Japan (1983: Doomsday)

After Doomsday, the remnants of Japan's government evacuated to Kyoto 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 9" - remain ingrained in the collective memory. Since 1994, the Imperial capital has returned to Kyoto. Currently, the Throne is under the Provisional Regency.

Pre-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.

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. The attacks were primarily aimed at American airbases stationed on Japanese soil and the surrounding military instillations that lay nearby. Targets included:
 * Tokyo - 2 MT
 * Yokohama - 2 MT
 * Kawasaki - 500 KT
 * Misawa - 250 KT
 * Iwakuni - 250 KT
 * Nagasaki - 250 KT
 * Naha/Okinawa Island - 4 x Tactical 20 KT

Among the many millions of casualties was the Imperial household - including Emperor Hirohito, along with much of the Diet. What remained of the higher chain of command congregated in Sapporo, Hokkaido soon after the bombs fell, and soon after relocated the seat of to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. The nation's internal stability (and relatively intact countryside) prevented the sort of social collapse that devastated much of the United States; in part through a nationwide declaration of Martial Law. 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. In this fashion, the "Second 1945" proved detrimental to society.

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 relatives 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."

Government of Japan
Although the govenment of Japan is officially a constitional monarchy with a underlying parlimentary democracy (The Diet), the fact that the throne of Japan has been vacant since 1983 (Since the death of Hirohito in the nuking of Tokyo) has led to the Diet to become a more presidental type of democracy.

The current Prime Minster of Japan in Takahiro Eda and there are 50 members of the Diet, one from each prefecture. Currently there are no political parties as the Diet is still under emergency rule after the loss of the Emporer in 1983 and as such elections are only held every ten years, the next being held in 2013.

The Diet of Japan currently meets in the Japanese captital city of Kyoto.

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was a 9.0-magnitude megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 local time on Friday 11 March 2011. The epicenter was 130 kilometers (81 mi) off the east coast of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku near the city of Sendai, with the hypocenter at a depth of 32 km (19.9 mi).

The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft) that struck Japan minutes after the quake, in some cases travelling up to 10 km (6 mi) inland, with smaller waves reaching many other countries after several hours.

News from Japan after the earthquake and following tsunami is sketchy at best, an ANZC based merchant vessel Sydney in the area was ordered to investigate the Japanese coastline by the ANZC government, the surveys of the coastline between the 14th to 16th of March showed the destruction, in many places, to be total, with some of the smaller fishing villages being swept clean to their foundations.

Sydney tried to make port in the town of Minamisanriku, however the damage was to great for the small landing boats to reach the land, the captain of the Sydney has stated that the worst part was the silence, the entire survey of the damaged coast they saw only a dozen people, he estimated that there must be tens of thousands dead, at a minimum.

Towns destroyed or seriously damaged by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami (2010 estimated populations):

Fukushima Prefecture


 * Futaba (5,000)
 * Minamisōma (32,000)
 * Namie (8,500)
 * Naraha (2,500)
 * Sōma (12,500)
 * Sukagawa (25,500)

Miyagi Prefecture


 * Higashimatsushima (20,000)
 * Ishinomaki (98,000)
 * Iwanuma (22,000)
 * Kesennuma (44,000)
 * Minamisanriku (18,000)
 * Natori (17,000)
 * Onagawa (6,700)
 * Shichigahama (17,500)
 * Shiogama (23,500)
 * Shirakawa, (1,500)
 * Tagajō (22,500)
 * Tome (31,500)
 * Yorisohama (250)

Iwate Prefecture


 * Kamaishi (25,000)
 * Kuji (28,000)
 * Miyako (32,000)
 * Ōtsuchi (9,500)
 * Ōfunato (27,000)
 * Rikuzentakata (13,500)
 * Yamada (11,500)

Ibaraki Prefecture


 * Kitaibaraki (15,000)

A total population of the area is estimated as 569,750, it is possible from the destruction viewed from the sea that nearly a half of this may have died in the earthquake and following tsunami, this means that nearly a quarter of a million people died in the earthquake and tsunami.

5th April 2011 - offical statement on the 2011 earthquake and tsunami
The Japanese government makes its first offical response to the international community at 12pm local time. In a joint message to the League of Nations, ANZC and USSR it reads as follows:

The Japanese nation has suffered its worse natural disaster since records began, the disaster that befell the nations east coast has almost surpassed the damage from the 'so called' Doomsday events of 1983.

''The great nation of Japan is saddened to report that the earthquake, tsunami and radioactive leaks from nuclear reactors has killed over 275,000 of our people, it is possible that the death toll will never be known. Many towns have been removed from maps, with the remains swept clean.''

The Japanese nation cannot rebuild the devestated regions alone, we are asking for international help from friends and allies across the world

Nuclear reactors
There were several working reactors damaged by the earthquake and tsunami

Fukushima I Six reactors -
 * Reactors one, three and four had cooling system failures followed by large hydrogen explosions followed by partial meltdowns,
 * Reactors five and six shut down successfully,
 * Reactor two due to failure of the automatic shutdown system as well as the cooling systems causing a major meltdown and explosion spreading radiation for the surrounding 20 miles, luckly the wind direction blew the majority of the radiation out to sea,

Fukushima II

Four reactors. - reactors one, two and three had cooling system failure followed by large hydrogen explosions and partial meltdowns

Tokai

Two reactors - both reactors successfully shutdown

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.

Japanese professional baseball is divided into a four-team Central League and four-team Pacific League. The respective champions play in a best-of-seven Japan Series each fall.

Some western sports not strictly associated with the United States, particularly track and field and association football, are played at all levels in Japan. Asian Football Confederation and FIFA helped establish a First Division League which began play in 2010.

Japan and Cuba announced in March 2011 that their national teams would play a series in the fall of 2011 and 2012. The first series is scheduled for October, after the Cuban league season ends, in Cuba; the series will move to Japan in October 2012, following the conclusion of the Japanese league's season.

Japan's football (soccer) federation continues to talk with the sport's governing body, FIFA, about formal membership, and is likely to formally join by early 2012. The national team had scheduled several friendlies against other Asian national teams throughout 2011 (although the recent earthquakes have forced them to be postponed to the summer).