Japan (1983: Doomsday)

The Empire of Japan. After Doomsday, Japan's government evacuated to Ezo (Hokkaido Island) and reformed the Empire with old style samurai virtues. The Japanese also reinstated the policy of Sakoku of the Edo period, by which no one can leave or enter Japan on pain of death. Despite the modifications made to the 1945 Constitution, pacifist doctrines - including "Article 6" - remain ingrained in the collective memory. Since 1994, the Imperial capital has returned to Kyoto; under the Provisional Regency.

Doomsday
Due to its affiliation with the United States of America, Japan was a target for Soviet ICBMs, although some of them may have originated from China also. Targets included:

Among the casualties was the Imperial household - including Emperor Hirohito/Showa - along with much of the Diet. What remained of the higher chain of command congregated in Sapporo, Hokkaido soon after the bombs fell; relocating the seat of government there. The nation's internal stability (and relatively intact countryside) prevented the sort of social collapse that devastated much of the United States. Fallout, however, resulted in increased cases of radiation sickness and cancer nationwide. Despite the survival of much of Japan's towns and cities, the glows and fallout amplified memories of the atomic nightmares of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the latter's "Second 1945" proved detrimental to society.
 * Tokyo
 * Yokohama
 * Kawasaki
 * Misawa
 * Iwakuni
 * Nagasaki
 * Naha
 * Okinawa Island

Massive backlash soon went against Communist supporters; having become associated with the Chinese and Soviets. By 1985, debates sprang out in the Sapporo Diet with regards to the nation's future.

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 WCRB 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 on Okinawa. 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.

On 23 February 2004, Soviet Siberian forces in Sakhalin sent an armed expedition across the La Perouse Strait; the southern half of the island was in range of Japanese radio signals. 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 State Media (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...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; 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 Soviet Politburo, Col. Zakharov signed the Treaty of Asahikawa on 5 March 2004: The official peace declaration between Japan and the Russians, 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; open-access privileges are 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.

Current Conditions
From what is known, Japan is relatively self-sustaining after decades of isolation. Freer trade regulation - though still firmly tight - has allowed more commercial access for Philippine, Taiwanese and Siberian ships. There is considerable bias against the North American states, namely the Municipal States of the Pacific, North American Union and the Republic of Superior.

Upon receiving word of the "recolonization" of the Bonin Islands by Hawaii, officials became split with regards on how to handle the situation. In order to avoid an international incident, as well as considering both the refugees and Hawaii's Japanese community, plans are underway to propose a "joint-administration."

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; those akin to the ones who assaulted the Benjamin Franklin crew. An outpost was established near the ruins of Doha, 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.

Culture is peculiarly anachronistic. Traditional and pre-Doomsday elements blend and pervade in Japanese life; 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 2009, it is not a member of the League of Nations, although the Diet is considering the option.