Japan (1983: Doomsday)

Prior to Doomsday, Japan was one of the world's most prosperous nations, densely populated and second only to the United States in economy. Following the nuclear apocalypse that was Doomsday, Japan fell apart. The spirit of the Japanese people refused to die, however, and all across the islands, the people rose up and began to restructure. The Nippon no Hijou Yamato Matsurigoto, or the Emergency Yamato Government of Japan (More commonly known as Yamato Japan), rose from the ashes, declaring itself to be the true successor to the government of Japan.

Before Doomsday
After the destruction of the second World War, Japan rose from the ashes and rebuilt, fighting tooth and nail to become the second greatest economy in the world, second to only the United States. Though maintaining the isolationist and traditional roots that had kept Japan separate from the world for millenia, Japan was quickly moving forward into the future, accepting Western cultural influences and stepping to the forefront of the world of science and technology. Democracy, innovation, and free expression were the emerging stars of Japanese civilization when Doomsday occurred.



September 19th, 1983
According to the post-World War II treaties, The United States of America maintained a number of military bases throughout Japan and Honshu proper. Because of this, Japan was a target for ICBMs from the Soviet Union and nearby China. The attacks were primarily aimed at American airbases stationed on Japanese soil and the surrounding military instillations that lay nearby, which caused massive damage to Japanese cities in the same areas. Targets included:
 * Tokyo
 * Yokohama
 * Kawasaki City
 * Misawa
 * Iwakuni
 * Nagasaki
 * Naha/Okinawa Island

The Japanese government received little forewarning before the ICMBs detonated. Originating from nearby China and the Soviet Union, there was barely enough time to get the Imperial Family and the Diet to emergency evacuation helicopters before the nuclear missiles struck. The transports bearing the Imperial family and the Diet were just leaving the city of Tokyo and heading towards Kyoto when the city was hit with multiple strikes. There were at least three confirmed nuclear strikes against Tokyo alone, obliterating much of the city. The surrounding strikes around Tokyo Bay effectively trapped the convoys. It is unknown what precisely happened to the helicopters, but it is commonly thought that they were either swallowed by the explosions or knocked out of the sky by the resulting EMPs. There were no survivors from the Imperial evacuation convoy, and only three land transports from the Diet convoy managed to survive. The survivors continued to Kyoto, where they immediately set to discussing the future of Japan.

The destruction wasn't confined to just the capital city, however. Yokohama and Kawasaki City were also struck by nuclear blasts, destroying those population centers and spreading radioactive fallout and waste into Tokyo Bay, dangerously irradiating the waters. The destruction caused by two successive nuclear strikes in Misawa all but destroyed the industrial sector in the north of Honshu, as well as knocking a large hole in the power grid of the island. Nuclear weapons touched down in both Iwakuni and Nagasaki, knocking the lower half of Honshu and the island of Kyushu off the grid. The cultural effects of the second nuclear destruction of Nagasaki were widespread.

The greatest destruction, however, was suffered in the Ryukyu Islands, as no less than five nuclear strikes were confirmed to hit Okinawa and Naha, decimating the islands and smothering them in nuclear fallout. The populations of those islands were almost entirely destroyed in that first day, and dropped further under the fallout and irradiation left behind by the barrage of strikes against the little islands. The immediate death toll of Doomsday, across Japan, is estimated to be around forty million, or close to a third of the population.

Following the initial strikes, radiation settled over much of Japan, contaminating waters and burning the nutrients out of the soil. Across the country, it was clear that Tokyo Bay, the Suo-Nada sea, the Aki-nada sea, Mutsu Bay, Aomori Bay, Lake Tamonogi, Lake Ogowara, Lake Ichiyanagi, Lake Obuchinuma, the Takahoko Swamp, and the Arakawa river were all dangerously contaminated by nuclear radiation. Soil damage in the surrounding regions was extreme, and the overall quality of the soil and vegetation across the whole of the island was in some way or another compromised by irradiation. With power knocked out all across the nation and the national government destroyed, chaos set in all across Japan. In several cities and towns, utter anarchy set in as society collapsed. Decades of repression prior to Doomsday were unleashed as all laws of society were taken away. Though power remained in some spotty parts of Hokkaido and northern Honshu, telecommunications were effectively gone, with the destruction of service providers, central offices, power plants, and distribution centers in the nuclear strikes against the industrialized areas of the nation.

Post-Doomsday Isolation
Massive backlash soon went against Communist supporters, having become associated with the Chinese and Soviets. By 1985, heated debates sprang out in the Sapporo Diet with regards to the nation's future. According to recent testimonies from Japanese officials, it was decided that the country ought to stay closed "for the present time" to ensure the Empire's survival. With all contact lost with the outside world (apart from Korean and Soviet ham radios) Japan thought itself as the only surviving nation on Earth.

What remained of the American garrisons became the target of Japanese anger. Having failed to defend them, in addition to making the country a target, the soldiers found themselves barricading their bases. After tense negotiations, an agreement was made to expel the majority of US soldiers to the nearest landmass: Korea. The main bulk of these left for the island of Jeju in 1984. Those that remained were absorbed into Japanese society.

By the late 1980s, surviving noble-blood officials and members of the Imperial family agreed upon a Provisional Regency to "indefinitely hold" the empty Chrysanthemum Throne. Little else is known of this time period - according to data - but it is definitive that the Sakoku was reinstated in 1988. In 1993, the old Imperial Palace in Kyoto was refurnished in anticipation for the capital transfer the following year. The Diet, however, remained in Sapporo until 1997.

The Reopening of Japan
Until 2004, knowledge of a surviving Japan was passed off as speculation at best; a "denial of reality" at worst. This was further supported by reports from the now legendary  expedition to Okinawa in 1991. As far as the was concerned, the island nation was labeled a "high-risk wasteland."

In 1993, an expedition from arrived at the Bonin Islands, an outlying island chain that administratively had been part of the city of Tokyo. The surviving population numbered less than 1,000, and the people were starving and had had no contact with the rest of Japan for a decade. Every Bonin survivor was taken back to Hawaii and resettled on the island of Maui.

The first signs of civilization from the Japanese came in the late 1990s from radio signals received by KGB agents in southern Sakhalin Island. As the signals became increasingly powerful, it was clear that some order survived, at least in Hokkaido. On 23 February 2004, USSR forces in Sakhalin sent an armed expedition across the La Perouse Strait; among the men were Ainu interpreters serving in the regional barracks. At 1:43 PM, the ship was intercepted off the northern town of Wakkanai by local police craft. The Siberian Commander, Col. Dimitri Zakharov, later reported on Pravda (Translated into English):
 * "We didn't expect any organized armed response to our arrival. At the time, the Japanese seemed to think my party as an front of an invasion. Apparently, they were still at war with us...perhaps the insignia...Had we not announced our peaceful intentions, it would have reignited what should have ended in 1983..."' 

Despite the close call, this first meeting was tense. The Japanese delegation, led by one Mizuno Imamura, viewed the party with mistrust, as they were considered a link to the superpowers that brought about Doomsday. Both sides, however, managed to overcome their prejudices to the point of more amiable discussions. As defacto representative of the Supreme Soviet Politburo, Col. Zakharov signed the Treaty of Asahikawa on 5 March 2004: The official peace declaration between Japan and the USSR, as well as the final closure to both the Second World War and the Cold War; until then, only a cease fire held the sides in place. With agreement from the Japanese authorities, the isolation rules were "temporarily suspended" to allow the Siberians to establish an embassy and return to Sakhalin, with some open-access privileges provided to Siberian diplomats. The closing statement of the Treaty reads:
 * It is our hope that the animosity forged in the atomic fires may one day fade into history. While we must never forget the horrors, the time has come to walk onwards into the future.

In 2005, delegates from the Philippines, ANZC and Korea arrived to extend their greetings. Much of the animosity lingering from World War 2 had by this point begun to heal considerably. In the case of the Philippines, arrangements were made to send back willing Japanese nationals stranded during Doomsday.

Current Conditions
From what is known, Japan is relatively self-sustaining after decades of isolation. Freer trade regulation - though still firmly monitored - has allowed more commercial access for Philippine, Southeast Asian and Siberian ships. More recently, embassies for and the ANZC have been established. Despite warmer relations with the USSR, the Japanese retain firm reservations, with stern disapproval of its Communist/Socialist nature. There is considerable bias as well against the North American states, namely the, and the. The Japanese feel a sense of betrayal by the Americans following the events of Doomsday.

In 2008 a delegation from approached Japan requesting permission to resettle the Bonin Islands. Officials were split over how to handle the situation. In order to avoid an international incident, as well as considering both the refugees and Hawaii's Japanese community, Japan gave its blessing to making the islands Hawaiian, provided that the ANZC military stays away from them.

The Ryukyu Islands, since 2002, are once again part of "Imperial territory." With the aid of surviving local civil leaders, Japanese troops have since crushed the remaining cannibal bands, similar to those who assaulted the Benjamin Franklin crew.The reestablished prefecture center is "temporarily" in the island town of Amani. An outpost was established near the ruins of Naha, Okinawa Island, but further penetration is still hindered by fallout. The Ryukyuans, along with the remaining Ainu communities, are given representation in the Kyoto Diet.

Efforts to rehabilitate the regions targeted by Doomsday are slow and sporadic. Many Japanese remain traumatized by the event and considerable danger zones still exist. Government and private compensations however have resulted in additional farmland and new settlements. The most successful was the "restoration" of Nagasaki in 2002. As of 2010, Tokyo and Yokohama are completely off-limits to all except scientists and military personnel.

Culture is peculiarly anachronistic. Traditional and pre-Doomsday elements blend and pervade in Japanese life. From insider and WCRB accounts, it is common to find fedoras alongside kimonos in everyday attire. Images of the Bomb, as well as contrasting positive symbolism, pervade art and media.

As of 2010, it is not a member of the, although the Diet is considering the option. Common consensus among Japanese politicians, noblemen and citizens, however, suggest otherwise, favoring instead the "Swiss option."

Sports
Traditional Japanese sports, in particular sumo wrestling and various forms of martial arts, have enjoyed a renaissance since Doomsday. The sports were pushed by the government as national sports and disciplines, and are extremely popular.

Despite anti-American sentiment, Japan is still known to play the sport of baseball at a competitive, professional level. Observers from Siberia reported seeing practices by professional teams and a few Japanese league games in Kyoto, and being told that the government was pushing for fundamental changes to the game to make it significantly different from the "American pastime." To date, the fundamentals of the game in Japan have not changed, as doing so would make it impossible for Japanese teams to ever compete on an international scale.

Some western sports not strictly associated with the United States, particularly track and field and association football, are played at all levels in Japan.

Cuban officials have approached Japan's baseball federation about playing a series of games sometime in 2010. Japan is said to be more receptive to joining FIFA, especially given its good relations with the ANZC and the Phillippines, than to joining the League of Nations.