World Prosperity Spheres
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Land of the Rising Sun
Looking back to humanity's origins, many remember the ancient micro-nations of America, Russia, South Africa, Europe, and China, all of which were then considered “Super-Powers.” Many forget that another land existed, smaller than all the others, but great enough to carry the entire Pacific. The State of Japan was an island nation that, decades earlier, had struck deals with other nations to attempt the first world takeover. After initially taking over much of Pacific Asia, the era's democratic superpowers destroyed it, and its greatest rival, America, absorbed its territory during the transition in the year 1945. The people didn’t resist the rule and became an American protectorate to ease the nation's post-war recovery. However, due to the disaster of the Korean War in 1951 and the assassination attempt on Japanese government officials by extremists, America allowed for Japanese remilitarization. Japan recovered quickly and could focus on its economy with little interference. By the 1960s, the State would become an economic power in the pacific, and rival the mainland of the north. They rose to prominence when they established the Pacific Treaty Organization in 1971 to counter China, with Japan at the head, along with Australia, the American Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand.
These states would fight together in the Third World War, and collapse in the Fourth. The Japanese government understood it had a target on its back. They built special bunkers across their land in case of fallout, never taking to the stars. Most bunkers were small and numerous; the government's were not. When the fallout came, the technological and economic giant shut down, and much of it didn’t survive. It would be miraculous if even the government's secret bunker, housing the late Emperor, remained unscathed, while the more important city centers burned. The Military, Government, and Imperial family would wait patiently for the right moment to emerge.
Ryūnosuke Restortion
When the all-clear came in 2170, officials feared the world they knew was gone. Yet the Emperor held out hope, saying, “The sky would be a great star, if not blue it may be white.” When the doors opened and the first of them came out, a great star shone down on them: Ursa Minor. The Emperor, Ryūnosuke, would be amazed, and many around him would cry that this was divine luck. The Government immediately set out to restore order to the mainland; with great luck, their location in Hokkaido was largely unscathed, meaning they could easily repopulate the area. The Government and its military leaders would link up with the Hokkaido survivors, many of whom were military. Survivors who had been in the area immediately joined the Emperor's side, and the entire island would be retaken within the month. To rebuild the mainland, the Navy and Army remnants would take whatever was left of the local shipyards and, in the coming months, bring back the Imperial standard to solidify the government's legitimacy. Using the previous prediction of the stars, and the fact that Hokkaido lands survived the war, they would amplify the Emperor's divine being in order to raise morale. The Navy would quickly move around the mainland, blasting the anthem over loudspeakers and proclaiming the government's restoration. The Emperor himself would proclaim that Japan would emerge from this stronger than ever before, and that he would protect his people as he had before the war.
Unsurprisingly, the rest of Japan would return to government rule in 2172. The road to rebuilding would be long, and the government restoration was deeply divided. Members of the Navy wanted the return of the Kokkashugi system, stating that the Japanese identity and its spirit needed to be strong to endure. The Army, which had many foreign officers, and the liberal parliament were against the idea. Fearing the rise of a 2nd Imperial Japan, the Army attempted a coup against the government, but the navy stopped it. The Army’s treachery would have them absorbed into the Navy, and the opposition backed down; the Imperial Court was re-established. Soon the Statism and Imperial nobility, particularly the samurai, would come back in what was known as the Ryūnosuke Restortion. Warrior culture would capture the hearts and minds of Japan's citizens, and soon those elsewhere.
Rebuilding Prosperity
Japan quickly realized that many of its former allies were not as lucky. Believing unity among Asian states was necessary, Japan began re-establishing contact and protection as before the war. Japan reached Taiwan and Australia with little resistance, and in 2174 contacted the Philippines and Malaysia. Thailand and Indonesia would resist, fighting them off while dealing with the Chinese Remnants. Japan would revive much of its industry from the surviving nations, and the rebuilding process would begin in 2182. Three years later, in 2185, the industries were reorganized into Zaibatsu for easier enforcement, and they would attempt to extract resources for the state. This would again put them at odds with Southeast Asia and China, and slowly, it would look as though Japan's momentum was faltering. Yet the Navy and the Marines would ensure no threat came against the imperial majesty. With the Emperor's goodwill, the military declared that Japan had a duty to restore order in Asia for prosperity under its stable government. The Government proclaimed the ‘Prosperity Spheres’ in 2187 and would fold each allied nation into these spheres. By 2191, the Combined military would conquer Indonesia through embargo pressure and invade the remnants of the Thai government, which had grown weak from constant warfare.
The conquest would continue into northern Asia, and after choking out the remnants of China with help from a Greater Korea, it would gain Upper China and parts of Russia. Intrenching itself, it would reestablish State Shintoism to engrain loyalty to the emperor throughout Asia. With peace reigning over the realm, it would begin reforming the wastes in 2205. It would, of course, make these lands as close to Japan's image as possible, forever changing the landscape's memory. Fearing public doubt, the state would scrub Old Japan's history for decades. It would take the better half of a century to finish making Asia habitable, and it would come at the cost of Zaibatsu influence in the sphere. This would be a blessing, however, as a corporate despot beyond the sea would need a like-minded organization to start negotiating an alliance. This Alliance would bring the Earth nations together, sharing their strengths for a common goal: solar expansion.
The Blossoming across Endless Space
The new World Prosperity sphere would immediately start solar exploration and would make up a large portion of the aerospace fleet. Though it would start as a disaster for a year, it would quickly become intimidating to the states that resisted its claim. Fanaticism, especially in the Shin’yu squadrons, would make them willing to take on incredible risk. When the call to action came against Mars in 2334, they were among the first to charge into battle. They wouldn’t take part in the bombing of Southern Martian soil, but they would reap the rewards. Joining the UCSH, they would take over and nationalize a portion of Mars, then do the same for Venus, Jupiter, and Pluto in 2339. To encourage national unity and make up for the UCSH’s poor governance, the Imperial Government would begin drafting a series of treaties to integrate and protect human space.
These would be the Human Space Accords, a series of documents ratified in 2340. They promoted the expansion of human influence as a birthright and encouraged human nations to work together rather than fight. Though the Accord was ratified, it was largely ignored, except during extreme circumstances. More important, however, was establishing a united language for humanity, drawing on English, Chinese, and Japanese; it would be called Earthgen and would quickly spread to the solar colonies, becoming the new trade language by 2360.
Centuries later, the Empire spans a great deal of humanspace. Its people come from many cultures: Japanese, Australian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Chinese, Papuan, Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian. Yet it falls to old wars, using regular education rather than purely chipped, supposedly making generations “wise”. Their AreoForce (Called the Imperial Navy) keeps to old tradition and uses armor styled after older times: riveted plates, headbands, banners on their backs known as Sashimono, white feathers that signify good luck, and swords for their warriors. While mainly ceremonial, many within the Navy and its aligned groups still favor energy-based melee weaponry. Firearms that use "hyper-clear" water are also commonplace, an alternative to lasers if not better against unarmored opponents. The Empire still keeps its ancient system; its people take great pride in its legacy. The New Emperor, Yoshio, has sent the Empire into isolation in 2740 after the End of the Nomad Wars, fearing continued interference. Yet that does not mean the Empire is weak or falling back; its forces keep their promise of protection, and more secretive elements keep the other nations in check. The Imperial Court and Emperor reside on the heavily guarded shield world Tōba, and no hints of his public image exist.