Toujin Republic
Toujin Republic 島人共和国 (Iton) | |
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 Flag
 emblem
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Motto: "平和と進歩" ("Peace and Progress") | |
| Capital | Tarabashi |
| Official languages | Itonese (Iton) |
| Ethnic groups | 72.6% Toujin 16.3% Rensai 4.7% Shinto 6.4% Other |
| Demonym(s) | Toujin |
| Government | Semi-Democratic Unitary Constitutional Republic |
| Legislature | United Congress |
| Higher Chamber of Representatives | |
| Ministry of Legislation | |
| Area | |
• Total | 67,239 km2 (25,961 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | 4.4 |
| Population | |
• Estimate | 24,300,000 |
• 2017 census | 24,287,463 |
• Density | 360/km2 (932.4/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2017 estimate |
• Total | $631.64 Billion |
• Per capita | $24,000 |
| Gini (2017) |  42.8medium |
| HDI (2017) |  0.783high |
| Currency | Toujin Yen(₮) (TYN) |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (AST) |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +22 |
| Internet TLD | .tj |
Toujin(Iton:島人[tôuu'jin]), officially the Republic of Toujin(Iton: 島人共和国 [tou'jin kyōwakoku]), is a semi-democratic unitary constitutional republic located in the east Atlantic. The current government, the Republic of Toujin, was founded in 1864 after the Toujin Revolution as a result of the collapse of the "Toujin Alliance" The country itself was originally founded in 1536 and was simply called "Toujin". The island nation is situated on the island of Toujin, which is where the country takes its name. Toujin is neighbored by other island nations, its closest neighbors being the Rensai Conglomerate and the Republic of Shinto. The country itself resides in an archipelago in the east Atlantic Ocean, and is comprised of 12 island nations. The culmination of these Island nations is called the "Nagasaki Conglomerate" also known as the NC, and holds annual sporting events for all members of the archipelago. The Republic of Toujin has an area of 67,239 km2 and a population of 24,287,463, making it the largest and most populated island of the archipelago, and often hosts these annual events.
Toujin is officially divided into 22 prefectures, and 4 territories. Each territory elects two representatives that participate in the Higher Chambers of Representatives. The capital territory, Tarabashi, is comprised of 5 prefectures, and elects three representatives. Each prefecture has representatives based on population that are delegated by local officials. These representatives participate in the Ministry of legislation, which is comprised of 100 representatives, and works primarily on local legislation. With the capital territory having the most delegates and representatives of the three territories, they hold the most political power in the democratic system. Outside the democratic system in Toujin, the United Congress takes charge of national level legislature, and constitution modification. The members of the United Congress are elected by a select group of individuals comprised of government delegates and officials, as well as other special interest groups such as CEOs, and celebrities. While these individuals are technically part of a democratic process, this election is not influenced by the citizens, thus it takes place outside the democratic system. These elections are held once every four years, differing from the bi-annual elections of territorial delegates. There is also no term limit, opposed to the four term territorial delegate limit.
The geography of Toujin is harsh and heavily mountainous. Approximately two-thirds of the country's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested, and less than one-sixth of land is suitable for agriculture. As a consequence of highly mountainous terrain, the majority of Toujin citizens reside in one of the nations many cities, as the urban population accounts for nearly 80% of the nation's population. The largest of these cities is the city of Kobayatsu, with a population of 7.4 million, followed by the capital Tarabashi, and the entertainment hub Sendai.
The Republic of Toujin is considered a developed economy with a GDP per capita of $24,000 and a HDI of 0.783. Throughout the 19th century, Toujin's economy was initially built on its abundant natural resources such as coal and iron. After the "Toujin Recession of 1912", the economy shifted away from its reliance on natural resources, and towards manufacturing and other industries. As a result, the economy shifted towards secondary and tertiary sectors at a rapid pace throughout the 20th century. During the late 20th century, the economy had almost completely shifted away from natural resource production and refinement. As of 2017, More than 78% of the workforce works in the tertiary or quaternary sector, and less than 1% work in the primary sector. The nation's two highest grossing industries are entertainment and electronics.
History
The Island of Toujin remained mostly uninhabited until 1536, when an independent exploration crew discovered the island. Before this discovery, the island remained mainly inhabited by local tribes. The largest of these tribes would be the Inoquwei tribe which heavily aided early colonists of the island. The island, however, was mainly mountainous, and the majority of the local tribes relied on livestock and hunting opposed to traditional agriculture to feed their peoples. Tribes that resided on the coast relied on spear fishing to feed their people, and only had primitive boats and housing. The exploration fleet that initially discovered the island was comprised of two main ships, the Nagawa and Kagami, and a smaller supply ship, the Takemi. While the majority of exploration fleets at the time were comprised of large military ships, this fleet opted for repurposed cargo ships, and a smaller supply ship to help endure the long voyage. The ships used were modified, three masted carracks, and the supply ship was a modified two masted caravel.The two masts were designed to keep speed with the two larger ships, and the hull was designed to carry supplies and
cargo. They set sail February, 1535 from South East Asia, and made their voyage to the East Atlantic Ocean. They made supply stops in Europe, and eventually found the Island of Toujin June, 1536. The total voyage lasted nearly a year and 4 months, yet the crew miraculously reported zero casualties. The captain of the Nagawa, Ryouuske Toujin named the island after his family name, and began colonizing the newfound island. He initially planned for the island to be an unaffiliated territory, but later planted roots that eventually led to the creation of a formal government. After colonization began, Captain Toujin sent back the Kagami and Takemi to bring more supplies and colonists, and to bring his wife and family to the newfound island. Thus founded the beginning of history for the island of Toujin, and the long history of its people.
Early History
Early Colonies on the island of Toujin struggled to secure sources of food and fresh water. Attempts to begin agricultural production were short lived, as much of the land was uneven and difficult to plow. During the winter of 1536, the local Inoquwei tribe helped support the colony of Koji during these harsh months, and taught them how to spear fish. Indebted to the local tribes, colonists shared their modern technologies with the natives, such as basic shipbuilding, clocks and timers, as well as the compass. These initial exchanges helped shape the relationship between the colonists and local tribes. The two initial colonies that began expanding were the Koji and Masagawa colonies. In the year 1540, the local reported population of the Koji colony was 2,359 and the reported population in the Masagawa colony was 1,083. The Masagawa colony was located in the mountains, and heavily relied on hunting for food. The Koji colony was located on the eastern shore, and in tangent with the Inoquwei tribe, provided food through various fishing methods such as spear fishing and net fishing. These two colonies were about 27 km apart, and often traded with each other. In 1563, the Toujin League of Colonies aka the TLC was founded to give structure to the newfound colonies. Led by the initial founder, Ryouuske Toujin, the TLC comprised of 6 colonies, and approximately 10,000 people. The TLC helped establish basic infrastructure, as well as a small military designed to prevent crime and keep the peace. The TLC established their headquarters in 1564 at Tarabashi, one of the newer colonies in Toujin.
In the late 16th century, the population of the colonies began to boom. From 1575 to 1603, the population more than doubled. This was partly due to a large influx of colonists, but also due to the more readily access to food and fresh water. Food production powerhouses such as the Koji and Johsai colonies has massive fishing vessles, and provided the majority of the food for the island of Toujin. Apart from food production, shipbuilding became a mainstay industry for coastal colonies. Due to Toujin's abundant iron deposits in the mountainous regions to the north, many colonies began to mine iron, and trade those resources for food with the coastal colonies. The rise of shipbuilding allowed the people of Toujin to further explore the archipelago, and colonize other islands. In 1641, the TLC had grown from a small organization of a few colonies, to a pseudo nation comprised of 24 cities and towns. The population of colonies under the TLC had grown from around 10,000 to 143,205. In a short 80 years, the population of the TLC had grown by a magnitude of 14.
In response to the rapidly growing size, the TLC had enacted various policies to help fund and expand the TLC's newfound responsibilities. In 1645, the TLC had a standing army of around 2,000 soldiers, and 14 ships, as well as 3 fortified camps. In 1647, they introduced a central currency, the Toujin Yen, and began evolving more into a central government. From 1650 onwards, the TLC transitioned from the Toujin League of Colonies to the Toujin Alliance and began taking the role of an official central government. The Toujin Alliance declared itself a sovereign nation on September 24th, 1651. It comprised of 3 territories, all located on the Island of Toujin, and all run under the Central Toujin Government (CTG). It officially transitioned its military from a local peace keeping force into a national army, and established its two branches, the army and navy. In addition, the CTG established various other government organizations such as the National Reserve, Toujin Taxation Bureau, and National Trade Organization. Thus marked the beginning of the Toujin Alliance, and the island's transition from colonies to a full fledged nation.
Rise of the Toujin Alliance
The Toujin Alliance was founded in 1651, and comprised of 3 territories, all located on the Island of Toujin. These territories included the capital territory, Tarabashi, as well as the Johsai and Hajimari Territories. The Toujin Alliance was an autocracy, and was rules by the Central Toujin Government (CTG). The CTG was run by Chairman Hiro, as well as his three appointed Government Officers. Chairman Hiro reserved control over the Federal Reserve, National Army and Navy, as well as the Toujin Taxation Bureau. Despite his overwhelming power over the government, Chairman Hiro was well liked among the people of the Toujin Alliance. His efficient implementation of government regulation was appreciated among the trading community, and his tendency to spend government funds on public infrastructure contributed to a high approval rating. He placed emphasis on economic strength of the nation, and founded numerous trade schools including the prestigious Sendai Technical Institute(Iton: 仙台技術機関 [Sen'dai gijǔtsu kikán]).
The Toujin Alliance heavily relied on importing food to sustain its growing population. As of 1722, the nation's population had swelled to 1.4 million, and its food production could only provide for roughly 50% of its residents. Toujin's lack of agricultural production meant that the majority of food produced by the nation were either livestock or fish. In order to sustain its economy, the National Trade Organization of Toujin placed emphasis on exporting goods to nearby nations. The Island of Rensai, Toujin's closest neighbor, had a developed food production sector and was Toujin's main source of imported food. To pay for this massive importation of food, Toujin relied on exporting goods like iron, coal, and sophisticated ships, as Toujin's ship building industry was extremely developed. However, in the late 1700s, many of Toujin's iron mines began shutting down.
Toujin's natural iron supply had dried up in 4 of the 6 major iron producers on the island. Only the Takegawa and Nijima iron plants had maintained production efficiency over 80%. The other 4 plants had an average production efficiency of 22%, and eventually led to all 4 being shut down. The 4 plants that shut down were responsible for 70% of the nation's iron production. This sudden decrease in iron production caused the economy to be sent into a severe recession. This recession caused numerous shortages across the island, and delayed the island's industrialization in the late 1700s. Toujin's main industry, shipbuilding, was also severely affected by iron shortages. The number of ships produced annually fell from 132 to just 40, causing the industry to falter. As ships were one of the nation's main exports, the country struggled to continue importing food. The TCG urged its citizens to produce more food domestically, anticipating a severe food shortage. Through programs such as the Toujin Agricultural Incentive Act, the TCG provided financial incentives for its citizens to expand the agricultural production of the country. However these attempts were unsuccessful. The natural mountainous geography of the island made it nearly impossible to expand agricultural production. Despite heavy incentives from the TCG, agricultural production only increased 4% from 1780-1786. On top of an impending food shortage and economic recession, many neighboring countries formed trade agreements to economically exploit the food starved nation, and eventually led to the collapse of the Toujin Alliance.
