The Japanese Imperial State

Japanese Imperial State or JIS (日本帝国, nihon teikoku)　 is the current government of Japanese archipelago and neighboring protectorates ranging from Coastal China and the Korean peninsula in the west to Hawaii in the East. The current Emperor of Japan is Emperor Yasuhito, who replaced Emperor Kenichi following the Unzen Volcano eruption that devastated the Shimabara Peninsula in the south of Kyushu in 2061, and the current Prime Minister is Shobo Kazama.
The Emperor and the Great Dragon Ryomo are the two most popular individuals in Japan and both enjoy the loyalty of the shinto shamans who enjoy almost complete religious dominance of the country. They are opposed by the imperialist factions which consist primary of the Prime Minister backed by the Megacorporations and the Yakuza. While Japan enjoys a very low violent crime rate this comes at a high cost, the zaibatsu corporate culture is married hand in hand with the Yakuza who dominate the social and politica life of the country. Adherence to social hierarchy, criminal or otherwise, is a dominant element of Japanese society.
The JIS regulates the awakened and remains highly racist towards certain races, such as Orks and Trolls. Travel to JIS for individuals of these characteristics is not recommended. Official representatives of the UN can expect to be treated formally but granted limited access.
Three Megacorporations currently call Japan home, and EVO has only recently relocated its headquarters to Vladivostok, maintaining a massive presence in Japan itself. Mitsuhama Computer Technologies, Renraku Computer Systems, and Shiawese still maintain their base in Japan and maintain significant political and cultural control over their locales.

"I fell down into a burning ring of fire...."

— Johnny Nuyen

"Whatever you think about the Japanese the explosion of the Ring of Fire in 61 killed over a million people, that's not something to joke about"

— The Chrome Accountant

Recent Events

2064 - Yamametsu moves its headquarters to Vladivostok and renames itself EVO, breaking with several long-standing japanese traditions
2065 - Emperor Yasuhito sets out a philosophy for co-existence with all of metahumanity, co-authored by Ryumyo, the Great Estern Dragon of Mount Fuji
2066 - Renraku sucessfully defends its position as a AAA megacorporation and retains its seat on the Corporate Council, a victory for Japan
2067 - Emperor Yasuhito announces 'The Era of Falling Blossoms' - a path to tolerance for metahumanity which runs contrary to existing Japanese feelings of superiority
2067 - The Free Hawaiin Marxist Interntional (FHMI) storm the regional governor's headquarters in Honolulu, killing 71 government employees - they are stopped with the assistance of the local Hawaiin Shamans, who support the Japanese Imperial State governance
2068 - The Prime Minister releases a series of lectures defending Japanese exceptionalism, with heavy propaganda support of Mitsuhama, Renraku, and Shiawese
2068 - Shiawese petitions for and receives the right to the old Yamametsu Headquarters on Imperial Land
2069 - Eco-terrorists sabotage the Undersea pipelines near Okinawa, spilling chemicals into the surrounding areas. MCT and EVO lead a joint recovery effort.
2070 - The Sonsoo Coup - Yakuza backed forces attempt to kill the the Emperor, but the plot is foiled by three awakened spirits - Empress Hitomi is wounded in the attempt. Public backlash against Yakuza and Yakuza-Affiliated Megacorporations intensifies
2070 - The Summer Olympics are held in Chiba
2071 - Empress Hitomi opts to receive metallic cyberware, in solidarity with the working class - publicly unveiling her new limb to the world at the Tokyo Fashion Show
2071 - Yakuza factions engage in civil war across much of Japan, news stories of Shadowrun operations throughout the nation, and in occupied territories on the continent, leak across the Matrix - unusual for Japan
2072 - Renraku's HQ in Chiba is hit by a Manastorm, apparently summoned by an unidentified Awakened Spirit - the event seems to mark the cooling of the Yakuza Wars
2073 - General Saito of the California Protectorate suborns JIS for normalization of relations but is denied by the emperor, the decision splits public opinion

Structure

Emperor Yasuhito, Claimant to Divine Birth sits opposed to the Imperial Diet of Japanese Governance

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

JIS, Japan

Demonym

Japanese