Difference between revisions of "Adoki"
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| − | Adoki may be regarded as an example of a constitutional monarchy, although it was an absolute monarchy until fairly recently. The Emperor's power is limited | + | Adoki may be regarded as an example of a constitutional monarchy, although it was an absolute monarchy until fairly recently. The Emperor's power is limited by a [[Adoki Constitution|Constitution]] adopted in early 2006. The new constitution does leave many powers to the Emperor, powers which will be transferred to an elected [[President of Adoki|President]] upon the death of the current Emperor. |
That being said, the Emperor's decision normally, although not always, respect the basic dignity of his subjects as persons, refrain from any serious human rights abuses, and take into account the advice of the Kokkai. Rawlsian analysts usually place Adoki in the category of "decent states," although they consider it a borderline case. | That being said, the Emperor's decision normally, although not always, respect the basic dignity of his subjects as persons, refrain from any serious human rights abuses, and take into account the advice of the Kokkai. Rawlsian analysts usually place Adoki in the category of "decent states," although they consider it a borderline case. | ||
Revision as of 00:03, 7 June 2006
The Empire of Adoki is a small nation located in southwest Ambara, frequently referred to as the Empire of the Radiant Sun. Adoki is a largely secluded and homogenous nation, reknowned for its beautiful landscapes. Despite her small geographic area and population, Adoki is largely commercialized in her urban areas. However, even here, the sacred can be found among the profane. It is not uncommon to find the entrance to a large and finely landscaped Shinto shrine hidden between two office buildings or to see an ornate traditional garden on the roof of a skyscraper.
| |
| Flag of Adoki | |
| Motto: "Loyalty above all else" | |
| Region | Ambara |
|---|---|
| Capital | Ajuki |
| Official Language(s) | Japanese |
| Leader | Chief of State: Emperor Nakamikado; Chief of Government: Prime Minister Jakuchu Kada |
| Population | 16 million |
| Currency | Yen |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
History
Adoki history began some five centuries ago when settlers from Japan left their homeland to seek a new life. They were led by Prince Shoko(1498-1548), an unrecognized son of Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado who resented being denied a throne he considered rightfully his. The settlers founded their first colony in the city of Aaharo, which remains an important Adoki port city and the site of an important imperial palace to this day.
Over the next five centuries, the settlers expanded throughout present day Adoki. Prince Shoko and his immediate heirs styled themselves Emperors of Japan until 1806, when Emperor Ogimachi (reigned 1797-1808) began to style himself Emperor of Adoki. This change in title marked a recognition both that the line of Shoko would never sit on the throne of Japan and that Adoki had now become a viable nation in its own right.
It was only during the reign of Ogimachi that the office of the Shogun came into being in Adoki. Before this time, while the Emperor had effectively governed the country, he had formally organized his government along the lines of an army waiting to retake Japan rather than as a functioning court. Because the Shogunate appeared so late and after so many centuries of direct imperial rule, the Shoguns of Adoki, unlike the Shoguns of Japan, remained servants of the Emperor in fact as well as name.
From the 1916 fundamentalist and racist revolution in the nearby nation of Marlund until the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 2005, Adoki has been in a constant state of low-grade warfare with her neighbor. Each side was driven by a strong racial and cultural hatred of the other, considering themselves the natural masters of Ambara. The only lull in this conflict was during the Second World War, when both nations supported the Axis Powers. After the war's conclusion, both nations simply stopped fighting the allies without formally surrendering or undergoing foreign occupation. Accusing one another of betraying the Axis cause and bringing about defeat, the two nations launched into a full-scale war with one another from 1945-1952, the First Ambaran War. While Marlund emerged the victor, it also emerged convinced that any conquest of Adoki would be too costly to be worth it. There was no formal conclusion of peace and the nations both returned to low-grade skirmishes with one another until the restructuring of Marlund following the Second Ambaran War in 2005.
Emperor Nakamikado, who ascended the throne in 1992, has allowed very limited parliamentary reforms, including the election of a national legislature, the Kokkai, although one entirely subject to the power of the Emperor. He has also allowed the flourishing of a large number of political parties and has instituted a policy of freedom of worship, although the government continues to strongly favor the official form of Shinto oriented around the imperial personage.
Nakamikado has no sons and only one daughter, Princess Yuko. Because Adoki law allows only male descendants of Prince Shoko to inherit the throne, Makamikado will be the last Emperor of Adoki. After his death, Adoki will begin the transition to a republican form of government.
Government and politics
Adoki may be regarded as an example of a constitutional monarchy, although it was an absolute monarchy until fairly recently. The Emperor's power is limited by a Constitution adopted in early 2006. The new constitution does leave many powers to the Emperor, powers which will be transferred to an elected President upon the death of the current Emperor.
That being said, the Emperor's decision normally, although not always, respect the basic dignity of his subjects as persons, refrain from any serious human rights abuses, and take into account the advice of the Kokkai. Rawlsian analysts usually place Adoki in the category of "decent states," although they consider it a borderline case.
Imperial Government
The Imperial Government is the national government of Adoki, consisting of the Emperor, the Imperial Cabinet, and the Kokkai. The officers of the Imperial Government are not authorized to interfere with the designated authoritity of state and regional officials or of other imperial officers. The specific authority of very offices and levels of government vary with the will of the Emperor.
The Kokkai is a unilateral body which suggests legislation to the Emperor. The Kokkai has three hundred members. One hundred are Adoki noblemen who hold hereditary seats. Another hundred are Shinto priests from key shrines. The last hundred are elected by the Adoki people divided into one hundred electoral districts.
The head of the Adoki government is, of course, the Emperor, who appoints an Imperial Cabinet. The members of the cabinet are each delegated an appropriate level of authority over their respective Ministries. While they are often choosen from among the majority party in the Kokkai, this tradition is much weaker than it is in true constitutional monarchies. The Emperor reserves the right to give any cabinet position to anyone he chooses. There is no means of appealing the Emperor's decision.
The Emperor personally makes 923 appointments, including, but not limited to, cabinet ministers and foreign ambassadors. With these appointments, the Emperor also bestows upon the appointee the right to appoint all government officials beneath him in the Emperor's name. This person delegates the right to make some of these appointments to his own ranking officers, still in the Emperor's name. Officially, the lowest paid janitor in the Imperial Government is hired and fired by His Imperial Majesty, albeit through deignated agents. The power of the Emperor's literally holy personage is held to inundate the government in its entirety in official propaganda. Most ordinary Adoki do, in fact, view the government in close to the same light as the official view, if they are not quite so extreme.
Local government
Local governments have no rights against the imperial government. However, as a practical matter, local leaders are allowed to make many of the supposedly apolitical decisions which have the most effect on people's daily lives. The provision of bus services, roads, subways, light rails, public parks, and similar services is normally left to local governments. Local governments do not have their own laws but do have local charters, providing for the selection of local officials. These charge vary wildly, leaving some towns in the control of a local lord while allowing others to freely elect their own officials.
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of local government in Adoki: The government of towns and the government of provinces. Provinces tend to have a somewhat balanced charter, giving elected representatives slightly more authority over the matters in the charge of the province than Adoki gives elected representatives in the imperial government. It is largely in towns where wide deviation in either direction is tolerated, whether towards the rule of a lord or towards democracy.
Political divisions
Officially, Adoki admits of no genuine political divions. The Emperor has absolute sovereignty over the entirety of Adoki. While the land is subdivided into provinces, these are mere administrative districts all under a universally applicable imperial law. Likewise, the country does not have any major geographical divisions. Adoki has no overseas territories of even territories on the northern coast of Adoki Bay, an area claimed entirely by Pantocratorian Ambara.
Foreign relations and military
Because of Adoki's small size, her foreign policy is fairly narrowly confinded to the continent of Ambara. In general, Adoki gives political and diplomatic support to efforts to effect reconciliation between the races and religious groups of Adoki, even though xenophobia remains wide-spread among the Adoki people themselves. Adoki enjoys relatively friendly relations with all other Ambaran powers, although its strongest ties remain to the Resurgent Dream.
The military of Adoki consists of the Imperial Army, Imperial Navy, and Imperial Air Force. There is no legal ban on the use of military forces for law enforcement duty and the Imperial Navy also performs the function of a coast guard.
The combined armed forces of Adoki employ some 160,000 people of whom most are support or logistical personnel. 6 million Adoki are considered eligible for conscription, although the military currently consists entirely of volunteers. As of February 2006, the total military budget for Adoki was 2,682,746,927,991.65 yen.
Physical geography
Adoki is located in the southwestern corner of Ambara. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the south and the west. To the north, Adoki is bordered by Chiba Bay and by Pantocratorian Ambara. While Adoki has many mountainous areas in the eastern part of the nation, 78% of her land is arable.
Because of the presence of the [{Saetsumi Fault]], Adoki is occassionally the victim of earth quackes. There is also limited volcanic activity along the fault line and many of the island's off the Adoki coast are volcanic in origin.
Adoki experiences a rainy season in the late summer and early autumn. Although the temperature is the coldest in Ambara, it is still temperate at worst. Adoki contains two ecoregions: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests.
