new Kamikaze-class torpedo boat, which has already gone into production with 20 ships planned. 5 prototypes have already been put into active duty. In addition, three Erin-class dreadnoughts have just been purchased from the British Empire, and renamed HIMS Oyashima, HIMS Honshu, and HIMS Hokkaido. These are now the largest ships in the Japanese Imperial Navy, although they are less advanced than more recent European dreadnoughts.

Dreadnoughts

Cruisers

Non-cruisers

Imperial Japanese Army

Japan's military has changed a lot since the Meiji Restoration. Troops during the various civil conflicts of the 3rd millenium experimented with various forms of warfare, but during the isolation period, Japanese forces fell behind the West in terms of technology. This was obviously unacceptable, and Japan's forces have now been more or less updated. The Emperor's attempts to bring unity to the nation meant giving away many powers to the military but also forcing them to share power with the restored samurai families.

As such, standard Japanese soldiers often fight alongside samurai who tend to favour power-armour, styled after traditional samurai armour. These form the elite shock troops, or 'cavalry' (although they do not fight on horseback) of the Imperial Japanese Army. Ordinary footsoldiers wear blue uniforms that are based on those of the IJA in 1900, before 'modern warfare' was introduced, following the worldwide trend of returning to a late 18th-early 19th style of warfare.

Below are images of Japanese power-armoured samurai, and ordinary Japanese soldiers;

Japanese samurai power armour is equipped differently depending on the wealth and tastes of the relevant family, with the most elborate generally proving more fatal to the wearer than the enemy- Japanese power armour is still on a level below Western technology, despite a history of robotics. Generally they have some form of projectile weapon built in, and carry a power katana. These swords are able to cut through almost anything. Samurai power armour is also equipped with various 'toys', with the most elaborate armour being used by ancient and important families such as the Tokugawa and Oda. Lesser samurai who cannot afford power armour generally fight with more traditional armour and katanas. These troops are better trained than standard Japanese soldiers, and are an important part of the Japanese war machine, as they are more expendable than the elite power-armoured samurai corps and better trained and equipped than the typical Japanese conscripts/regulars.

The above image shows Japanese soldiers in 1900. These are the uniforms that inspired the modern counterpart. However, the image shows the uniforms as a greeny-grey as opposed to the actual dark blue uniforms. Japanese soldiers generally carry a standard linear musket and dagger for close combat. They also use kinetic shielding and various artillery. Images of Japanese soldiers can be seen below.
Japanese Army winter uniforms
Japanese Army summer uniforms.

Kinetic shielding is a form of energy shield that absorbs kinetic energy from projectile weapons and converts it to heat and light, stopping the bullets and usually shattering them. Japan has began using these only recently, after skirmishes in Vietnam showed that troops were very vulnerable without them. The general term for Terran footsoldiers is 'line infantry', as they are expected to stand and fire in rigid lines, and hold their positions at all costs. Japanese soldiers are not particularly good at this, not because of the cowardice that makes many enemy armies run in the opposite direction, but rather a form of fanaticism that makes them run in the direction of the enemy, often screaming things like 'for Japan!' and 'Long Live the Emperor!'.

Linear muskets are essentially a form of railgun (weapons that project ammunition magnetically as opposed to gunpowder weapons that require a chemical charge) which propels a round at extreme speed towards a target. Coolants are used to keep the muskets from melting due to the friction generated by firing of the musket is expelled from pores on the muzzle of the weapon, creating a significant cloud of steam which, on still days, can reduce visibility to nothing in only a few volleys. Hence the importance of brightly coloured uniforms, which prevent soldiers from hitting their comrades.

Artillery is still largely gunpowder based. The primary heavy artillery piece of the IJA at present is the Type 889 20cm cannon. This is a standard field artillery piece, with a maximum range of 38,200m. It was first deployed during the Second Japanese Civil War, the period starting with the Kyoto-Tokyo reunification and ending with the rise of Emperor Hiro to the chrysanthemum throne. The Type 400 15cm Howitzer is another example of a frequently deployed Japanese artillery piece. It has a range of up to 19,900m. Howitzers are more powerful but shorter ranged guns. The first Japanese linear artillery piece, the Type 1 15cm Railgun cannon, has entered usage and a battalion has been deployed as part of the 1st artillery regiment of the 2nd Division. They are yet to see action, however tests suggest it to be a very effective weapon. Estimated maximum range varies from 15,000 to 30,000m.

The organization of the Imperial Japanese Army can be seen below. Cavalry is generally made up of power-armoured samurai forces, who maintain their own command structure based on family status and skill. Non-power armoured samurai are much the same- there is little hard feeling between the two 'classes' of samurai, at least not in battle, where only honour and loyalty to the Emperor count. There are currently 15 divisions.

by **Great Solar Japan** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 2:04 am

Territorial Holdings of the Japanese Empire

Japan once ruled a fairly sizeable empire, but the insecurity and internal conflict of the 3rd millenium led to the break-up of the Japanese Empire. As Japan was divided between the Japanese Empire, ruled from Tokyo, and the Kyoto Shogunate, Japan slipped into obscurity. The period of isolation that followed reunification led the Empire to be forgotten by the world; but with the dawn of the 34th century, Japan has regained much territory in the Pacific, taking advantage of the Second Great War in Europe to 'liberate' it's fellow Asians from European slavery.

Korea (韓国, Kanoku)

Officially a Chinese tributary, Korea has spent the last few years of it's history being fought over by Russia and Japan. Both nations have huge economic and political clout there, but neither is able to control Korea completely. Actually seizing it would bring either power into a costly conflict with each other, so Korea remains trapped in the middle.

Taiwan (台湾)

Seized from the ailing Chinese Empire, Taiwan is one of Japan's most important assets. It has a thriving economy and both imports and exports large amounts of items to and from Japan. It was seized from China first during the 19th century, and remained part of Japan until the modern day. However, during the Tokyo-Kyoto division and the isolation period, Taiwan was occupied by various foreign powers. With Japan's re-emergance, foreign occupiers were quickly ejected from the island and Japanese sovereignity restored.

The Ryukyu Islands (琉球諸島)

The Ryukyus have been a Japanese territory for hundreds of years. The Lord of Satsuma conquered them 1609 on behalf of the shogun, but they retained home rule until the Meiji government officially annexed them in 1879. They have been part of Japan ever since, becoming the base of a powerful samurai family, the Ryukyu clan, during the Tokyo-Kyoto division. Since the Japanese emergance, there has been some talk of home rule, though many in Japan oppose it. The Emperor is believed to be in favour of Ryukyuan home rule.

Northern Polynesian islands (日本領ポリネシア, Nippon-ryō porineshia)

Many Polynesian islands were seized by Japan during the Second Great War; others had been in Japanese possesion since the First Great War, and the Meiji-Showa period. These islands are used as bases for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and host to developing economies. Tourism is especially important on many islands.

Vietnam (ベトナム, Betonamu)

A French colonial possesion, Vietnam was invaded by Japan in the Second Great War. Many Vietnamese welcomed the Japanese as 'liberators', but others have found Japanese rule to be no less harsh and ruthless than European. France continues to contest Japan's claim to Vietnam, and this has severly undermined Franco-Japanese relations in recent years. Vietnam is a place of ongoing conflict between French loyalists, democratic and communist rebels, and the Imperial Japanese Army.

Fujian Province (福建省, Fukken-shō) and Hainan Island (海南島, Kainan-tō), China

These areas of China were invaded by the Japanese after the re-emergance, taking advantage of the Qing dynasty's weakness. The locals are of mixed feelings about this; on one hand, they are better off under a fellow Asian state than a European one; on the other, they still consider themselves Chinese and are loyal to the Huangdi. Still, Japanese rule has brough a security to Fujian and Hainan that Qing China severly lacks.

In addition, Japan's recent experimentation in space travel has allowed for the establishment of new interstellar colonies; considering the lack of space and resources on Earth, these may prove vital to the future of the Great Japanese Empire.

New Pacific (新しい太平洋, Atarashii Taiheiyō)

Located in the Eden system, New Pacific is the first interstellar colony of the Japanese Empire. About the size of Earth, with a cool climate, it is dominated by great frozen oceans that cover the surface. Recently, New Pacific has undergone Terraforming to make it more suitable for human life; the settlers currently reside in a number of biodomes scattered across the surface. The terraforming is expected to complete it's work within the next decade.

by **Great Solar Japan** » Fri Jun 25, 2010 11:51 am

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Earth Empires, Factbook: Great Solar Japan

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