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THE PLAYER
Name; Rinka
Journal; nekomimi_kei
Messenger; AIM; Faereyjar
Email; - PMs will get to me fastest -
THE CHARACTER
Name; Japan / 日本/ Honda Kiku
Age; 23
Personality; Quiet, almost reclusive, Japan is a nation with a unique culture and an infuriating sense of politeness; he does not always mean what he says, and he will not always say what he means. At first glance, one's impression of him as an individual might perhaps be that of a serene and traditional young man, well-educated, poetic, and practiced in both discipline and polite self-restraint. He has a sense of delicacy and art, is appreciative of simplicity, minimalism and the importance of history, learning quickly and adapting himself in a unique way throughout the ages, uncompromising in his modernization, but true in his values. His hobbies are drawing and dabbling in the new technologies of electronics.
However, Japan's other side is his self-consciousness and fear of mediocrity. Eager and determined to make his mark on history, he is easily embarrassed and very proud, with a streak of obstinacy and imperialism. When he feels shamed, he retreats from public view, coming off as avoidant, reclusive, and antisocial. If he does not understand, he does not ask - for to do so would be to admit weakness, and weakness is something he hates to show others. He is driven, determined, and the type to strive for perfection in everything or otherwise count himself a failure. It is this inherent sense of honour, the need to do or die and please not only himself but his people and save face, that tears him apart.
At this point in time, he is broken. He has not had the chance to recover. He has never suffered such great humiliation. Considering himself partially above loss, above foreign rule, his pride has suffered a blow. Part of him remains rebellious. He has been raised to fight or go down fighting. Another part feels guilty. He regrets his negligence and inability to carry through his intentions, for following his leaders blindly, for not listening to the truths behind their words. The last of him is simply sad. Sad that the world was dragged into a war so cruel. He is sad that what was supposed to bring honour to his country has become a source of shame.
He was once known to be able to evaluate a situation and determine whether to speak or not, but more and more, he feels insecure. His own decisions have lead to destruction in the recent past, and he wishes very much to avoid such a thing in the future.
History;
Japan considers himself an 'old man' despite his youthful appearance, and his history is accordingly long. As a child, he was 'found' by China, who raised him in his earliest days to the best of his ability. Japan proved to be a fast learner, exhibiting at a young age an uncanny ability to adapt and rework old ideas and improve on them. He took what he could from China, learning and adapting it: his language, his religion, craft and his system of law were lifted from China's already sophisticated system, but Japan drove them down to their functional basics and then expanded them in ways that proved to be more efficient and far more functional. This drive towards improvement, perfection and modernism would prove to work very well for Japan, allowing him to adapt in the ever-changing world, despite his very stubborn and belligerent personality. From the very beginning, Japan tended to look down on his "older brother", considering himself superior or above him, and as Japan cultivated his own vibrant culture, he began to look upon China's carefree ways of thinking as old-fashioned and naive, denying him as his brother and forging his own pointedly independent national identity.
Japan moved into his own era of warring states (the Sengoku period, several hundred years after China's own Zhànguó Shídài) in the 1500s, throwing his lands into turmoil. Japanese pirates started to perform raids on the coasts of China and Korea, while several daimyo within his own kingdom threatened to take control of his regions, constantly locked in battles that affected much of his population. The first of the western explorers also started to appear on Japan's shores during this period, introducing firepower and Christianity, revolutionizing Asian warfare. As the Muromachi period drew to an end and Japan's constant companion Owari-han lost power after the death of Oda Nobunaga, Japan started the process of unification under the leadership of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Major conflicts such as the "Bunroku no eki" and "Keichou no Eki" (late 1500s) became a distraction for the hardship and a rallying force for patriotism in Japan and lay the foundation for Japan's many future attempts to conquer both China and Korea.
However, even during these conflicts, Japan pushed for trade with China and relations between the two countries after the wars remained civil, though the seeds of misunderstanding had been sown. After Toyotomi Hideoyoshi died without leaving a successor, Japan was once again thrust into political limbo, with Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari vying for power. The assertion Mito-han had made long ago about becoming his future ruler came to pass, with the Tokugawa Shogunate coming into control. Japan was now thrust headlong into the Edo period, where his own traditions and values started to become more highly valued and deemed to be in need of protection. More foreigners such as the Portuguese, English and Dutch started to filter through to the Far East, and Japan started to participate in active trade at the start of 1603 onwards, even going so far as to create a system of 'red seal ships' from the west destined for Asian trade. However, with trade and westernization came Christianity, and Tokugawa soon realized that the growing Christian population posed a threat to the Shogunate, especially when religious commandments clashed with direct orders from superiors or violated the Japanese code of honour. Steps were soon made to ban Christian practice, and later Shogun compounded on the new laws. This fear of foreign influence was compounded by Japan's witnessing of Spanish and Portuguese colonial practice, and fears that Japan would be targeted as part of foreign conquest lead to the creation of the "Sakoku" laws of Japan's version of "splendid isolation" in the late 1630s.
This isolation would continue for the next two hundred or so years, during which only four ports of foreign trade survived: A small island called Dejima near Nagasaki, where China and the Netherlands were allowed to continue trade (The Netherlands was the only European power allowed to interact with the Japanese during this time), the Tsushima Domain where trade with Korea was handled, Matsumae where they traded with the Ainu people, as well as Satsuma, where the Ryuukuu kingdom ( a small group of islands near Okinawa, widely regarded as their own separate people until the Meiji Restoration ) remained in contact with the mainland Japanese. Despite their strict policy of international seclusion, the Edo period and Tokugawa Shogunate brought about stability within the Japanese kingdom. Art and study flourished: Ukio-e flourished and famous Japanese woodcut artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai made some of their most well-known prints during the edo period. Despite shutting himself away from the rest of the international community, Japan learned diligently what he could of the outside world, albeit through extremely controlled means through the Dutch port in Dejima. He was careful not to fall behind the times and therefore become easy prey to the Western colonial machine. His intentions to fight to the end would hold firm, and he was one of the few Asian nations to never come under any colonial power.
The period of international seclusion ended with the arrival of American Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853. Pressure from him forced Japan to come out of his house, socialize and open his ports to foreign trade once again. This new and sudden influx of outsiders divided the Japanese people and caused chaos, causing a split between the Bakufu government which supported trade and nationalist forces dedicated to reinstating the emperor, repelling the 'barbarians', and overthrowing the current system. At the same time, unrestricted foreign trade brought about inflation, disease and violence, and the impact this had on Japanese society was phenomenal, leading to fevered cults and religious groups, as well as xenophobic attacks. The Shogunate came down hard on such conflicts, stirring up further unrest in the nationalist/imperialist forces. Several coup d'etats against the Tokugawa were attempted and the government gave way, though the last Shogun Yoshinobu Takanaga continued to have influence. A last stand by the Shogun resulted in the Boshin War, in which his army was soundly defeated. In 1868 the Emperor was finally fully reinstated, bringing an end to the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji restoration.
The Meiji Restoration or restoration of "Enlightened Rule" had the goal of incorporating western advancements into the Japanese value system and improving on them. Government was reformed based on the western model, infrastructure and law was modernized, and problematic money-draining class systems (such as that of the Samurai) were abolished. Despite a brief civil war led by the Samurai class protesting such cuts and destruction of tradition, the newly formed Imperial Japanese Army quashed it easily, being equipped with firepower and formally trained in western warfare. Imports and exports increased, introducing new western technologies that were both consumed and adapted to cheap production, making value-for-money, cheap products within industries such as coal, weaponry, iron and shipbuilding that were highly competitive on the global market. The Meiji period was certainly one of rapid growth and modernization, allowing Japan to move into the 20th century as an independent Asian Nation hot on the heels of his western counterparts, unlike other countries in Asia who were still struggling with the unequal treaties and manipulation of the Western powers.
With regards to international relations, Japan was quick to adapt the european model, putting himself forward as a full-fledged member of the international community. The traditional east-asian view of foreign policy was recognized as old and outdated, and in order to protect himself, Japan worked hard to copy from the west the things that made it successful. His nationalism surfaced once again and his progress made him proud, causing him to reawaken the dreams born in the 1500s of leadership in asia. The first step to this was militarization (also partially done to impress and gain the respect of the west), and he quickly built up a large army before defeating China in the first Sino-Japanese war of 1894, which gave him possession of Taiwan (among a few other territories) and caused China to recognize Korea's formal independence. However, Germany, Russia and France were very much against Japan's holding of Chinese territories. They feared that their interests in controlling China were in jeopardy; they united in order to put pressure on Japan to cede his winnings back to them for a price. Feeling threatened, Japan moved out of recently-won Liaodong province, only to be replaced by Russian troops. To counter this, the Anglo-Japanese alliance was formed in 1902. Both England and Japan were very much against Russian control in China, and both had recently come out of an isolationist phase. Japan was glad to have a powerful western ally, and his influence caused Russia to back down on some fronts in Manchuria and in Korea, freeing up Japan's opportunities for further industrialization on foreign soil. However, Russia did not withdraw his troops from China at the appointed time and this sparked the Russo-Japanese war (1904), which Japan won by a very slim margin. It was a shock to his system and he poured extensive resources into it, but his victory solidified his place in modern politics. It had was the first time an Asian country had been victorious over a large western power in modern warfare.
After 1905, Japan gained Korea as a protectorate and his nationalism and drive for conquest accelerated, propelling him into a new age with big dreams. In 1912, the Meiji period ended with the death of the Meiji Emperor and the Taisho era began, propelling us into the First World War. This war preoccupied the western powers, giving Japan a chance to expand his empire. By declaring war against Germany (alongside his ally the UK) he seized control of German-controled territories in Asia, thereby increasing his territory. Further negotiations undertaken during this time put more Japanese influence in China, adding to the german protectorates. As Russia's powers waned, Japan occupied and met some of the allied forces in Siberia.
Japan came out of the first world war highly successful. While he was not a large player in the battles in Europe arms productions and exports sold to other allied countries put China in his debt and allowed him to boost his economy. At the peace conference at Versailles, he gained official recognition as one of the five great powers of the world, and his holding of German territories in China was confirmed. However, the post-war prosperity did not last long. Inflation, debt, and various postwar problems failed to be dealt with properly by the Taisho government, and a mounting labour movement started to gain footing in the scene. Hara Takashi, the then prime minister, was suddenly assassinated in 1921, causing political turmoil. Several different parties rose up in the Diet [government], forming unstable coalitions but pushing Japan towards a full democratic system of government. However, parliamentary government failed to withstand the 1930s and towards the end of the decade, military leaders gained power and influence in the running of the country, giving way to the highly militaristic Showa era of World War II.
World war II is one of the most infamous and simultaneously tragic events in Japanese history. As an aggressor actively seeking to expand his territorial scope, Japan used an incident known as the 'Mukden Incident' in 1931 to stage an invasion of Manchuria, setting up a puppet government the next year. There was an international outcry at Japan's behavior and in response he withdrew from the League of Nations, thereby exempting him from its rules. Some years later, after escalated attacks, the second Sino-Japanese war started, and Japan joined the Axis Pact with Germany and Italy.
Japan felt that it was inevitable that at some point he would have to face the Western powers in battle, as tensions mounted after reports of atrocities in China. The US froze Japanese assets within its borders and pushed Japan into a corner, forcing him to feel the need to gain more resource-rich acquisitions. It was a difficult situation for Japan. he did not want to provoke America into attacking him because he was certain that a prolonged war would be lost, but he also knew that America's involvement was inevitable. In order to strike pre-emptively, he chose to attack British Colonial Hong Kong and Pearl Harbour and do as much damage as he could, in which he would have a time period of about six months to crush America before defeat was inevitable. Hong Kong would remain occupied for four years, and while Pearl Harbour in itself was a success, taking the Americans entirely by surprise, its ramifications would lose the war for the Axis. America entered the war and directed his attention to crushing Japan his allies.
Regardless, Japan continued to push forward with hardened resolve. Within the next year, he made his way across Asia, absorbing the coastal cities of China and most of the south eastern colonies. Thailand entered a loose alliance with Japan, but essentially he had amassed an empire stretching over the majority of the Pacific. The turning point came however at the battle of Midway in 1942. After suffering air attacks from America, Japan needed a strategic base in the Pacific, and Midway was one of the most viable points for such a stronghold. However, as plans were going under way, America cracked Japanese code and pre-empted the strike on the small island, effectively blocking the takeover and causing the loss of several important carriers, cruisers and thousands of men.
From then on, Japanese operations deteriorated and he had to face the drawn-out war feared and predicted at the start of operations. Not one to give up, however, he doggedly continued fighting despite daily air raids on almost all major Japanese towns, attempting not only to expand further south into New Guinea, but also defending positions in East Asia from allied attack. He was soon widely known to all as a fierce, stubborn fighter, more willing to die than to give up. His stubborn and imperialistic sense of honour would keep him fighting until the 6th of August 1945 when the first of America's atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima. The Soviet Union declared war on him on the 8th of August, and the second American bomb was dropped the very next day on Nagasaki, killing up to 166,000 people in Hiroshima, and 80,000 in Nagasaki, half of whom died the same day after the bombs were dropped.
Severely injured by burns and exposure to radiation that penetrated deep into not only the physical core of his landmass but also the psychological state of himself and his people, Japan surrendered to the Allies on the 15th of August 1945, thereby ending the Second World War.
SAMPLES
Third person;
Japan opened his eyes, then closed them again.
Everything was hurting.
He supposed it was only natural given what he had experienced. Yet no matter how he rationalized it, his body was still wracked with pain. Pain infused every bone and every tissue, burning with what felt like unforgiving fire. It was an unending torture, needle-sharp where the raw, peeling skin had been exposed, while dully aching where the bruises and lighter burns still bloomed like blue flowers under his skin. At all times, the hurt was still there, a grim reminder of the world's mistakes and what they culminated in. He winced and breathed heavily, controlling and calming himself, mastering the discomfort to the best of his ability but feeling the tears creep into his eyes. He had never experienced such pain, and every morning he remembered it again and again and felt guilty for not knowing better.
Lying as he endured on the bed unable to move, America's face would swim into his fevered dreams and there he would slash at the image, but his arms became heavy, dropping as useless at his sides as they were in real life. His thoughts were jumbled, unordered. How long had it been since he had had a true dream? Too long.
It was ironic, he thought, when he hallucinated deep into the night, that the rabbit was still pounding rice cakes in the false moon reflected in the window-panes.
He had been vaguely aware of being shifted in the night, and as he absorbed his surroundings slowly and painfully, he realized that the ceiling he looked at now was no longer the ceiling he remembered. At first, he thought he might have been seeing the same clean white walls, screen curtains, smelling the same vague antiseptic smell, but as his eyes focused beyond the haze of medicine and barely-effective sedative, he realized that this was not the hospital room he remembered.
Where was he, why was he here?
Where were his people, when they needed him most?
First person;
It is difficult to write, but slowly I am making progress. The skin on my back stings unbearably only occasionally now, but it is not comfortable to lie on. My hands and wrists are stiff, the other arm bound in a white sling. It scratches and rubs, but I must endure. It is not worse than anything I have endured before.
I wonder where I am, much of the time. The rooms are cold and bare, and there seems to be little life even in the remotest corners. I have not seen any others here, though they must be here. I recognize their names on the machine at the corner of the room.
I cannot lift my fingers enough to type on it yet.
Eventually, I am sure I will find the answers.