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Kozakura

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State of Kozakura
小桜国 (Hana)
The Purple Banner of Kozakura
Flag
National Seal of Kozakura-koku
National Seal
KozakuraMap.png
City Map
KozakuraRegionalMap.png
Kozakura on the Major Kistavich continent.
CapitalAkime
LargestTakako
Official languagesHana
Ethnic groups
60% Hana
24% Orinami
16% Other
Demonym(s)Kozakuran
GovernmentAbsolute Monarchy (de jure)
Military Dictatorship (de facto)
• Emperor
Koji II
• Shōgun
Hideki Yamauchi
LegislatureCivilian Consultative Council
Establishment
• Establishment of the Kozakuran Empire
779
• Kozakuran Secession Crisis
1951
• Treaty of Atlantica
1953
• Sakoku Era
1979
• Yamauchi Coup
1979
Area
• Total
17,350 km2 (6,700 sq mi)
Population
• 2034 estimate
18,902,778
• Density
21,003/km2 (54,397.5/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)2034 estimate
• Total
$1.2 trillion
R¥183.93 trillion
• Per capita
$63,482.73
R¥9,730,315.44
Gini (2034)45.9
medium
HDI (2034)Steady 0.949
very high
CurrencyRyō, R¥ (KZR)
Driving sideleft
Internet TLD.kka

Kozakura, officially the State of Kozakura (!Japanese: 小桜国, Kozakura-koku), is an island nation situated in the western continent of Major Kistavich of Esvanovia. It shares a maritime area with the nations of Greater Antillia to the east, Meridon to the south, and the island nation of Chilokver to the southeast. The city state is governed by a military government (known as the Yamauchi bakufu) led by the Shōgun. The city-state’s head of state, the Emperor, is a ceremonial figurehead, having lost its authority to rule since the loss of the Kozakuran mainland in 1951.

In 1978, a second military coup deposed the traditionalist members of the shogunate and was replaced by more modernist leaders. As Shōgun, Yamauchi Koji oversaw the city-state’s transformation into a developed city-state with a high-income economy under his leadership. Kozakurans enjoy long life expectancies, fastest internet connection speeds, lowest infant mortality rates, and a low levels of corruption. Due to the military rule, its legal system is follows the city-state’s military legal code; the Unified Code of Military Justice. Despite its grip on power, the Shogunate has allowed the city-state to hold elections to elect members of the Civilian Consultative Council (Japanese: 民管詩文評議会, Minkan shimon hyōgi-kai), part of the Fukkatsu reforms by Yamauchi Kōji.

The country's territory has increased 25% since the 1980 as a result of extensive land reclamation projects. It has one of the highest population density in the world although there are numerous green and recreational spaces as a result of urban planning.

History

Pre-Hana Landfall

  • 670 BCE: Formation of various feudal Orinami kingdoms.
  • 530 BCE: Landfall of the Hana people and first contact with the Orinami.
  • 472 BCE: Establishment of the Kozakuran Emperors by the various Orinami feudal lords.

Hana-Orinami Relations

  • Various politicking, race relations, and wars ensues here.

Bakufu Period

  • 778 CE: Appointment of the Hosokawa Shogunate by Emperor Amichi.
  • 1st Hosokawa Shogunate (778 - 791)
    • 779 CE: The Establishment of the Kozakuran Empire. Subjugation of the various feudal fiefdoms.
    • 791 CE: The last Hosokawa Shogun hands over power to the Andō clan as the new Shogunate.
  • Andō Shogunate (791 - 898)
  • Kusunoki Shogunate (898 - 970)
  • 1st Minowara Shogunate (970 - 1120)
  • Mizutani Shogunate (1120 - 1160)
  • Izumi Shogunate (1160 - 1200)
  • Kagami Shogunate (1200 - 1280)
  • Momonoi Shogunate (1280 - 1340)
  • Tachibana Shogunate (1340 - 1412)
  • 2nd Minowara Shogunate (1412 - 1490)
  • Asakura Shogunate (1490 - 1563)
  • 2nd Hosokawa Shogunate (1563 - 1601)
  • Maeda Shogunate (1601 - 1611)
  • Tamura Shogunate (1611 - 1753)
  • Early Hasegawa Shogunate (1753 - 1835)

Teikoku-no-shūen Period

  • Late Hasegawa Shogunate (1835 - 1952)
  • Kozakura's Entry to the Great War
  • Post-Great War Conflict: Kozakuran Secession Crisis
    • Despite initial successes during the first year, the rapidly deteriorating situation in the later years of the conflict forced the foreign allies of the Hasegawa Shogunate's allies to sue for peace.
    • Break up of the Kozakuran Empire. What was left of the Empire was the Capital City of Dojyu and the surrounding metropolitan region.
    • Secessionist territories were subsequently absorbed by the neighbouring powers.

Sakoku Period

  • Sakurada Shogunate (1952 - 1979)
    • The Emperor was removed from all decision making by an upstart Sakurada Shogunate that took control of the city-state after the downfall of the Hasegawa Shogunate.
    • The remnants of the Kozakuran Empire was reorganized into several regions. With all former governmental organs supplanted by newer ones established by the Sakurada Shoguante.
    • The Sakurada Shogun led the city-state under the policy of total isolationism.

Fukkatsu Period

  • Yamauchi Shogunate (1979 - present)
    • Dissatisfied members of the Sakurada Shogunate led by the Yamauchi Koji overthrew the Sakurada Shogun in a bloodless coup.

Geography

Kozakura is situated on the group of small islands on southwestern coast of the continent of Major Kistvach. Land reclamation projects has increased Kozakura's land area by 25%. At the height of the city-state's land reclamation spree, in 2010, Kozakura imported almost 15 million tons of sand for its projects. The city-state's urbanization has resulted in the loss of 90% of its historical forests, and now over half of the naturally occurring fauna and flora in Kozakura is present in the remaining natural reserves such as the Itzuhachi and the Toyaki Catchments. In 1990, to combat this decline in natural space, the government introduced the vision of making Kozakura a "garden city" aiming to improve quality of life.

Government and Politics

The Gun shirei-bu, in Akime City, headquarters of the Kozakuran Armed Forces, and the seat of the Yamauchi Bakufu.
Dojyu Castle, in Sanyo City. The Seat of the Imperial Family currently led by Koji II.
The Council Complex in Takako City, seat of the Civilian Consultative Council.

Before the Fukkatsu Reforms, the city-state was divided into several districts controlled by Director-Generals which controlled specific economic or military areas. In 1978, then-Director-General Yamauchi Koji received support from the other director-generals and overthrew the Bakufu of Sakurada Kazuyuki.

The new Bakufu of Yamauchi Koji brought sweeping reforms across the city state, combining the ten pre-reform districts into three large districts and within the districts are 35 wards. Geographic borders of these wards and districts are based on the major arterial roads.

Included in the political reforms of the Fukkatsu (Japanese: 復活, lit. Revival), is the formation of the Civilian Consultative Council. Its role is to legislate edicts, scrutinise and investigate all matters concerning the city-state.

Executive

The country’s executive leadership is made up of three individuals. The Tennō and Kampaku were part of the executive leadership, but are effectively without powers as the military takeover has deprived them of any meaningful political power. Shōgun Yamauchi Hideki is the incumbent leader of the Yamauchi bakufu, he succeeded his father, the preceding Shōgun, Yamauchi Koji, after his death in January 2007.

The current Bakufu (commonly known as the Shogunate) is made up of civilian and military members appointed by Shōgun Yamauchi Hideki in February 2007. Each governmental directorate possess a civilian or military-aligned Director-General, with each deputy a member of the military (for a civilian Director-General) or a civilian (for a military Director-General).

Members of the Bakufu of Yamauchi Hideki
Name
Civilian or Military-Affiliated
Office
Yamauchi Hideki Shōgun
Head of the Government of Kozakura
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces
GEN. Akamatsu Ryota, (KGA, M) Head of Operational Authority, Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the National Defence Directorate
LTG. Miyo Henshiki, (KGA, M) General of the Army, Kozakuran Grand Army
Gen. Sousa Kaxai, (KAF, M) Air Marshal of the Air Forces, Kozakuran Air Forces
ADM. Kupu Jare, (KN, M) Admiral of the Navy, Kozakuran Navy
MGEN. Chiyura Rewannen (KGA, M) Head of Judicial Authority (Judge Advocate General), Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the Justice Directorate
Nishimura Tsunenari (C) President of the Civilian Consultative Council
Toihen Kyonta (C) President of Economic Policy
Director-General of the Finance Directorate
Hayosa Zema (C) President of Foreign Affairs Policy
Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Directorate
MGEN. Matsushita Chikako (KAF, M) Inspector-General of the Armed Forces, Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the Internal Affairs Directorate
VAdm. Mochizuki Minoru (KN, M) Head of Medical Authority (Surgeon-General), Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the Health Services Directorate
MGEN. Miyake Iehiro (KGA, M) Head of the Corps of Engineers, Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the National Development Directorate
Heho Yontsu (C) Director-General of the Social Services Directorate
Magita Hiputa (C) Director-General of the Education Directorate
Rinoji Gumirou (C) Director-General of the Trade and Industry Directorate
Asano Ichirō (C) Director-General of the Labour Directorate
MGEN. Morita Yoshirō (KGA, M) Head of the Civil Affairs Directorate, Kozakuran Armed Forces
Director-General of the Culture Directorate
Inoue Asahi (C) Director-General of the Communications and Information Directorate
Homunka Yuine (C) Director-General of the Transport Directorate

Legislative

Political Groups of the Civilian Consulative Council
KozaCCCouncil.png
  Radicals: 58 seats
  Moderates: 23 seats
  Revanchists: 28 seats
  Monarchists: 12 seats

The Civilian Consultative Council is the unicameral legislative body of Kozakura, responsible for legislating laws on all matters within the boundaries defined in the 1982 Compact of Dojyu. The Compact allowed for the election of members of the Council beginning with the 1983 Civilian Consultative Council Elections. All candidates running for election, and proposed legislation from the Council must be approved by the Shogunate. Within the immediate purview of the Council is the day-to-day running of the city and the management of city services as well as legislating Shogunate edicts, scrutinise and investigate all matters concerning the city-state. The legislative body is headed by the President of the Civilian Consultative Council (Japanese: 民間協議評議会議長, Minkan kyōgi hyōgikaigichō), which is elected by the 128 members of the Council.

Judicial System

Kozakura's legal system is the Unified Code of Military Justice (Japanese:軍事司法の統一規範, Gunji shihō no tōitsu kihan), the Kozakuran Armed Forces' military justice system. It has been in place since 1951 following Kozakura's defeat in the Great War. Post-war developments led to the previous civilian-led functions of the government were superseded by the governing organs established by the Sakurada Shogunate. The 1978 Coup, the rise of the Yamauchi Shogunate and the enactment of the Fukkatsu reforms led to revisions in the UCMJ, with the introduction of new categories of offenses that can be prosecuted under the General Article 888 of the UCMJ. The UCMJ was further revised in 2010 to further clarify financial crimes and improvements to sections regarding sexual assault.

The head of the military justice system is the Judge Advocate General (Japanese: 裁判官法廷将軍, Saibankan hōtei shōgun) which also serves as a legal advisor for the Shogunate and serves in the Bakufu as the Head of Judicial Authority.

Re-established under the Fukkatsu reforms, the Courts Martial of Kozakura (Japanese: 小桜の軍法会議, Kozakura no gunpō kaigi) are independent and impartial tribunals and their hearings are open to the public. The UCMJ also provides the right for the prosecution and the offender convicted by the court martial to appeal decisions to the Military Court of Criminal Appeals.

Foreign Relations

Military

The Kozakuran Armed Forces (小桜軍団, Kozakura-gundan) is the military of the State of Kozakura, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the city-state. Under the direct control of the Bakufu, the Armed Forces have four service branches, the Grand Army, Air Forces, and the Intelligence Services. It is headed by the Head of Operational Authority (!Japanese: 運営権限責任者, Un'ei kengen sekininsha) the second highest ranking person of the Bakufu. Kozakura maintains an annual mandatory spending $96 billion (R¥14.714 trillion) on its defence.

The KAF has an active military strength of 950 thousand and is capable of mobilising a wartime force of 1.2 million through its reservists, known as National Defence Auxiliary. The military also has a pool of conscripts that it can call upon through the National Service System.

Members of the NSS are either former professional active or reserve personnel who opted to remain in the NSS after their term of service ended or citizens that reach 18 years old and is a requirement for various public programs and benefits including naturalisation, employment in the government, and job training.

Law Enforcement

The Kozakuran Metropolitan Police Department (Keishichō) is the law enforcement agency in Kozakura, covering the capital district and the constituent metropolitan regions of the city state. The police manage 11 divisions and 112 stations across the city. The police also serve as the military police, responsible for law enforcement on military installations.

Economy

Banknotes circulated by the three different currency issuers

  Mizuho Banking Corporation (45%)
  National Bank of Kozakura (35%)
  Asakura-Suzushima Bank (20%)

Kozakura has a highly developed market economy. The business sector included manufacturing industries, electronic technologies, security services, and so on. The Port of Kozakura is also one of the world’s busiest, as the city-state conducts entrepôt trade, where goods are imported, stored, or traded, usually to be exported again. Corporations were also one of the biggest contributors to the resurgence of the Kozakuran economy in the late 70’s. During the Fukkatsu reforms, restrictions on trade and conducting businesses were greatly reduced, and allowed foreign investment.

The Kozakuran economy is largely regarded as free and business friendly as the result of the economic reforms made under the Fukkatsu era which transformed it from an isolated and autarkic economy. Despite its market freedom, the Kozakuran government operations have a significant stake in the economy, contributing 19% of the GDP.

The currency of Kozakura is the Ryō (KZR, or R¥), issued by the Kozakuran Monetary Authority. While the city-state’s banknotes and coins are printed and minted by the city-state’s three largest banks, the KMA provides the banks the currency design and security requirements.

Science and Technology

Kozakura invests $35 billion on domestic research and development. The country has a high level of access to high speed internet, with 98% of the population capable of accessing the internet on a 6 Gbps connection.

The Space and Aeronautical Research Agency and its partner Morgenroete Space Systems is an active participant on the global space industry.

State enterprise and investment

The public sector is used both as an investor and a catalyst for economic development and innovation. The government of Kozakura has a sovereign wealth fund which is used to manage the country's reserves. Initially oriented towards managing industries for economic development, the objectives of the Kozakuran National Fund has since shifted to a commercial basis. State-owned enterprises has contributed in Kozakura's domestic economy, with the government's State Participation Agency being linked to 19% of the national GDP. State-owned enterprises accounted to 16% of the total capitalization of the Dojyu Stock Exchange.

State-owned enterprises operate on a commercial basis and are granted no competitive advantage over privately owned enterprises with the exception to the domestic arms manufacturing industry. State ownership is prominent in the strategic sectors in the economy such as telecommunications, media, public transportation, defence, port and airport operations as well as banking, shipping, airline, infrastructure and real estate.

Infrastructure

Port of Kozakura

The Port of Kozakura is the collection of facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade and handle Kozakura's harbours and shipping. It is the xth busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage and is one the world's busiest transshipment port.

Because of its location, the Port of Kozakura has been a significant entrepôt and trading post for the Kozakuran Empire, then-named the Port of Dojyu due to its location in the Empire's capital city. During the contemporary era, its ports have not become just a mere economic boon for the country, but an economic necessity because Kozakura is lacking in land and natural resources. The port is critical for importing natural resources, and then later re-exporting products after they have been domestically refined and shaped in some manner, for example wafer fabrication or oil refining to generate value added revenue.

With 67 berths, the Port of Kozakura is capable of handling up to 37.5 million TEUs.

Digital Transformation

e-Kozakura is the digital society of Kozakura, which facilitates its citizens and residents interactions of the state through the use of ICT solutions. Kozakuran electronic services created under this intiative include the e-Tax, e-Business, e-Banking, e-Ticket, e-School, University via the internet, e-Voting, as well as the release of several mobile applications. In the goals set by the 1990 New Millennium Digital Policy for 2040, the Kozakuran Government led by the Yamauchi Shogunate, aims to assure that high-speed internet available across the city-state, digital government services are the best in the world, and the country's cyberspace is reliable and safe by 2040. The current government department responsible for the ongoing digitization efforts is led by the Department of Digital Transformation, a government agency jointly-managed by all Kozakuran Governmmental Directorates

After the large-scale infrastructure and modernization efforts led by the Yamauchi Shogunate in the 1980's, the city-state was faced with the necessity of building new technology infrastructures with very few resources. Most of the existing infrastructure was from the little advancements made during the Sakurada Shogunate and most of the high-speed bandwidth was restricted to government and military operations. Shogun Yamauchi Koji saw this as an opportunity to build a low-cost, cutting edge systems based on accessibility and efficiency by using the high-speed bandwidth. Already undergoing a period of modernization, the new digital efforts were announced by the Shogunate in 1990. Under the Digital Education Reforms, high-speed internet was rolled out to all Kozakuran education institutions. The education reforms introduced tech-related subjects such as computer science, and coding, as well as emphasizing mathematics and science subjects on the new curriculum. By the end of 1997, all of Kozakuran education instutitions have high-speed internet access.

Electronic banking services and the beginning of digitizing government functions were introduced in 1998. Kozakurans were then able to declare their taxes online through the electronic tax authority in 2000. 2001 saw the creation of Kozakuran Distributed Data Exchange Layer and the Kozakuran Data Embassy the same year. In 2001, Kozakura created the digital identification system, based on the mandatory identification card. The new electronic identity system means that all Kozakuran citizens and residents, regardless of their location, have a state-issued electronic identity. By 2003, Kozakuran citizens are able to pay bills, sign contracts, shop, access their health information and, for the first time, vote electronically for the Civilian Consulative Council.

First responders have access to police and medical databases through their government-issued electronic tablets in 2004, enabling immediate access to a person's records. The system is also used for telemedicine. Since 2010, e-prescription was established, nowadays 99% of medical prescriptions are handled online; routine refills can be issued without appointments. Since 2020, Proactive Child Care was introduced, meaning that parents of a newborn no longer need to apply for benefits.

With the accidental discovery of Heuristic Controllers (the Kozakuran term for Artificial Intelligence) in 2029 and the employment of the Transcendental Controller (advanced-versions of AI speculated to emerge from networked quantum processors) named Uzume in 2032, the Kozakuran government freely collaborated with these Heuristic Controllers and are now part of Kozakura's digital society.

Demographics

Population distribution based on ethnic groups.

  Hana (60%)
  Orinami (24%)
  Other (16%)

The city-state of Kozakura is home to 18,902,778 of whom 15,878,300 were citizens and the remaining 3,024,440 were either permanent residents or international students, foreign workers, or dependents. The 2030 census reported that 11,341,700 (60%) were of Hana descent, 4,536,670 (24%) were of Orinami descent, and remaining 3,024,440 (16%) made up of a multitude of ethnicities with the largest group being the Jien, totaling 2,510,290 (83%).

The government provides numerous assistance programmes to the homeless and needy through the Social Services Directorate, so acute poverty is rare. Some of the programmes include providing financial assistance to needy households, providing free medical care at government hospitals, and paying for children's tuition. Other benefits include compensation for gym fees to encourage citizens to exercise, up to R¥25 million as a baby bonus for each citizen, heavily subsidised healthcare, financial aid for the disabled, the provision of reduced-cost laptops for poor students, rebates for costs such as public transport and utility bills, and more. As of 2034, Kozakura's maintained a Human Development Index of 0.949.

Culture

Media Censorship

Kozakura is generally regarded as partly free by media analysis firms. Censorship in the media is imposed in the form of stringent media regulations. While not directly enforced, the potential of government censors entering media offices without notice or the implicit threat of withholding of public arts funding has resulted in the practice of self-censorship by journalists and those involved in the arts.