Characters / TNO Japan

Main Character Index Superpowers: Großgermanisches Reich (Heydrich's Germany) | The United States of America (1964-1968 American Presidents | 1972 American Presidents) | Dai-Nippon Teikoku Major Powers: Regno d'Italia | Iberian Union | Republic of Turkey | Ordensstaat Burgund Other Countries By Region: Africa: Northern & East Africa | West Africa | Southern Africa | Post-Colonial Central Africa Asia: Mainland China & Oceania (State of Guangdong | 1964-1972 Guangdong Chief Executives | Guangdong Flavor Characters) | Southeast Asia (Republic of Indonesia) | South Asia | Middle East | Central Asia Europe: Northern & Western Europe (British Isles | French State) | Southern Europe | Eastern Europe (Reichskommissariat Ukraine | Reichskommissariat Moskowien) Americas: North America | South America (United States of Brazil | Argentine Republic | Oriental Republic of Uruguay) The Russian Anarchy: West Russia (West Russian Revolutionary Front | Komi Republic | Communist Party of Komi | Passionariyy Organization | Taboritsky's Russia) | Southern Urals | Western Siberia | Central Siberia (Siberian Black Army) | The Far East (Harbin Three) | After Midnight Miscellaneous: Antarctica | Miscellaneous Content | Non-Canon Content

Dai-Nippon Teikoku

^{Co-Prosperity Sphere}

Official Name: Dai-Nippon Teikoku^Tr.Empire of Greater Japan

Ruling Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Hoshu Honryu^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Mainstream Conservatives

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

After the nuclear bomb fell on Pearl Harbor, and the final base of Chinese resistance was crushed at Chongqing, the Empire of Japan became an undisputed superpower, dominating over Asia and the Pacific. With its world class industry and its newly-liberated Asian allies, Japan's global influence only grew as America stumbled and Germany declined. But deep risks lie beneath Japan's prosperous surface: rampant corruption and factionalism had infected Japan's nominally unitary government, and the reality of economic exploitation has reignited nationalist resentment in Japan's so-called allies. The future is far from certain for the world's preeminent power.

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General Tropes

• Allohistorical Allusion:
  • Elements of the Yokusan Seijikai mirror that of the Liberal Democratic Party in real life.
  • The student unrest and general youth rebellion that ensue should Takagi’s reforms fail mirror the social chaos that wracked OTL Japan in the 1950s and late 1960s.
  • Mobile Suit Gundam will eventually be made in TNO, but told from Char's perspective rather than Amuro's, supporting the politics and beliefs of Imperial Japan.
• Alternate Character Reading: Chinese cities annexed by Japan use the Japanese on'yomi readings of their Chinese names.
• The Assimilator: The Japanization of the colonies and parts of the Co-Prosperity Sphere is shown to have continued over the past decades. Not only has this led to hybrid/mixed cultures, but in the case of long-standing territories like Taiwan and Korea, it's reached the point wherein any notions of independence have dissipated. How things proceed from there, however, depends on who assumes power after Ino.
• Believing Their Own Lies: The Japanese establishment and the public at large sincerely believe that the Empire was a liberating force for the oppressed peoples of the former colonies of Asia and that their rule is truly beneficial for the peoples of the Sphere. As such, they are genuinely surprised when their subjects attempt to revolt and gain independence. Whether Japan can actually live up to its own rhetoric, or come to grips with the reality of its rule, is up to the player.
• But Not Too Foreign: Some territories under direct or indirect Japanese control, such as Hong Kong and former Vladivostok, are mentioned as having developed mixed-Japanese cultures over the decades.
• Cool Train: The Japan-Korea Tunnel includes 3 rail lines, one for freight transport, one for passenger traffic and one mixed line, with plans for extension into Manchuria at a later date, replacing some, if not all, shipping between it and Japan.
• The Coup: If the Gekokujō crisis occurs, the country will eventually become so unstable that the government cannot function anymore. They will be forced to work with either the IJA or (if Takeichi Nishi is pardoned in the events beforehand) the Jushin^note 「重臣」, a clique of senior statesmen led by Kido and Prince Higashikuni that are close to the Emperor to restore stability. In either case, the Yokusan Seijikai collapses, the current Prime Minister will be ousted, and their allied factions will form a new government and sideline the Diet.
• Crapsaccharine World: At the start of the game, Japan's elites are riding high, bragging about their quality of life, the biggest economy in the world, and the Co-Prosperity Sphere's anti-colonial ambitions being realized. Even a cursory look at the actual figures suggest that this isn't very true; early foci and events under the Ino government involve fudging the numbers, scorning those warning this fool's paradise can't last, and ignoring the difficulties and suffering of other nations in the Sphere who've essentially been colonized by the Japanese, and not with a particularly light hand, all against a backdrop of corporate malfeasance run amok, soldiers brutalizing civilians and getting away with it without even a slap on the wrist, and politicians threatening to make troublemakers and one another disappear. But it's not until a routine murder investigation blows up into a massive case that exposes the bone-deep corruption and rot of virtually every facet of Japanese society that the mask truly comes off, causing the Tokyo Stock Market Crash superevent and the end of the Ino government.
• Different World, Different Movies: A key difference between Mobile Suit Gundam in TNO and its real life counterpart is that the former is told from the perspective of Zeon and Char Aznable rather than Amuro Ray.
• Dragon-in-Chief: Emperor Hirohito is the official Head of State, but since he prefers to seclude himself from politics, much of Japan's internal affairs are delegated to the Prime Minister.
• The Dreaded: The Tokkō are a feared policing agency that silence any dissenting voices to the Home Ministry, regardless of how legitimate their grievances are.
• The Empire: Being the dominant power in East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese Empire reigns over the largest population in the world, enforced by the IJA. The Sphere hosts various puppet states subject to Japan and, in some places, colonies with national identities that have only been conjured up decades prior. Higashukuni's 1959 Army Reform and Rationalisation Budget has toned down the IJA's presence in their subjugated territory, which can either increase or decrease, depending on the outcome of Japan's proxy wars in Asia.
• Evil Colonialist: Beneath their veneer of pan-Asianism and liberation of the continent, Japan is an imperialist nation that has turned East Asia into their playground, with its nations subject to the Home Isles' whims. If one of their vassals gets too defiant, Japan can just send the IJA to quash it. Japan's main vassals in China, Manchuria, and Guangdong are all expected to satisfy their master's demands, growing their economies and delivering resources for Japan's benefit and at the expense of their native people.
• Foil: Their Empire shares and contrasts traits with the Einheitspakt and the Organization of Free Nations, other collective bodies of different nations.
  • They and the Einheitspakt rose to prominence after the Axis Victory of WWII, resulting in cruel fascist spheres being the enemy in the Cold War. The Nazis expressed no sympathy for their crushing reign and acknowledge that their Reichskommissariats will face trouble, whereas the Japanese establishment and the public at large sincerely believe that the Empire liberated the oppressed peoples of former colonies across Asia, and they become surprised when their colonies begin to revolt against their rule.
  • The OFN also proclaims to stand for freedom and liberation of oppressed peoples, and they can betray this message by simply being a collection of puppet states led by America, just like the Empire of Japan. However, they have several chances to take actions, such as refusing mandates and accomplishing decolonization in Africa, turning them into The Federation. Meanwhile, Japan can take progressive reforms and lessen their oppressive tendencies under Takagi Sōkichi, but he will still keep policies for colonialism and Japanization.
• Full-Circle Revolution: Japan frames their World War II victory as a triumph against European colonization and a liberation of the Asian people under a single sphere. The first claim is true, but the second is not; Japan merely replaced the Europeans and turned their occupied territories into puppets for them to exploit. The fact that their new oppressors look like them or are from a country a few hundred kilometers closer than Britain, France, or the Netherlands is small comfort.
• Hated by All: In Central Asia, Japan is loathed by virtually every country, owing to their ties with Iran and Afghanistan, two of the region's biggest rivals. Notably, while Turkey and Germany have a horse in the race to Central Asian unification, Japan has nobody to use as a proxy and the best they can do is sabotage the Turkes Kenes negotiations and protect their existing international partners.
• Hegemonic Empire: Compared to the OFN's potential for being The Federation, the Co-Prosperity Sphere could evolve into this under a liberalized Japan, which could even include Italy. That said, successfully pulling this off will see its members genuinely benefit and remain similarly loyal.
• Historical In-Joke:
  • The cartridge used by late-game Japanese assault rifles, 5.8x42mm, is in real life the cartridge adopted by the People's Republic of China.
  • The Yokusan Seijikai's family planning policies bear more than a passing resemblance to the One Child Policy, also enacted by the People's Republic of China.
  • The effects of Takagi's liberal reforms on society, on top of echoing OTL Postwar Japan, also invoke Glasnost and Perestroika. Right down to the youth adopting American-style influences.
• History Repeats: Several years after the Yasuda Crisis, Japan is hit with another economic meltdown in the Oil Crisis, sparking chaos in the country and its vassal nations.
• Hypocrite: To Japan, if the OFN or Einheitspakt interfere in another country's affairs, it's a disgusting display of imperialism. However, if Japan does the same thing, it's a completely justified measure in their fight against Western oppression.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Despite the divergence, Japanese anime and manga are still recognizable. It's even possible◊ for Mobile Suit Gundam to be produced by the 1970s and even gain similar popularity.
  • In OTL, Shidzue Katō was a staunch feminist and advocate for birth control in family planning. In TNO, she still enters politics, and as part of Takagi's cabinet, remains an avowed feminist and fights for women's rights. Though unlike real life, she opposes the family planning policies imposed by the Yokusan Seijikai (which include mandatory birth control) as being demeaning and inhumane.
• Interservice Rivalry: Just as in OTL, the Empire of Japan is the birthplace of this in the modern era. The Navy and the Army are still intense rivals in relation to more or less every area where their jurisdiction could possibly overlap, as exemplified by how the Imperial Space Operational Headquarters, ostensibly a unified initiative between the two, needs to have two co-leaders: Hideo Itokawa from the Army and Miki Tadanao from the Navy. This comes to a head if the Dai Li investigation is not resolved in time, prompting outright combat between the two branches under gekokujō.
• Japan Takes Over the World: If the right peaceful reforms are taken (courtesy of Takagi or Ikeda) and the other potential superpowers screw things up for themselves (America elects Yockey or Schlafly and falls into isolation, Germany collapses into violence and anarchy for good by way of Bormann's death, Heydrich's suicide, or the militarists turning on one another, and a Siberian warlord aligns with the Sphere and reunifies Russia), then odds are good that Japan will be the strongest (if not sole) remaining superpower by the end-date.
• Kangaroo Court: During the Gekokujō crisis, the Japanese government launches televised show trials against increasingly-large numbers of military personnel in an attempt to maintain stability, sentencing thousands to death.
• Lesser of Two Evils: A lot of genuine anti-colonialist movements in Africa and Latin America see through Japan's pan-Asian rhetoric and recognize them as an imperialist nation who would subjugate them, if they could. However, in an expression of Realpolitik, they will reluctantly accept Japanese aid whenever they aggress on OFN interests that have been meddling in their countries, preferring a temporary truce over trying to fight the United States alone.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: At the game's start, Japan owns an exploitative, brutal colonial empire over Asia, where millions are enslaved and/or forced to give up their freedoms to be politically and culturally oppressed by the Japanese. Meanwhile, one of their main rivals in the Cold Wars are the literal Nazis, who take all of the aforementioned qualities, crank it up to eleven, and add ethnic genocide into the mix.
• The Man Behind the Man: The Jushin are a collection of former prime ministers, nobles, and prestigious advisors who serve the Emperor's will. They are the ones responsible for nominating a Prime Minister in the first place and letting them set Japan's national agenda.
• MegaCorp: There are several major Zaibatsu in Japan, which hold significant power and prop up a large portion of the economy of the Sphere, so no economic reform can pass without their say so. The zaibatsu are so entrenched in the establishment that many other Japanese companies have to do business elsewhere in the Sphere, like in Guangdong.
• The Migration: After the catastrophic Yasuda Crisis and Oil Crisis, many of the less fortunate Japanese citizens lose their homes and are forced to migrate to Guangdong for better prospects there.
• Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: The Tokyo Metropolitan Police's investigation into the embezzlement of state funds by the Minezaka trading company inadvertently explodes into an investigation of corporate crimes across several zaibatsus and political corruption across the Japanese government. This wounds up collapsing the Yasuda zaibatsu, plunging the Tokyo Stock Exchange by 40% in a day, and triggering a political crisis directly affecting PM Funada Naka. The crisis extends its reach to the rest of the Sphere, where China, Manchuria, and Guangdong must face the disaster alone, since Japan is too overextended to help them.
• Multinational Team: On paper, the Co-Prosperity Sphere is an anti-imperialist bloc representing various Asian nations (and potentially Italy). In practice, at least by 1962, it's a glorified smokescreen for Japanese colonialism and imperialism.
• The Mutiny: During the Dai Li Conspiracy, if the military's paranoia reaches 100% before the Dai Li Conspiracy was resolved, the IJA will embrace gekokujō - the time honored Japanese military tradition of launching a bottom-up insurrection when appropriate - and threaten the government with a military coup to clean out the conspiracy themselves, in turn causing the IJN to also threaten gekokujō. This causes a three-way standoff in Tokyo and interservice firefights in remote towns and villages, turning what was once a covert investigation into a public political crisis.
• Not So Invincible After All:
  • At the game's start, Japan starts as a juggernaut in East Asia, owning an expansive colonial empire that spans across China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. It seems like the only way to stop them is through nuclear war, which would never realistically happen without also bringing doom to all of human civilization. However, there is one way to knock Japan off their pedestal in the first decade: Long Yun's Western Insurrection. In the hands of a skilled player, Long Yun could defeat the Wang regime in mainland China, recruit the other Chinese warlords to his cause, and surmount a difficult war against the entire Sphere. In the optimal scenario, Long Yun can liberate China all the way up to Korea (any further will trigger nuclear war) and severely reduce Japan's influence on the world stage.
  • At the end of the first decade, it's hinted that Japan's title as a superpower will not go unchallenged. Modernizing rapidly within this timeframe, China is becoming a rival to Japan and their palpable tension does not go unnoticed by the rest of the world. Nothing has happened yet, but the conflict to come will pose a serious threat to the once-unstoppable Japanese empire.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: While there are certainly those in the world who ally with Japan because it's convenient to do so, especially if it allows them to turn on Japan later, a lot of anti-colonialist figures, especially African socialists, genuinely buy or have bought into the Sphere's anti-imperialist rhetoric despite it being led by the Empire of Japan.
• Parental Favoritism: Between China, Manchuria, and Guangdong, Japan favors the former two as the crown jewels of their empire, being their biggest vassals and giving them permanent seats on the Sphere Governing Council. By contrast, Japan has little respect for Guangdong, considering them a tiny upstart, whose affairs are largely ignorable and without consequence. Japan will only start to respect Guangdong if their economy can outpace Manchuria's.
• Please Select New City Name: A many East Asian and Pacific territories were annexed by Japan and had their city names changed, including Korea^{Full list of city names}Keijō (Seoul), Jinsen (Incheon), Ryūjin (Yongin), Shunsen (Chuncheon), Genshū (Wonju), Kōryō (Gangneung), Kōshū (Gwangju), Moppo (Mokpo), Saishū (Jeju), Taiden (Daejeon), Zuizan (Seosan), Fuzan (Busan), Bazan (Masan), Urusan (Ulsan), Kankō (Hamhung), Genzan (Wonsan), Akagawa (Tancheon), Shingishū (Sinuiju), Teishū (Chongju), Kōkai (Kanggye), Heijō (Pyongyang), Chinnanpo (Nampo), Taikyū (Daegu), Kameo (Gumi), Hokō (Pohang), Kaishū (Haeju), Zenshū (Jeonju), Gunzan (Gunsan), Seishū (Chengju), Teisen (Jecheon), Seishin (Chongjin), Rashin (Rason), Jōshin (Songjin), Taiwan^{Full list of city names}Taihoku (Taipei), Kīrun (Keelung), Giran (Yilan), Shinchiku (Hsinchu), Taichū (Taichung), Shōka (Changhua), Kagi (Chiayi), Takao (Kaohsiung), Heitō (Pingtung), Karenkō (Hualien), Taitō (Taitung), Makō (Magong), the Shangdong Peninsula^{Full list of city names}Ikaiei (Weihaiwei), Chintao (Qingdao), Guangdong ^{Full list of city names}Bōjō (Fangcheng), Hokkai (Beihai), Kinshu (Qinzhou), Kōshūwan (Zhanjiang), San'a (Sanya), Kaikō (Haikou), Russia^{Full list of city names}Noguriki (Pulong'ai), Toyohara (Yuzho-Sakhalinsk), the Pacific Islands^{Full list of city names}Torakky (Truk), Numea (Nouméa), Suba (Suva), Rabauru (Rabaul), Yappu (Yap), Kwezerin-kanshō (Kwajalein), Niewtoku (Eniwetok), Ōtori (Wake), Hawaii^{Full list of city names}Minazuki (Midway), Tōkō (Honolulu), Hiro (Hilo), Alaska^{Full list of city names}Atsuta (Attu), and the United States mainland^{Full list of city names}Rafukō (Long Beach), Kuwakō (Alameda).
• The Purge: If the investigation into the Dai Li conspiracy is successful, the Kenpeitai is purged, its members condemned as traitors, for their role in deliberately spreading false rumours and misleading the government about the long-dead Dai.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Horribly, the sexual slavery and institutionalized abuse of "comfort women" is still ongoing, since Japan was never defeated in World War II and forced to end this practice.
• Realpolitik:
  • Underneath all their rhetoric, Japan's support for the (genuinely anti-imperialist) Pan-African Liberation Front is motivated by geopolitical concerns and resources more than anything. In an event, when a Cameroonian journalist asks a Japanese bureaucrat why Japan supports the PALF, the latter, for a brief second, wants to candidly tell the truth before snapping back and giving the same expected rote answer.
  • In the Oil Crisis conflicts, Japan usually backs the theocratic Islamic factions, not necessarily caring about their beliefs or politics, but seeing them as useful tools to subvert Italian, German, and American influence in the Middle East.
• Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Deconstructed. The Yokusankai was created in 1940 to unite all sorts of competing interest groups under a country-wide, big tent movement, which would ideally amalgamate them into a united, corporatist organization. However, bringing these rivals together under a single framework did nothing to properly unify them; it merely ensured that the factionalism would continue in a way that would damage all of political society.
• Red Scare: The Yokusankai has taken pretty extensive efforts to weed out any communist influence in Japan, throwing any of its proponents in jail or informally limiting their political prospects so that they would never pose a credible threat.
• Regime Change:
  • When the French authority in Madagascar implodes, Japan sends support to the Malagasy insurgents, hoping to install a friendly politician on the island and add them to the Sphere. Their mission will be a success if Madagascar is controlled by Andriamahazo, Ratsimandrava, Jaona, or Rabemananjara.
  • Losing the Philippines in the Balintawak Blitz would be a major defeat for the Sphere, so Japan mobilizes the 14th Army to bring the archipelago back in chains, whether it be destroying the socialist guerrillas, the Free Phillipine Republic, or the Coalition Government of the Philippines.
  • If the Jamaican independence referendum was rejected by the United States, the West Indies Federation falls victim to anti-American, Black Power riots and Japan eagerly supports them, hoping to fracture the Federation in the process.
  • Japan will back numerous pan-African and anti-colonialists movements in Africa, including the PALF in West Africa, the Popular Republic in the Congo, and the People's Liberation Army in Mozambique. Everyone knows that Japan doesn't care about the pan-Africanists' goals, but they are seen as politically useful to eliminate the existing pro-OFN governments on the continent.
  • Japan mainly backs theocratic Islamic factions in the Oil Crisis conflicts to eliminate the pro-Italian vassals there, dabbling in the affairs of Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, and Sudan.
  • In the Iranian Civil War, Japan hedges their bets on Khomeini and the Islamic theocrats deposing the pro-German monarchy, as well as the other factions that emerge in the chaos.
  • To get another foothold in South Asia, Japan can support Daoud Khan and his Republican coup against Zahir Shah, the reigning monarch.
  • In case the Chief Executive in Guangdong cannot contain the Riots in due time, the Japanese Prime Minister gives his express permission for Nagano to mobilize the IJA for a coup, meaning the dissolution of the Legislative Council and execution or imprisonment of most of its members. It's especially significant because Japan is generally lax about Guangdong affairs, after their failed appointment of Suzuki Teiichi.
• La Résistance: A lingering resistance still operates in Korea, though by 1962 it has been under Japanese control for so long that Korean independence is nothing more than a pipe dream.
• Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Japanese politics is incredibly factionalized. The many different factions of Japan all want to advance their own agenda and solidify their own power, and form networks of influence and make intricate political maneuvers to weaken the other factions. The (many factions of) Yokusan Seijikai, the (also factionalized) Army, the Navy, the Zaibatsu and the Keiretsu are all a part of this vast game for control of Japan. Playing as Japan requires the player to manage the support and influences from all these factions so that the player's chosen PM can stay in power.
• Secret Police: The infamous Kenpeitai is still active in Japan. It's also the true perpetrator behind the Dai Li Conspiracy, who are spreading false information on Dai Li to "cover up [the Kenpeitai's] asses".
• Sole Survivor: Downplayed. Japan is the only world superpower not to have gone through some great calamity since the start of World War II, America having lost and Germany having experienced the triple blows of the 50s economic crash, the West Russian War, and the SS mutiny. However, both can certainly recover, and Japan is bound for its own crisis when the Yasuda banking zaibatsu collapses after a Kenpeitai investigation.
• The Starscream: The IJA and IJN remain influential enough that, invoking gekokujō, whole divisions can act nigh-independently of Tokyo’s orders, with minimal oversight. Unless reforms are made to keep them in line or cull the more troublesome officers, this can come to undermine the establishment in very bad ways.
• Succession Crisis: After Ino is ousted following the revelation of his corruption scandal, Japanese politics is thrown into chaos. However, the divided Diet fails to select a successor that everyone can accept, and the Emperor has to intervene and appoint the lowly bureaucrat Kiichi Aichi as the new PM. However, Aichi's administration is incredibly ineffectual, and merely buys some time for a better PM to be chosen. The three initial candidates for a true successor to Ino are Ikeda Masanosuke, Kōichi Kido, and Kaya Okinori, but more options may appear depending on the player's choices.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: The Okumas, a family suffering through the Oil Crisis, finally catch a break when the government subsidizes their business, giving enough money to save their corner shop and move to the country where they could live in peace.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Even though Tōjō was leading Japan to victory in World War II, he still earned a lot of ire by his fellow politicians, who grew jealous of his success. Gradually losing good favor in the Yokusan Seijikai, Tōjō was forced to resign not long after the war.
• We ARE Struggling Together: The Yokusan Seijikai, the one and only political party in Japan, doesn't, in fact, have an ideology or a group of interests that unites all of their members. Instead, the party is heavily fragmented between feuding cliques and factions that have little in common between each other and pursue completely opposite political goals. Balancing the interests of the different factions within the Yokusankai is essential for any Prime Minister if he wants to keep his seat in the office.
• We Have Become Complacent: The zaibatsu, which dominate the Japanese economy, have gotten arrogant and self-assured from their success. This makes them vulnerable for the Chief Executive in Guangdong to pump out superior products to them and supplant the zaibatsu as the top corporation.
• White Man's Burden: The Pan-Asianism ideology places Japan in a special position among the Asian brotherhood, emphasizing her role as a protector and benefactor of the liberated people of the East, in contrast to the harsh reality of Japan's ruthless exploitation and brutal warmongering that occur within the Co-Prosperity Sphere countries.

The Emperor

Hirohito

Role: N/A

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} From the smoldering political malaise of the Taishō era rose the phoenix of Imperial authority, His Majesty, the Holy Sovereign of Japan, Hirohito. The past four decades have seen Japan grow from a fledgling Pacific empire to the de-facto ruler of the largest ocean on Earth. At the top of it all is him, the descendent of the sun goddess Amaterasu and a proud son of Yamato.

Born April 21st 1901, Prince Hirohito was the first of the Taishō Emperor's 4 sons. Hirohito's military education hardened him and, after assuming the regency in 1921, would inspire his future rule. Hirohito would ascend to the throne in 1926 and lead his increasingly militarized empire outwards, grabbing concession in Manchuria, then all of China, and finally coming to dominate all western holdings in the Pacific.

With the end of the Great Pacific War, Japan's status as a great power was cemented. The acquisition of large sums of territory brought great riches to the empire and cemented the Emperor's divinity. The Emperor is near exclusively absent from public life, only ever communicating to his subjects through edicts over wire. As the Emperor of the Shōwa period ages, his empire grows unstable. Soon, great change will come and rattle Japan to its core. What will the people have to hold on to but His Divinity, the Emperor?

Emperor Hirohito is the son of the Taishō Emperor and the sovereign of Japan. The Shōwa era under his reign saw Japan rapidly expand from a Pacific power to a global superpower. The aging Emperor lives in reclusion from the public, but the world is changing, and the Empire rattles around him. The people look up to their divine Emperor, but what will the Emperor do in return?

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• Authority in Name Only: The Prime Ministers are the ones making active decisions and reforms amongst Japan, not him. The Emperor is only really called for in times of desperation and for the show that precedes his reputation, such as the ensuing Succession Crisis. Notably, Hirohito's lack of action isn't because he's powerless, but rather because he doesn't want to.
• Beneath the Mask: Despite being the face and symbol of the Japanese Empire, Hirohito has some regret of what Japan has done to achieve their success. He only lacks the hope or resolve to fix these mistakes. A national spirit tracks Hirohito's thoughts on the major events befalling Japan, kept only to himself.
  • At the start, Hirohito is apathetic to YSK politics and the current status quo.
    Well, why bother to care, Hirohito thinks.
  • After the Yasuda Crisis and Ino's resignation, Hirohito is shaken for the first time in a long time and wonders if Japan can survive the catastrophe.
    Not even Amaterasu can save an Empire that seeks to destroy itself.
  • If Ikeda becomes Prime Minister, Hirohito is initially that Japan is going to double down on their ill ways, implicitly berating himself that he still can't muster the energy to do anything. Even as Ikeda proves himself, Hirohito keeps privately casting doubt on how long his success will last, before his doubts are finally proven wrong and Hirohito reverts back to his apathetic self. Ironically, Ikeda starts out as the PM Hirohito has the least confidence in before becoming his most satisfactory on in the epilogue.
    (Inauguration) A new face does not hide a dying soul. I know it too well.
    (YSK wrangled) For the Empire's sake I hope he does not repeat the mistakes of those who's path he follows.
    (Economic reconstruction begins) I hope the stability he brought to the Empire won't prove to be a temporary illusion.
    (Epilogue) Well, why bother if the Empire lives another day?
  • If Kaya becomes Prime Minister, Hirohito feels conflicted by the eclectic coalition he's surrounded himself with.
    (Inauguration) I see uncertainty in this man. Only time will tell if he will change Japan for better or worse.
    • Surprisingly, Hirohito does not approve of the hardliner-approved Higher Education Act, which would put a clamp on student demonstrations. If it passes, a nationwide student riot will be violently put down and Hirohito blames himself for it. Otherwise, Hirohito is glad to see it rejected or, if Kaya sides against the bill, deflected from being blamed on the PM.
      (Higher Education Act Passed) Students perished in front of my door and I did not have the courage to save them. My cowardice killed them. I killed them.
      (Higher Education Act Failed) I sense the uncertainty growing in him and, perhaps fortunately for us, his lack of determination.
      (Higher Education Act Deflected) I sense the uncertainty fading from him, he has chosen which path to walk.
    • He also has secret thoughts on Kaya's successors, generally being content with Fukuda's potential and fearing Shiina's tyranny.
    (Favors Moderates) I fear the Empire is returning to its darkest days. I pray he realizes that before its too late to turn away.
    (Fukuda ascension) Back to my marine biology book.
    
    (Favors Hardliners) Perhaps this will lead the Empire to better days.
    (Shiina ascension) Souls will tremble under the name of my ancestors once again. May the deities have mercy on Japan.
  • If Takagi becomes Prime Minister, Hirohito is cautiously optimistic, seeing a bit of Mitsumasa Yonai and Isoroku Yamamoto in him, reminiscing about the late admirals. The momentum of his reforms briefly stresses him on their long-term consequences, but he is content by the end.
    (Inauguration) He reminds me of Yonai and Yamamoto. I wish they were here with me.
    (First victories against corruption) He is becoming increasingly popular with the public. I pray he does not end up betraying their trust.
    (Civilian government revitalized) The pace of change is too fast for this Empire. Only Heaven can tell if they are for better or for worse.
    (Epilogue) Ha, not nominating Kogure was not a bad move after all.
  • In the Mutō coup, Hirohito is horrified by how the IJA will bring the country to ruin.
    If only there were any politicians left, though.
    Ancestors, I have failed you.
  • In the Jushin coup, Hirohito is utterly anxious at being put to the forefront and, ever the coward, retreats to leave his responsibilities to his uncle Higashikuni.
    I have fled once, and it does not hurt to flee twice.
  • Uniquely, if Long Yun defeats the Republican government and starts the Great Asian War, Hirohito trembles at the violence to come and even regrets that his name is being used to justify the bloody affair.
    Men will once again die under my name. I do not know if I am the offspring of the Goddess, but I know for sure that an afterlife in hell awaits.
• Foil:
  • To the leader of the other major Axis power, Hitler. Both men have soaring reputations resulting from their nations' victory in WWII, and both are suffering despite being the head of their superpower. Their self-destructive governing style is a main concern, and they will eventually move to unsuccessfully name a replacement leader when the situation becomes dire. Hitler's choice of successor is ceremonial while the true leader prevails in the ensuing German Civil War, and Hirohito's decision is temporary until the Diet can truly choose. Hitler dies of his age and health risks, with the entire government relying on him keeping everything together, while Hirohito remains alive and with very little real power despite his reputation.
  • Hirohito is also one to King Umberto II of Italy. While both are figureheads for fascist regimes, the former has much more political power, but is also much less proactive in using it for pushing reform. By contrast, the Italian King has neither enough room to politically manoeuvre without drawing the ire of the National Fascist Party, nor the courage to openly call for change. It's strongly implied, however, that he hates himself for both.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: Hirhito is listed as a national spirit, while the sitting Prime Minister is listed as the Head of State and thus the "leader" of Japan. However, Prime Ministers hold less official power than the Emperor, so the latter should technically be the Head of State. This was done from a gameplay perspective to highlight Prime Ministers as the drivers behind their focus trees and better reflect changes in policies when new people take up the premierships.
• God-Emperor: To the people of Japan, the Emperor is more than just a monarch; he is the holy sovereign of Japan and descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu. After Japan's victory in World War II, the acquisition of large swathes of territory furthered cemented the Emperor's divinity.
• The Greatest Story Never Told: The secrecy surrounding his life and actions means that even the benevolent deeds and sympathetic moments that he has would be kept hidden away from the outside world.
• Pet the Dog: Hirohito visits Puyi's funeral and might have corresponded with him in life.
• Reluctant Ruler: Despite being acknowledged as the head of state in the Meiji Constitution, Emperor Hirohito, like the Emperors before him, does not do much with his power, preferring to delegate that job to other people, like the Jushin and the Prime Minister.
• Shadow Dictator: The Emperor is near entirely absent from public life, only communicating to his subjects through edicts over wire.
• Universally Beloved Leader: Hirohito is practically treated as a divine figure in Japan, as he and the entire Imperial family are seen as descendants of the Shinto sun goddess, Amaterasu. This also makes him a powerful symbol by the Jushin in influencing the premiership; no one can become the Prime Minister unless they get the Jushin's, and thereby the Emperor's, say so.
• What You Are in the Dark: Upon the death of Emperor Puyi of Manchukuo, he's revealed to be among the handful of dignitaries who attend his funeral, and implied to have been in close correspondence with him in life. While the Qing monarch's passing is ultimately ignored by the world at large, Hirohito may be among the handful of people who genuinely knew the last Emperor of China.

Prime Ministers (1962-1963)

Ino Hiroya

Role: Head of State

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Hoshu Honryu^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Mainstream Conservatives

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}Ino Hiroya is not a popular man. Originally a mere representative in the Imperial Diet, Ino skillfully maneuvered his way through the byzantine affairs of Japanese politics to help overthrow Tōjō Hideki himself, and then later his political rival Kido Kōichi. But things are never so simple. To bring down such political beasts, Ino had to cut a few backroom deals. More than a few, really. And while those connections initially seemed useful, the obligations on Ino's end have piled up, and he has been forced to work for various special interests, rather than the people of Japan.

Ino is a firm believer in the Imperial system, and desires to keep the Emperor above most political discussion. Ino's party, the Imperial Rule Assistance Association, is the sole legal party in Japan and encompasses a broad coalition of representatives with various ideologies, but can be corralled into keeping the Chrysanthemum Throne safe and secure from the rough-and-tumble politics of the Diet. However, Ino is rapidly losing control over his own party, and his departure from the office of Prime Minister seems all but inevitable.

Many within the Diet who would like to see Ino ousted much in the same way he once bested Tōjō and Kido, including Kido himself, who has found ways to still remain relevant in Japanese politics. If Ino wishes for his ideals to be upheld and for his faction to survive, he must once again find his way safely through Japan's murky politics, as he has done so many times before.

The current Prime Minister of Japan, Ino is a former Tōjōite minister who seized the position from rival politicians through backroom deals with the IJA. Under Ino, his personal inclination for corruption has infected the habit to all corners of Japanese politics, which has greatly weakened Japan's government stability. His downfall is all but inevitable, but who will replace him?

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• 0% Approval Rating: By the time his government collapses, just about everyone in Japanese politics hates Ino. Even Ikeda, his biggest ally and supporter, distances himself from the former Prime Minister.
• Allohistorical Allusion: In real life, Ino Hiroya headed a small conservative anti-Tōjō political organization known as the Gokoku Dōshikai near the end of WWII, and refused to join Tōjō's political faction known as the Dainihon Seijikai (after Tōjō was removed as PM) that aimed for a one-party state (both organizations failed to achieve anything because the war ended soon after). In TNO, Ino is also an opponent of Tōjō, but what's different is that after WWII, Ino managed to usurp Tōjō (and Kido) and become the PM himself with some strategic political maneuvers.
• Bait the Dog: If he decides to try to help a father and veteran whose children are suffering from the pollution spewing from a nearby factory, he has to do it by favor-trading. This illustrates one of the bigger problems with his government and system; it is very hard to do anything to lift someone up without kicking others down.
• Corrupt Politician: As Prime Minister, Ino is not above taking concessions from the Army in exchange for power, even at the expense of the party's interests, and his own feeble rule leads to widespread corruption among public officials, creating a system where nothing can be done without bribery. The public reveal of the Ino clique's shady dealings is just one of the reasons for the eventual collapse of Ino's entire government and the ensuing political and economic strife in the Empire.
• Foil: To the other superpowers' initial leaders, Hitler and Nixon, oddly enough. They are all the starting figures of their powers but also do not have as much influence as one might think from the surface, and they will eventually give their countries' powers over to representatives of different ideologies. They execute this idea in different ways.
  • Hitler shares the role of being an Axis power's leader that decides the course and successor for their nation, and their countries' decisions are ceremonial and temporary. Ino contrasts by being on the receiving end of the choice, as Emperor Hirohito will move in to choose the temporary leader. Both Ino and Hitler are cut off from their role after a certain event separates them from power, but Hitler retains his reputation after an assassination attempt while Ino is shunned for his corruption. Their nations' focus tree does not last long before it is forcibly swapped, though Ino can still make some actual choices during his reign.
  • Like Nixon, he has the tendency to proudly boast in his Focus tree about the current situation, and they both lose their reputations when they're eventually ousted for their corruption, prompting a successor. Both men struggle with doing the right thing, but Ino's case requires certain maneuvers in the government, whereas Nixon really can accomplish reforms he wants, just at the cost of attributing it to JFK. Their reigns introduce successors, but Ino causes a Succession Crisis with the diet, while Nixon's policy for the Civil Rights Act merely points the voters in certain directions.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: Ino was an incredibly minor politician in real life, and was notable only for being the Minister of Agriculture in the Tojo cabinet.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: To keep the dissatisfied military in check following Kido's demise, Ino gave them broad control of the colonies, in return for the military supporting his bid for Prime Minister. This comes back to bite Ino in the ass.
• Tempting Fate: Ino's focus tree (Japan's initial focus tree) regularly boasts that nothing can destroy the Japanese economy that is the best in the world, and it will continue its high growths forever, before his political-economic system collapses.

Tropes pertaining to the rework

Role: Minister of Justice^note Head of Government (Kishi cabinet)

Party: Gokoku Shintō^note New Party in Defense of the Empire

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

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• Corrupt Politician: In Kishi's teased route, Ino is tasked with "prosecuting criminals", which can include executing political opponents or protecting allies from legal repercussion. If Kishi wants something, Ino will deliver.
• Undying Loyalty: According to his teased biography, Ino has served by Kishi's side for years, even helping him topple Tōjō's administration and sticking by him as his ally's prestige crashed to the ground. If Kishi is restored to power, Ino is rewarded by becoming his Minister of Justice.

Aichi Kiichi

Role: Head of State (Ino resignation)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Hoshu Honryu^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Mainstream Conservatives

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

A lowly minister who is elected as the interim PM following Ino's ouster.

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• The Friend Nobody Likes: Aichi is widely seen as a lame duck Prime Minister who isn't charmismatic or commited to any faction in the Diet, which in turn makes him disliked by everyone. The only reason why he even becomes Prime Minister is because of his neutrality, which makes him a perfect figurehead to hold the Prime Minister position until someone else can take over.
• The Generic Guy: If there's one thing that every faction in the Yokusankai can agree on, it's that Aichi is "nondescript". As such, his promotion as Prime Minister after Ino's resignation is deemed as inoffensive by everyone, until one faction seizes the necessary power to secure nomination to the position.
• Puppet King: Even though his ascension as Prime Minister was unanimous in the Diet, nobody seriously considers him as Japan's new leader and Aichi doesn't have any influence to pass new laws, since everyone is just waiting to replace him with a more favorable candidate. For his part, Aichi doesn't care about this, since he never wanted to be Prime Minsiter in the first place and is content to return back to obscurity once he steps down.
• Short-Lived Leadership: Aichi is only elected as Prime Minister after the fallout of Ino's resignation because no other candidate can muster the political power to seize the position. Once either Ikeda, Takagi, or Kaya cement their control over their Diet, Aichi will step down so that the most powerful candidate will take over.

Prime Ministers (1963-1972)

Ikeda Masanosuke

Role: Minister of Home Affairs^note Security Minister (Ino cabinet), Head of State (Imperial Diet election)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Hoshu Honryu^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Mainstream Conservatives

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Few in Japan thought Ikeda Masanosuke had any chance of becoming Prime Minister. But then, few see things as Ikeda see them. A conservative and staunch Inoite, Ikeda represents the best and worst political instincts of conservatives through history. Leery of radicalism and skeptical of sudden change, the new Prime Minister wishes to uphold the current status quo in Japanese politics.

This is not to say that Ikeda is blind to the many failings of the Ino era. Corruption and loss of morality have caused wide cracks into the Japanese nation. The smooth cooperation between the Zaibatsus, the Army and the government has broken down. This has lured ambitious men, schemers, opportunists and other types of nogoodniks that wish not to see a healthy Japan, but to make a fortune sifting through its ruins. Public faith in the Diet has been shaken by the ugly sight of the Yokusankai breakdown after Ino's resignation. The nobility has lost faith with their partners in the political sphere. And through all this, foreign observers sharpen their knives in anticipation of a weaker Japan. All this has to be fixed.

A political scientist by formation, and a newspaper editor by trade, Ikeda has never been naive to the grime and muck found in every government's dark corners. Now, he faces the difficult task of cleaning the house he himself has lived in for a decade. His thin coalition of Inoite conservatives, liberals and independents scrutinize his every move. But if not him, then who else? Japan must be dragged out of its darkest hour since the end of the war, and Ikeda knows he's the only shield against radicalism.

Masanosuke Ikeda is leads the Inoite Conservatives in the Yokusan Seijikai after the downfall of Ino, and is one of the three prime candidates to replace him.

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• Allohistorical Allusion: Ikeda Masanosuke in OTL was a member of Ino's Gokoku Dōshikai. In TNO, Ikeda is in Ino's clique within the Yokusankai instead.
• Blatant Lies:
  • To distance himself from Ino's shady past, Ikeda will promise "greater transparency" in the government, but he refuses to elaborate what this exactly means.
  • Ikeda knows that Japan's pan-Asianist rhetoric is a bundle of lies, but he's content to play up the excuse for the sake of binding Japan's empire closer to itself.
• Dark Horse Victory: With Ino's reputation irreversibly tarnished when his corruption is exposed, many will express surprise if Ikeda and the moderate wing of the Yokusankai retain power, despite the scandal.
• Enemy Mine: Since the moderate wing can't possibly regain their dominance in the Yokusankai after Ino's fall, Ikeda must align himself with either Takagi or Kido, compromising with them to gain the political support necessary to govern Japan.
• Hero-Worshipper: To uphold the national pride of Japan, Ikeda can choose a historical Japanese emperor to demonstrate to the Sphere as the paragon of the Japanese virtues, an example for which the whole nation should strive for. Among his choices are Emperor Meiji, Emperor Go-Komatsu and Emperor Go-Daigo.
• Internal Reformist: Not to the same degree as Takagi, but Ikeda seeks to keep Japan's status quo going for as long as possible through piecemeal reforms. It's even possible for him to make some concessions to the reformist faction of the Yokusankai to earn their support.
• Karma Houdini: Ikeda is a member of Ino's circle and was involved in corruption fraud like all others around the disgraced Prime Minister, but he manages to escape the allegations in the aftermath of Ino's resignation and pursue his bid for power in Japan.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Ikeda recognizes that one party rule is now impossible after the disgraceful downfall of Ino, forcing him to make concessions with the other factions of the Yokusankai to fulfill his agenda.
• Meet the New Boss: Ikeda is one of the most powerful members of the Ino clique and vows to continue his policies, sans the corruption.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted. Ino's cabinet starts with two prominent members named Ikeda, the other being Deputy PM (and OTL Prime Minister) Ikeda Hayato.
• Patriotic Fervor: It goes without saying that Ikeda loves Japan. An important plank of Ikeda's platform is restoring Japanese national pride, and the unity of the Japanese people.
• Pragmatic Villainy: He's inclined to give the colonies more leeway, though this has more to do with a desire to maximize the resources being extracted without antagonizing the locals enough to the point of rebellion.
• The Purge: Ikeda focuses on silencing and intimidating his enemies within the Yokunsakai under the guise of rooting out government corruption.
• The Scapegoat: Ikeda's option to deal with Ino's corruption legacy is to blame it onto someone else, make some vague promises, and try to let it blow over. When the public is still dissatisfied and riots, Ikeda deals with the situation more seriously. He will strategically blame certain corporations he thinks can be punished, make publicized crackdowns on them and possibly even forcing the guilty to commit Seppuku, so the public can believe that he's doing something about the corruption.
• Status Quo Is God: Ikeda genuinely believes this, and will try to keep Japan's predicament going for as long as possible. That said, however, he gradually implements piecemeal reforms and anti-corruption measures in order to ensure this holds amidst growing unrest.

Takagi Sōkichi

Role: Head of State (Imperial Diet election)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Kaikakuha^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Reformists

Ideology: Gōken Conservatism^note Conservatism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Takagi Sōkichi has two core bases of support that would, at first glance, appear to be completely unrelated: student activists and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Few can claim such disparate demographics as Takagi can. And yet, with a little more examination, everything becomes clear. With a distinguished service record during the Pacific War, which he was initially opposed to, Admiral Takagi has long been a strong advocate of the IJN (and their continued funding). Most notable among his many assignments was heading the carrier group that assisted in the atomic bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Likewise, Takagi enjoys much support from reform-minded members of the Imperial Diet and student activists, who want to liberalize the economy and expand civil liberties, respectively. To these students, Takagi represents a future of liberty and free expression. And to the members of the Diet, he's a desperately-needed solution for Japan's economic woes.

In truth, Takagi's support is less stable than it looks. The IJN is only content so long as they are prioritized over the Army, no matter who is in charge, and activists are infamously prone to sectarianism. If he is capable of navigating Japanese politics like he once did the waters of the Pacific, and if he implements the reforms he wishes to achieve, then Japan's future indeed looks as bright as the rising sun.

Sōkichi Takagi, Admiral of the IJN and political reformist, leads the Liberal faction in the Yokusan Seijikai, and is another potential successor to Ino.

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• Allohistorical Allusion: Many of the potential reforms Takagi could enact or endorse echo real life Postwar Japan, as well as its social and technological evolution into the present day. His efforts to reform the military, meanwhile echo the views of Isoroku Yamamoto.
• Believing Their Own Lies: Even among his fellow compatriots in the Yokusan Seijikai, he genuinely seems to believe both in retaining the colonies and that Japanese colonial rule has been beneficial. While he doesn't give up on colonialism and Japanization, he nonetheless gradually comes to realize the need for genuine reform.
• Break the Haughty: While Takagi already starts out open to reform, his views of Japanization and colonialism are gradually broken over the course of his tenure especially with the reveal of what has gone on in Borneo. Towards the end, though he still believes in Japanization and the promises of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, he comes to see the need for true democratic reform and liberalization as necessary.
• The Chains of Commanding: Compared to some of his peers in the government, Takagi clearly feels the burden of trying to steer Japan to a better future. Even if he succeeds, he laments that for all the sweeping changes, Japan has only received a taste of genuine democracy, and wishes he could have done more.
• Dark Horse Victory: He is not one of the three major candidates floated for Prime Minister after the Ino government collapses, and instead emerges after a power struggle if the candidate besides Kaya or Ikeda is picked. Takagi's victory is taken as a surprise by many, givent he political operators and existing vested interests against him.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Should Takagi triumph above all odds, Japan not only starts down the path towards democracy but also has a chance, through liberalizations, to genuinely live up to its own rhetoric.
• Everyone Has Standards: Even with his support for Japanization and continued colonialism, he has no love for abusive administrators or warmongers. This also motivates his decision to not only recall Baba Masao back to Japan for an inevitable trial, but also dissolve the North Borneo Administration.
• Good Counterpart: To Albert Speer in Germany. While both are internal reformists backed by liberals and students, Speer is revealed to be a committed Fascist wanting to continue Nazism by more subtle means, eventually doing away with the genuine reformists pushing for full democratization along with the students, with most of his desires for reform rooted more on pragmatic grounds. By contrast, Takagi can realize the need for genuine reform and support them, albeit with some compromises.
• Heel Realization: It's implied that the government's findings on the North Borneo Administration's poor track record, and the increasingly costly measures to maintain order in far-flung territories, gradually lead Takagi to take colonial reforms more seriously. That said, he still pushes through with the Japanization of said colonies, albeit with much more input from his liberal advisors.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Even a successful Takagi who has walked the razor's edge to liberalize his country without collapsing it will lament he hasn't done nearly enough.
• Internal Reformist: Takagi is the preferred candidate of the studentry and liberals of the Imperial Diet. If he becomes Prime Minister, he'll attempt to liberalise the economy and government.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Takagi is much more open to liberalization than his cohorts, but he's still a top-ranking figure in an imperialist (if not outright fascist) government.
• Officer and a Gentleman: His general demeanor, whether in public or private. Shidzue Katō herself invokes this in her letter to him should her gamble to introduce social and gender reforms pay off.
• Patriotic Fervor: Takagi makes a point to present his reforms and those of his liberal cabinet as manifestations of Japanese pride. He also uses this to mend fractures between the IJA and IJN.
• Pragmatic Villainy: He's a more reasonable guy than most members of the Diet but he's still an imperialist who supports Japan's subjugation of smaller Asian countries like Vietnam and the Philippines. He's eventually convinced by his liberal cabinet to change his colonial policies, though not without some compromises.
• Privately Owned Society: Should Takagi sign on to more radical free market reforms rather than more measured changes, Japan increasingly becomes this, albeit through the Keiretsu.
• The Purge: Downplayed, but Takagi eventually begins ridding the military of corrupt officers and warmongers. This is further accelerated, however, by what he learns from the North Borneo investigation.
• Realpolitik: Takagi isn't above propping up regimes in Africa and the Middle East if it means securing Co-Prosperity Sphere interests against the OFN, even while simultaneously pursuing a détente with the United States.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Out of all of Hiroya Ino's potential successors, Takagi is probably the most even-handed and least bloodthirsty, which is more or less consistent with what Takagi was like in real life. While Speer's supposed remorse was a complete farce he used to evade the death sentence, Takagi was a vocal opponent of Hideki Tōjō's decision to go to war with the United States. He continuously urged Tōjō to broker a truce on the well-founded concern that the Japanese Empire couldn't afford to start a huge international conflict with another global superpower.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork:
  • Takagi's working relationship with Shidzue Katō is this, at least initially. While both share the same desire for liberalizing Japan, her vocal calls for radical change and feminist rhetoric stand in stark contrast to his plans to institute more measured reforms. Through making the right compromises and a bit of luck, however, a successful collaboration between the two not only sees both becoming more amicable, but also sees their policies gain traction within Japanese society.
  • In his efforts to get his cabinet's reformist policies across, Takagi is forced to make deals with Kishi in order to ensure they pass without any hitches, and that the latter's supporters don't get in his way. It's all but stated, however, how he utterly resents having to do these at all.
• We Used to Be Friends: He and Kishi are mentioned as having been good acquaintances, though by the time Takagi assumes power, any lingering friendship has long faded away.

Kaya Okinori

Role: Head of State (Imperial Diet election)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Gikan-Ha^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Technocrats

Ideology: Managerial State^note Despotism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show}In the chaos of the collapse of Ino's government following the Yasuda Crisis, Kaya Okinori of the Technocrats has emerged to secure his position as Prime Minister of Japan - And has taken charge of a government in crisis that is unpopular with the public, faces a deeply divided military, and must contend with the aftershocks of the Yasuda Crisis. Each of these challenges and problems he must solve if he is to stabilize Japan.
Even within the Technocrats, two factions have emerged to compete for influence and vye for his support, each with their own vision for Japan: the New Bureaucrats, headed by Fukuda Takeo, and the Reform Bureaucrats, led by Shiina Etsusaburo and Kishi Nobusuke.
It will be up to Kaya to decide whose vision to enact - and in so doing, determine the future of Japan.

Okinori Kaya, the former Minister of Finance under Tōjō, is the representative of the Technocrats in the Yokusan Seijikai, and a potential successor to Ino.

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• Corrupt Politician: To secure the support of his wide coalition of politicians, Kaya bribes them over to his side and wins their superficial loyalty.
• Day of the Jackboot: Of the three Prime Ministers, Kaya is the most likely to resort to authoritarian means to crush his enemies, organizing the purges of anti-government organizations (i.e. socialists) and unleashing military units to suppress independence movements in Korea and Taiwan.
• Face Death with Dignity: A non-lethal, political example. If Kaya sides with the hardliners and fails to quietly purge Fukuda, he'll receive a document from the latter, signaling the resignation of himself and every other Todai technocrat. With his support base fractured and his own impending government collapse, Kaya silently and dejectedly resigns himself, regretting that he ever betrayed his former friend and grievously accepting that his legacy will only be remembered as a failure.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Kaya and his Technocrats are the most disliked faction in the Yokusankai because most think that his economic policies are too extreme for them.
• Internal Reformist: Kaya's ultimate goal is to turn Japan into a technocracy, where the power of the zaibatsus are restricted, the military is placated, and the corruption and partisanship within the Yokusankai is destroyed, all for the sake of maximizing economic efficiency.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: While still an advocate for Japanese hegemonism, Kaya's much less oppressive than Kishi and the hardline Reform Bureaucrats.
• No Sympathy: To placate the military, Kaya assigns them to Korea, Manchuria, and Guangdong, cementing Japan's hold over their overseas territory. When they complain of their increasing presence, Kaya unsympathetically dismisses their concerns and notes that they will just have to "learn" how to live with it.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Kaya implements numerous reforms to stabilize the Japanese political scene, tame the military's influence, and seizing more control over the Zaibatsus so that Japan can stand as an economic superpower, paying little heed to ideological concerns.
• The Purge: Kaya deals with the legacy of Ino's corruption by sacking notorious or underperforming cabinet members to intimidate the rest to reveal themselves, lest they want to suffer even worse consequences.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: When eliminating Kishi and Shiina's supporters, Kaya has them either "promoted" or reassigned to useless positions, eliminating the hardliners' influence and securing Fukuda's ascension.
• Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Kaya believes that uniting the various factions in the Japanese political scene is the best chance for Japan to progress and prosper.
• Red Scare: In his initial focus tree, Kaya starts a strong propaganda campaign encouraging citizens to report suspected socialists.
• Repressive, but Efficient: Thanks to his technocratic and pragmatic agenda, Kaya fixes a lot of the worst excesses left by Ino's administration to create a more efficient Japanese empire.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Kaya is reluctant to ally himself with the hardline Technocrat faction led by Kishi and Shiina, but he is forced to cooperate with them anyway because he needs their support to implement his policies.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Kaya resorts to numerous authoritarian measures to crush protests both in the Home Isles and abroad, but all of it is done for the sake of creating a strong Japan that can keep up with the United States and Germany in the Cold War.

Tropes pertaining to the rework

Role: Head of State (Ikeda death)

Party: Taisei Yokusankai - Ōkurakei^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Finance Ministry Clique

Ideology: Authoritarian Developmentalism^note Paternalism

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• Reluctant Ruler: Kaya never intended to take the premiership for himself, believing that the honor belonged to Ikeda. His teaser shows that Kaya can only come to power after his disciple passes away from cancer.
• Taking Up the Mantle: From his dedicated teaser, Kaya takes over Japan after the unfortunate passing of his protégé, Ikeda Hayato, determined to complete his agenda and defend it from anyone who would try to dismantle it.
• Unexpected Successor: In a surprising twist of fate shown in Kaya's teaser, Ikeda will die of cancer and leave it to his mentor to pick up his work, bringing his unmatched experience and knowledge to the table.

Post-Kaya Prime Ministers

Fukuda Takeo

Role: Minister of Finance^note Economy Minister (Reformist Kaya cabinet), Head of State (Kaya succession)

Party: YSK – Yokusan Sasshin Renmei^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Imperial Rule Assistance Renewal Alliance

Ideology: Authoritarian Developmentalism^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} An outstanding rising star in the Yokusankai, Fukuda Takeo began his political career as a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Finance during the Great East Asian War, right after graduating in law at the University of Tokyo, unlike many of his colleagues who went Manchuria to try out their theories. His work at managing Japan's finances during the war was so well received that other nations in the newly emerging Co-prosperity Sphere bloc sought his expertise to manage their own budget after the conflict destroyed much of Asia. One such governments was Wang Jinwei's China, and while he was overseeing the postwar recovery Fukuda came to a perhaps treasonous realization: if the Sphere is to survive, then Japan must invest in the industry and the infrastructure of its Asian allies, combined with more political autonomy as an exchange for their economic cooperation.

His ideas didn't find much success among the Yokusankai, but two people among the Reform Bureaucrats thought his work had its merits, namely Kishi Nobusuke and Okinori Kaya. By the time the Yasuda Crisis hit Japan's economy, Fukuda was already at work drafting recovery plans for the new government. When Kaya became Prime Minister, Fukuda fought against political corruption and sleazy politicians, gaining an image of an incorruptible man of the people. Fukuda Takeo's clique, the so-called "New Bureaucrats", started as an offshoot of the Reform Bureaucrats commonly associated with the Manchurian experiment. However, during his tenure as Kaya's Finance Minister, Fukuda began distancing himself from Kishi and his people, with the New Bureaucrats' popularity eclipsing those of other factions in the Yokusankai. Now, Fukuda leads the nation he served loyally for 30 years and the Sphere with its untapped potential. Time will tell if the Fukuda doctrine can have the same success abroad as it did have at home.

In-Game Biography (Minister of Finance) ^{Click to Show}Fukuda Takeo can be easily mistaken as a Reformist on the first sight. This is not completely wrong; Fukuda is trying to beat the reformists in their very own game.

Utilizing his past experience as Wang Jingwei's finance advisor and his knowledge in the economy, Fukuda reached a perhaps treasonous conclusion— investing in the industry and the infrastructure of the Sphere, combined with more political autonomy of East Asian states as an exchange for their economic cooperation, is the most efficient way to uplift the Sphere's economic situation. Domestically, he constantly vows for the concept of "clean politics," calling for the empowerment of the people to fight government corruption. This strategy, unsurprisingly, paid off very well. Fukuda gained a clean image and the people as a weapon against his enemies, while the New Bureaucrats received massive support from the populace that they desperately need to counter the Kishites and the Reformists. Rumor flies that Fukuda is secretly aiming for a higher position in the cabinet with popular support in hand; perhaps only time will tell if his loyalty truly lies with PM Kaya and his New Bureaucrat friends.

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• Blackmail: To bring the zaibatsu under mild government control and away from Kishi's influence, Fukuda will blackmail them into participating in Kaya's economic program under the threat of publicly revealing their involvement in the Yasuda scandal.
• Et Tu, Brute?: If he sides with the hardliners, Kaya can betray his friend Fukuda by implicating Fukuda in several war crimes that had occurred in the Indonesian War, forever tarnishing his political prospects and leading him to be purged.
• Internal Reformist: Fukuda is a moderate New Bureaucrat that can fix the stagnant Japanese economy by restraining the expansive reach of the zaibatsus and developing their agricultural sector so that Japan isn't so unreliably dependent on its colonies.
• A Lighter Shade of Black: Fukuda and his Technocrat faction is content to maintain Japan's hegemony over East Asia, but they're far less oppressive to Kaya than the Reform Bureaucrats, led by Shiina and Kishi.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Fukuda is a veteran economist who promotes the policy of investing more industrial improvements and granting more political freedoms to Japan's subjects. In the domestic scene, Fukuda advocates against government corruption and to have the government be more accountable. Unlike Takagi, however, these policies are only intended to improve Japan's economic standing and reputation rather than out of any genuine kindness.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Fukuda is relatively more moderate compared to the Reform Bureaucrats, as he gives the Zaibatsus some measure of autonomy to keep the economy stable, while still overseeing and restraining their corruption.
• Redeeming Replacement: Fukuda is seen as an improvement by Guangdong's leadership, due to his willingness to work alongside private enterprise and his goals of liberalizing the economy, even if he won't fully adopt the Guangdong model and there is still some reluctant to give the Big Five a seat at the table.
• Taking Up the Mantle: If Kaya sides with him and secures his succession, Fukuda will swear to Kaya that he will carry on his vision for Japan.

Tropes pertaining to the rework

• Defector from Decadence: In the Japan rework teaser, Fukuda disagreed with the notion that Japan's corporatist economy didn't need fundamental changes. As a result, he and his supporters splintered from the Kōchikai to form their own technocrat faction, the Yokusan Sasshin Renmei.

Shiina Etsusaburō

Role: Chief Cabinet Secretary^note Head of Government (Hardline Kaya cabinet), Head of State (Kaya succession)

Party: YSK - Yokudō^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Union of Imperial Rule Assistance Legislators

Ideology: Reform Bureaucracy^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Born in a small town in Iwate Prefecture, Shiina's father was the town's mayor but everything changed when his family's business went bankrupt. From that day on, Shiina put his efforts into supporting his family, working during the day and studying at night school. After this troubled period, his family's fortunes improved and, after marrying into the family of Tokyo governor Gotō Shimpei, he managed to enroll into Tokyo Imperial University, where he got a Law degree in 1923. After graduation, he entered the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, where he was assigned to the Engineering Bureau. It was there where he got the opportunity of traveling to Manchuria, scouted and invited by no less than Nobusuke Kishi. During his stay, he gathered data for surveys that would then make up the first five year plan of Manchukuo. To Shiina, the wilderness of northeastern China was almost like a giant test subject holding all sorts of data to be extracted in the most efficient way possible, data that industrial conglomerates would then use to exploit Manchuria.

At the outbreak of the Greater East Asian War, Shiina got back to his old job overseeing industrial logistics in Japan but this time with powerful backing from Kishi and the ambition to climb even higher. When the Tōjō Cabinet was established, Kishi returned as Minister of Commerce and Industry with Shiina as his undersecretary, where they promoted a strict war-controlled economic policy in cooperation with the military, which included the forced consolidation of many small and medium-sized enterprises. These policies made the Reform Bureaucrats clique a force to be reckoned with, but they also attracted the envy of many, and when the war ended the politicians felt that there was no more need for the harsh centralization endorsed by Shiina and Kishi, and as consequence they lost much of their influence.

But today Shiina's schemes came to fruition. With Kaya gone and every other clique in the Yokusankai made irrelevant, the stage is clear for Shiina to continue his experiments. He will transform Japan, and the Sphere as a whole, into an efficient, well-ordered machine where not a single cog will be out of place. He was just a country boy struggling to maintain his family, but Shiina managed to climb the Japanese political ladder armed only with determination, and succeeded. Perhaps he can pass down his iron will to Japan as a whole.

In-Game Biography (Chief Cabinet Secretary) ^{Click to Show} Shiina Etsusaburo is a man of compromised loyalties, but none can say he does not serve Japan well. Working with characters like Kishi Nobusuke in that chaotic state that was 1930s Manchuria, he has proved himself an ambitious bureaucrat and politician that would stop at nothing to advance the interests of his career and the interests of his nation, in that order.

Now, he serves a new leader as a compromise politician, a leeway provided in some secret handshake in some secret office between Kaya and Kishi. Even if his power may be temporary, his standing shaky, Shiina will be damned if he doesn't make something of his new position.

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• Arc Villain: If Kaya sides with Fukuda, Shiina, along with Kishi, will move to undermine Kaya by disrupting Fukuda's ascension as Prime Minister so that the hardliners can take over. As such, Kaya is left with the task of keeping their influence low enough so that they don't become too powerful.
• Big Eater: When eating lunch with Kishi, Shiina polishes off a whole duck, half a loaf of bread, and various spreads.
• Dragon with an Agenda: Shiina is Kishi's most influential supporter and his succession to Prime Minister effectively allows Kishi to covertly govern Japan, though he's more ambitious than his boss would like.
• Evil Colonialist: Like his backer Kishi, Shiina wants to tighten Japan's control over their subjects to exploit them for all that they're worth.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Zig-Zagged. On the one hand, Shiina is less politically experienced than Kishi and any chance of him becoming Prime Minister dies the second his partner withdraws his support of him. On the other hand, Shiina is the face of the Reform Bureaucrat movement and if it weren't for his aid, Kishi wouldn't be nearly as politically relevant to advance his agenda.
• Red Scare: Shiina partly blames the corruption of the Yokusankai on the "false utopia of socialism" and proposes to Kaya that the problem can be resolved by punishing any "dissidents" and indoctrinating the children into embracing "honor, duty, [and] filial loyalty".
• Villainous Breakdown: Shiina breaks down the moment he is informed that Kishi has withdrawn his support, as he has no chance of becoming Prime Minister without Kishi's backing.

Tropes pertaining to the rework

• Bastard Understudy: Kishi's teased biography mentions that Shiina used to work for him in the Yokusankai and abandoned him when his premiership's days were numbered.

Special Prime Ministers

These politicians outside of the Yokusan Seijikai can ascend to office under special circumstances. Due to the nature of their rise to power, their spoilers are unmarked.

Higashikuni Naruhiko

Role: Head of State (Jushin Coup)

Party: Chozen Naikaku^note Non-Partisan Cabinet

Ideology: Oligarchy^note Paternalism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Never in his eighty-odd years of life had Prince Naruhiko of Higashikuni ever thought it would come to this, but he is more than willing to rise to the occasion: in chaos, after all, there is opportunity.

Higashikuni Naruhiko was born as a scion of the Fushimi-no-miya, the oldest of the cadet branches of the Imperial dynasty. From 1908 he was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army. In the 1920s, he went to France to study the military arts at Saint-Cyr, and gained the reputation of a hedonist, keeping a French mistress, driving fast cars, and not even coming home when one of his sons died. After his return to Japan, he was promoted to general, participating in the Sino-Japanese War and, rumour has it, partaking fully in the ruthless gas-warfare tactics and human experimentations of the Japanese Army.

The years rolled by, and Prince Higashikuni evolved into a staid senior politician, a prominent member of the royal family, and a powerful influence-holder with the Jushin. It made all the more sense, therefore, that when Japan went to hell in a handbasket, with the civilian government, the military, and the Japanese people itself all proving themselves unworthy of credibility, that the Lord Privy Seal, Kido Kōichi, would call for his assistance in seizing back power in the name of the Emperor.

The government is now back in the Emperor's hands - or, more accurately, in the hands of a set of grandees and ministers the Emperor trusts, as it was in the Meiji era. Higashikuni is now free to do whatever he deems opportune with the Japanese Empire and to make it into something that Emperor Meiji would be proud of. But one thing should be clear: this Constitutional Coup is as much a power grab as it is an aspiration to hand power back to the Emperor.

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• The Coup: In the path where they come to power, the Jushin under Kido Kōichi and Higashikuni Naruhiko launches a bloodless coup on the government during the Gekokujō crisis, ordering the Yokusankai cabinet to step down and installing their own government made up of Imperial loyalists.
• Cynicism Catalyst: The turmoil leading up to the Jushin coup not only convinces Higashikuni Naruhiko of the Yokusankai's inability to rule. It also proves, in his eyes, that democracy, even within a single political entity, was a mistake, and that only a second Meiji oligarchy could steer Japan to the right path.
• The Dictatorship: Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko intends to completely sideline the Diet and concentrate all political power into the hands of the Imperial loyalists.
• Downer Ending: His Jushin coup is one of the two bad endings Japan can find itself in if Nishi Takeichi is pardoned for his role in the Dai Li Conspiracy. With furious protests rising up against this decision, Naruhiko, Kido, and the Jushin coup the Yokusankai to restore the Constitutional Order over the Empire of Japan, effectively regressing the country's democracy into a dictatorial oligarchy.
• Dragon-in-Chief: Though the Jushin are subordinate to the Emperor, and are genuinely loyal to his wishes, Emperor Hirohito's reluctance to rule means the Jushin mostly acts autonomously, and they will enforce their own wills over the Empire in the name of the Emperor after seizing power.
• Evil Reactionary: Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko's plans can be broadly summarized as him dismantling what can either be the first taste of liberal democracy Japan can enjoy since the Taishō era or a one-party state that at least attempts to be internally democratic, regressing the Empire back into a new Meiji oligarchy.
• History Repeats: Subverted. While the Jushin coup has parallels to the Meiji Restoration, especially in ostensibly returning political power back to the Emperor, in practice it's more of a regression from the liberalizations that happened after the Meiji era, whether it be Taishō democracy, or the reforms of Takagi Sōkichi.
• Irony: In OTL, Higashikuni Naruhiko is known for being Japan's first postwar Prime Minister, albeit after much reluctance due to Hirohito and Kido Kōichi's view that having a member of the Imperial Family hold that office would be too much of a political risk, potentially implicating the monarchy in the eyes of the Americans. In TNO, he can assume the office not just under very different circumstances, but also with Kido's explicit approval.
• Obliviously Evil: Higashikuni genuinely believes that his Jushin coup is a chance to set things right in Japan and enact the will of the Emperor. Unfortunately, Hirohito's deep reluctance to assert any of his theoretically infinite authority means that the Jushin do the next best thing and launch an extensive political purge under the belief that it genuinely is the Emperor's desire.
• People's Republic of Tyranny: While the Jushin coup claims to be reinstating the Constitutional Order of the Meiji era, it is effectively a return to the dictatorial oligarchy that defined that period, with the Diet reduced to little more than an ineffectual rubber-stamp.
• Rightful King Returns: Zig-Zagged. The Jushin coup nominally involves the Jushin citing the terms of the Meiji Constitution to take power away from the incompetent civilian government and give them back to the Emperor. In practice, the Emperor's reluctance means that the Jushin are entrusted with these restored political powers to rule in his name, forming a second Meiji oligarchy.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Higashikuni himself recognizes how risky his coup is, but he nonetheless believes that it's the only way to bring stability back to Japan after the chaotic period of the Dai Li Conspiracy, while still adhering to the will of the Emperor.

Mutō Akira

Role: Military Commander, Head of State (Military Coup)

Party: Kinkyuu Seimu Iinkai^note Emergency Political Council

Ideology: Revolutionary Nationalism^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} All else has failed, it seems. Japan's constitutional era, which had so far endured thanks to Konoe's carefully-built foundations, is lost. The Empire, whose dominance over Asia had been all but assured, has burst into flames. And over the ashes, one man stands.

Mutō Akira was born in 1892, at the height of the Meiji era, in a small village in the Kumamoto prefecture, and graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1913. The talented officer rapidly climbed his way up to the top of the hierarchy, as said hierarchy welcomed him with open arms, and he soon distinguished himself in many conflicts during the 1930s and 1940s, most notably in China and the Philippines.

The thing that made Mutō stand out from his fellow generals, however, was indubitably his propension for violence. Whether in China or in the South Pacific, the general came to be known for his refusal to compromise with the enemy and for his ruthlessly efficient methods, and his talent at pacifying problematic regions made him a darling of many colonial officials. Of course, the sheer level of atrocities carried out under his command did raise a few eyebrows, but those voices quickly went silent as the Empire's Sun dawned over Pearl Harbor.

And now, Mutō has returned. The bureaucrats and the politicians could only bicker aimlessly as the crisis worsened around them, and the military had to step in to restore order, if only as a temporary measure; what "temporary" really means is still up in the air, though, as it seems the Yokusankai belongs to the past. As for the old general, the situation doesn't differ too much from his former glories, with the only difference being that the people he has to pacify is now his own; this shall not stop him, however, as if such actions are needed for the Empire to survive, then they shall be taken.

No matter the cost.

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• Allohistorical Allusion: Mutō's adjutant, Hattori Takushiro, in real life led a military group in the 50s that conceived a plot to assassinate PM Yoshida Shigeru and install a more hardline government, with their choice of PM being Yoshida's rival Hatoyama Ichiro.
• Day of the Jackboot: Upon the announcement of his coup, several civilians take to the streets to protest his blatant grab at power. Unsurprisingly, Mutō has them all gunned down, signaling the dark days ahead of Japan's future.
• Downer Ending: His military coup is one of the two bad endings Japan can find itself in if it fails the Dai Li Conspiracy. With Japan under his heel, the civilian leadership of the Yokusankai is rendered powerless and Mutō calls back colonial Japanese troops to police his authoritarian rule over the isles, all the while the Sphere's puppets begin to assert themselves and may very well spell the end of Japan's empire when they rebel.
• Emergency Authority: Prime Minister Mutō's main goal is to restore order at any cost; as such, upon taking power, he immediately declares martial law and lets the military "temporarily" step in to restore order. Said martial law, however, is shown to be an indefinite affair.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Mutō wears thick-rimmed glasses and is infamous for the brutality he showcased during World War II, even by the standards of the Imperial Japanese Army.
• General Ripper: Mutō Akira is an exceptionally ruthless and uncompromising general, with a history of violent suppressions against his enemies in both wartime and in Japan's colonies.
• History Repeats: Subverted. Though the game uses similar aesthetics to portray Mutō's coup with the February 26 Incident and their "Shōwa Restoration", Mutō's goals differs heavily from the radical restorationist officers of Feb. 26. Mutō has no interest in "restoring" the Emperor to absolute rule, and is primarily interested in pacifying the country and forming a military dictatorship that benefits the IJA.
• Military Coup: In the path where he comes to power, the Yokusankai's failure to control civilian riots leads to them working with the IJA to restore order, with General Mutō leading the efforts. After Martial Law is declared, Mutō, finding the civilian government utterly incompetent, launches a bloodless coup by strongarming the Jushin to force the PM to resign and let the IJA install their government.
• Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Mutō frames his coup as a necessity to keep the Japanese people safe from chaos and disorder, but any moral point he may have is sullied when he's gunning down the Japanese citizens that he's supposedly protecting, merely for protesting against his rule.
• Ominous Mundanity: Mutō's regime styles itself the "Emergency Political Council", ostensibly ruling for the duration of the "emergency".
• The Purge: With the martial law in order, the IJA casually fires on protestors to shut up the populace and restore order.
• The Scapegoat: The IJA covers up the Kenpeitai's role in causing the Dai Li Conspiracy and the political crisis by blaming the crisis on the civilian government's paranoid witch-hunting against the military.
• Stupid Evil: He calls back the IJA across the Sphere to return to Japan and secure his rule over the home islands, severely depleting Japan's influence over the Sphere and leaving it open to losing all of their subjects when they rebel.

Politicians

Kido Kōichi

Role: Leader of Kidoites, Chief Cabinet Secretary^note Head of Government (Takagi and Higashikuni cabinet)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Kido-ha^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Kidoites

Ideology: Controlled Democracy^note Paternalism, Interim Government^note Despotism (Jushin Coup)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Many said that Kido Kōichi already had his chance as Prime Minister, and that he wasted it. Ascending to the office following a political coup that Kido, alongside Ino Hiroya, executed against Tōjō Hideki, Kido was initially immensely popular. This popularity stemmed not from an actual charisma or capability on Kido's part, but rather from the simple fact that he was not Tōjō.

There were only so many deals that Kido could cut with special interests before Ino gathered the Diet's approval to supplant him. When Ino too fell into this same pit, Kido returned to power. And now that he's back, the Imperial Diet is beginning to remember why they wanted him gone in the first place.

Perhaps one of Kido's few advantages in these times is his close relationship with the Emperor. During the Second World War and for some time after, Kido served as Hirohito's closest advisor, and he continues to hold the utmost concern for the honor of the Chrysanthemum Throne. But with the ever increasing distance between the Emperor and the Imperial Diet, Kido may be losing his edge.

For Kido Kōichi, surviving this political turmoil means avoiding the same mistakes he made before. And while experience is a valuable thing, the past is as good a predictor of the future as any.

In-Game Biography (Takagi cabinet) ^{Click to Show} The knight among pawns in the great game of chess that has become Japanese politics, Kido Kōichi's role in Takagi's government is at best an approach of like-minded allies, and at worst a bitter compromise on reform. His nomination as Takagi's Deputy Prime Minister was seen as a powerful move by many in the Diet, as the Admiral could now call upon the politicking skill of the noble king-maker to aid his efforts in governing over the nation. Aware of his usefulness to Takagi's government, Kido Kōichi utilizes his cunning craft and years of experience to work his way around draconian legislature so that he may achieve the goals he shares with the Prime Minister. However, he is not to be underestimated as subvertient to the cabinet; he is a rightful contender for Prime Minister in his own right, and his appointment is owed simply to a broadly similar idea of reform and demilitarization both men share.

The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and a prominent politician in the Yokusan Seijikai.

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• Corrupt Politician: Subverted. Kido is one of the few politicians who oppose military influence over the civilian government and refuses to accept their bribes for votes. When working with Ikeda, Kido aims to reduce this corruption by setting more boundaries between the legislative government and the military.
• Dragon-in-Chief: Kido, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and the Emperor's closest advisor, is easily the most influential member of the Jushin and the Japanese political scene as a whole (since in Japan's Meiji Constitution all power ultimately comes from the Emperor, being able to control who talks to him is incredibly useful), despite being neither the de jure head of state nor head of government. He plays a major role in nominating people to become Prime Minister and can just as easily force their resignation with just a phone call.
• The Dreaded: Many Japanese politicians fear Kido, understanding that he wields the political influence to effortlessly fire any Prime Minister if he feels like it or intimidate them from changing Japan's status quo too much.
• Egocentric Team Naming: Unlike the other factions (the liberals, conservatives and Reform Bureaucrats), Kido's clique within the Yokusan Seijikai is simply called Kido-ha (Kidoites).
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • In the face of fabricated evidence linking Fukuda to Indonesian War atrocities, Kido will summon the minister to his office to verbally rip him apart and dismiss him, barely able to hide his contempt over his supposed crimes.
  • When facing Mutō during his military coup, Kido can barely hide his fury, implying that he knows that a Japan led by Mutō will be disastrous.
• The Heavy: Kido is the main actor behind the Palace Coup, having the power and the initiative to dismiss and replace the Yokusankai cabinet. However, he does not take the position of PM after the coup, being content with his stable position as the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, and instead lets his ally Higashikuni Naruhiko take the position.
• Mouth of Sauron: Since the Emperor rarely makes public showings, it's up to Kido to communicate his will and influence Japan's politics on his behalf.
• Old Retainer: He seems to see himself as this, owing to his position in the Privy Council and close ties as an advisor to the Emperor himself.
• Too Good for Exploiters: As Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, Kido holds an immense amount of power that allows him to shape Japan's political future at the whisper of an ear, and wishes for Japan to maintain its current system, since it benefits him the most.

Kishi Nobusuke

Role: Minister of Finance^note Economy Minister (Hardline Kaya, Shiina, and Mutō cabinet)

Party: Yokusan Seijikai - Kakushin Kanryō^note Imperial Rule Assistance Political Association - Reform Bureaucrats

Ideology: Reform Bureaucracy^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}They say the devil is in the details, but for the Empire of Japan, the devil lies in the Northwest. Enter Kishi Nobusuke: career bureaucrat, captain of industry, and one of the Empire's most feared men. Abandoning his biological family in lieu of the affluent Kishis, Nobusuke is smart and competent - and more importantly, ruthless in his pursuit of power. The man had swung to and fro the ideological spectrum like a pendulum before he made his political mark as a key Manchukuo bureaucrat.

To Kishi, Manchukuo was not a nation to build - it was a land bereft of identity and humanity, with its population of 40 million merely another 40 million units of raw material at the Empire's disposal. Millions of these "raw materials" work and die where they stand - underneath the towering smokestacks of Harbin's steel complexes. Through it all, Kishi has formed a lasting, byzantine network of corruption and misery in Manchukuo, connecting the Kwantung Army, fellow bureaucrats and industrialists. It seems as though Kishi has all a man could desire - wealth, money, obedience and respect. But Kishi is not yet finished.

His ambitions lie in exporting the system he had painstakingly built in Manchukuo to the Home Islands. Under his auspices shall the Empire evolve into a National Defense State: a corporatist, brutal, totalitarian entity that dominates the Asia-Pacific. All will be directed to the service of the Kokutai, all will be directed to the service of the State - and there is little stopping Kishi from pulling the strings he needs to seize the reins of power from the weak-willed Yokusankai.

In-Game Biography (Hardline Kaya cabinet) ^{Click to Show}An old rival of Kaya Okinori and a member of an opposing faction, the Innovationists, it is hard to see how Kishi Nobusuke was ever appointed to any office in the Prime Minister's cabinet. Many in government institutions and politics would like nothing better than to throw the man down, and cast him into the wayside of history. Yet, he does have certain talents.

Kishi's ability to sway both the armed forces and certain ministries through his uncompromising brutality has proved useful in the past, and none can challenge his prowess at managing economic affairs, yet it is easy to sense, even for Kaya, that the man may have some... ulterior motivations.

In-Game Biography (Mutō cabinet) ^{Click to Show}Kishi Nobusuke is a known quantity to the Imperial Japanese Army. His brutal expertise displayed during his rule of Manchukuo may have earned him the moniker of the "Devil of Shōwa", but he also vastly increased the colony's industrial production. His experience in Manchukuo, and the friends and contacts he made within the Army during that time, made him one of the few politicians the military is willing to trust in the aftermath of their coup.

However, one thing has been made clear. No matter how intelligent and ambitious Kishi Nobusuke may be, he is not the one calling the shots in Japan. That responsibility falls solely into the generals' hands.

A leader of the Reform Bureaucrat faction in the Japanese government, a faction of bureaucrats that advocate for a corporatist state-planned economy.

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• Arc Villain: Even though they're nominally allies, Kishi is the biggest domestic opponent to Kaya if he explicitly sides with Fukuda over Shiina. Failing to limit his influence ensures that the Reform Bureaucrats to take over Japan and undo Kaya's vision for Japan.
• Evil Colonialist: Kishi built the oppressive colonial industrial system in Manchukuo and advocates for a similar model to be applied to the rest of Japan's subjects.
• Industrialized Evil: Kishi leads the hardliner Technocrat faction that proposes the rapid progression of Japan's economy into a "modern" interventionist one where Japan's colonies are exploited and drained of their value.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: If the influence of Kishi's faction is low, Kaya can intimidate Kishi from interfering with Fukuda's succession by threatening to fracture the party between them and both lose their political prestige. Recognizing that he has far more to lose in this scenario, Kishi will admit defeat, withdraw his backing of Shiina, and let Fukuda succeed Kaya after the latter's retirement.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: With the corrupt nature of the Zaibatsus exposed in the Yasuda Crisis, Kishi wants to take advantage of their weakened state to squeeze them completely dry and fold them under government control to shape the Sphere to his bureaucratic vision.
• The Man Behind the Man: If Kishi's underling Shiina becomes Prime Minister, much of his agenda is guided by Kishi's own, allowing him to enact his vision for Japan from the shadows.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: It doesn't get much more blatant than your nickname including the phrase "the devil."
• Pet the Dog: When trying to persuade Kishi to support Fukuda's succession, Kaya has the option to try appealing to his emotions, arguing that it's time to let new politicians take the helm and lead Japan in the everchanging Cold War. Surprisingly, there is a chance of the appeal actually working, with Kishi agreeing to give Fukuda a chance to prove himself.
• Red Baron: "The Devil of Shōwa" (Shōwa no Yōkai), and in early teasers, "the Maestro."
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Though the IJA sends most of the government packing after they coup the government, Kishi is kept and promoted to serve as their Economy Minister due to his connections inside the Army.
• Vetinari Job Security: With his notoriety and connections, Kishi is shown to be too valuable to be disposed of, with his political influence something of a constant regardless of what path Japan takes. Even in the event of Mutō's coup, he's trusted and feared enough to be kept on board when most other politicians are deposed out by the IJA.

Tropes pertaining to the rework

Role: Minister of Commerce and Industry^note Economy Minister (Paternalism Kōno cabinet), Head of State (Kōno succession)

Party: Gokoku Shintō^note New Party in Defense of the Empire

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show}No ladder was too hard to climb and no alliance was too hard to break for Kishi Nobusuke, and this ruthlessness carried him to the apex of politics. A scholar of German law and adherent of Kita Ikki's radical Asianist beliefs, Kishi was disdainful of Western-style liberalism and favouring a direction where Japan's greatness was truly realised with the guidance of the State. Kishi looked to the authoritarian regimes of the West to begin his ascent to the top, and finally made his mark in Manchuria, where his education guided the brutal state-driven industrialisation of the model Pan-Asian state, and his ruthlessness and deep connections took credit away from his fellow Innovation Bureaucrats and furthered his connections.

Rewarded with the Ministry of Munitions under Tōjō, Kishi finally had the opportunity to bare his political fangs. Swinging from being one of Tōjō's most loyal supporters to Tōjō having to beg him not to resign, Kishi and Shigemitsu Mamoru collapsed the Tojo cabinet and were well-rewarded with higher-ranking positions in Suzuki Kantaro's cabinet. Finally, he reached the apex in 1947 with his ascent to the premiership, and he could finally renovate a freshly bloodied Asia to new heights- but Kishi's ruthlessness had a price, and the price was his own downfall following his attempt at recreating the Manchurian experiment in Guangdong. Betrayed by his own disciples, Kishi retired into obscurity - until the Yokusankai's downfall.

Having dissociated himself from the Yokusankai after his resignation, Kishi saw an opportunity to rebuild himself and rebuild Japan, and through his coterie of loyal disciples who did not abandon him like the treacherous Shiina and Kawashima, Kishi re-entered politics again under the banner of the Patriotic Reconstruction Alliance. Japan will be rebuilt anew, but Kishi has to adapt to the new democratic situation with grace and steel. For a man of his ambition, no price is too high, and nobody is above betrayal.

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• Bastard Understudy: When Tōjō's cabinet was on the brink of collapse from unpopularity, Kishi threw his boss under the bus by resigning, ensuring its demise so that he can be rewarded with a higher position in Suzuki Kantaro's cabinet.
• Enemy Mine: Despite their conflicting goals, Kishi gets appointed in the teased National Conservative path of Kōno because he needs an expert to reform the Total War system and save Japan from financial ruin.
• Evil Chancellor: The Kōno teaser makes it clear that Kishi won't be satisfied with just being a minister in Kōno's cabinet and is gunning for the premiership himself by making Kōno reliant on him.
• Fascist, but Inefficient: He became a Prime Minister during the post-war era of Japan, but his teased biography mentions that he resigned in disgrace because his attempts to model Guangdong after Manchuria ended in complete failure.
• For the Evulz: After taking power in Kōno's teaser, Kishi sends a dossier to his treacherous former ally, Kawashima, featuring a bloody fingerprint over the Kanto-kai logo. Kishi gains nothing substantial from the move, besides reminding Kawashima that his betrayal was not forgotten and making him squirm in panic over what fate might befall him in the new Japan.
• My Greatest Second Chance: Kishi can potentially succeed Kōno following the latter's death, giving him another opportunity to set Japan right, albeit in his image.
• Returning Big Bad: After his failed Premiership and subsequent resignation, Kishi was seemingly condemned to obscurity. However, the collapse of the YSK can lead Kishi to rebuild his power and restore his original position in Kōno's teaser.

Yasuhiro Nakasone

Role: Minister of Finance^note Economy Minister (Takagi Cabinet)

Ideology: Paternalistic Conservatism^note Conservatism

In-Game Biography (Minister of Finance) ^{Click to Show}Always seen by Takagi's side, Nakasone Yasuhiro is the man behind the government's grand plans to revive and expand the slowing Japanese markets across the globe. If he is not known to be examining charts plotting the rates of inflation and consumer spending, he will be caught enjoying the high life in the company of politicians presenting slides on the benefits of market liberalization. Whilst not personally admired by the Prime Minister, Nakasone Yasuhiro does command the respect of many in the cabinet as he is a master at his work. His striking charisma and determination to get the task at hand complete is well known amongst circles of politicians across the empire, as his enthusiastic developments to cut down constraining business regulation whilst maintaining tight control over money supply are unrivaled by experts in his field.

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• The Ace: He's well-liked for his charisma, good work ethic, and strides in cutting down unnecessary business regulations while still controlling the money supply.
• Number Two: Downplayed. Though he doesn't have his respect, Yasuhiro is almost always seen by Takagi's side and is recruited by him to expand the Japanese global market.

Ryuji Takeuchi

Role: Ambassador

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• Category Traitor: Takeuchi gets death threats from certain military for daring to start détente with the United States, their mortal enemy.
• Contempt Crossfire: By the second phase of détente, Takeuchi is hated by the warhawks in Japan for negotiating with the United States, while the warhawks in America hate the secrecy of his talks with Kissinger.
• Enemy Mine: In the second phase of détente, Takeuchi works with Kissinger to ease tensions between their countries and stop supporting enemy proxies in their spheres of influence so they can unite against their common enemy in Germany.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • While loyal to his country, Takeuchi does not approve that Americans in Hawaii are treated like second-class citizens and only relents because more hawkish members in the Home Isles would reject any compassion for them. At Kissinger's implorement, Takeuchi can amend the treaty to give them better treatment and allow them to visit their loved ones in the American mainland.
  • Takeuchi buys into the Sphere's propaganda that they've liberated the colonized people of Asia, but he still recognizes the atrocities committed to do so and admits to Kissinger that it is distasteful.
• Hidden Depths: Despite being the Japanese ambassador to the United States, he likes western cuisine and enjoys his meeting with Kissinger at Sans Souci.
• Hypocrite: In talks for easing military tensions, Takeuchi complains to Kissinger that the United States has armed terrorist groups in Manchuria and Indonesia with AR-15s, even though Kissinger points out that Japan has sold similar weapons to anti-American groups in Cameroon and Jamaica. The lack of any moral high ground allows Kissinger to refocus the conversation on ignoring these past transgressions to isolate Germany.

The Conspiracy

Dai Li (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Dai Li was the brutally efficient leader of Chiang Kai-shek's spy agency, the Juntong, and was thought to have been killed in Chongqing. However, in the late 60s, the Kenpeitai's arrest of ROC general Sun Dianying uncovers evidence of Dai Li's survival and continued operations, and that the Japanese military is seemingly heavily infiltrated with his agents. This revelation plunges Japan into a paranoid investigation across both Nanjing and Tokyo, and its results may change the future of the nation.

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• The Alcoholic: At the end of every day, Dai Li would seclude himself in his farmhouse, drink until he could no longer stand and then fall into a stupor.
• All for Nothing: Dai Li survived Chongqing's fall and held out for another decade, but his post-war efforts mattered little, and when he died in 1957, his spy network and resistance group disbanded.
• Arc Villain: Near the end of Japan's first decade, Dai Li is revealed to be the mastermind of a conspiracy, suggesting that the Japanese military is infiltrated by many Chinese spies, creating an atmosphere of paranoia and mistrust in Japan. The investigation of the Dai Li conspiracy is a major part of Japan's gameplay during these years, but in the end, this trope is ultimately subverted, as it turns out Dai has been dead for more than a decade, and the whole conspiracy was cooked up and spread by the Kenpeitai for their own political goals.
• Dead All Along: The reports of Dai Li's survival were greatly exaggerated.
• Decapitated Army: After Dai Li's death, most of his men simply chose to go back home and stopped their operations.
• The Dreaded: The name of Dai Li, the former Chiang Kai-shek's head of secret police known in his heyday as 'China's Himmler', who has been regarded as dead since the 50s, strikes terror in the hearts of the Japanese officers and politicians by the mere revelation that he was apparently Not Quite Dead all along and allegedly leads a secret conspiracy within both China and the IJA, seeking to coup the Republic of China and bring Japan at the brink of chaos. It's revealed later on that he is dead, but successfully set up the entire conspiracy and died after putting step one into motion; resulting in Japan being thrown into terror and hysteria over a dead man, thanks to the meddling of the Kenpeitai.
• The Ghost: Dai Li looms large over Japanese politics despite his whereabouts being unknown. It turns out to be a literal case in the end when we discover that he died years prior to the start of the game.
• Keystone Army: Dai Li's carefully maintained resistance group, for all intents and purposes, ended along with him in 1957.
• The Man Behind the Curtain: As "Behind the Curtain" as a Man can be, as Dai Li is actually dead, and the idea that he is alive at all - let alone running a behemoth spy network that has tendrils everywhere in Japan - was a fiction created by the Kenpeitai.
• Mean Boss: Disturbing Dai Li's sleep was deeply unwise and it usually ended in someone being beaten to the ground.
• Posthumous Character: Dai Li died of cirrhosis in 1957, five years before the start of the game proper and over a decade before the Dai Li Conspiracy event arc.
• Red Herring: Both in-universe and out-universe, Dai Li in reality played no active role in the Dai Li conspiracy. The Kenpeitai spread rumors of the Dai Li Conspiracy, and misdirected the government's investigators to chase after the loose fragments of Dai Li's remnant forces in China, who did survive 1947, but had no plans for a plot as grand as the Dai Li Conspiracy.
• The Remnant: Even after Chiang Kai-shek's regime was defeated by Japan in 1947, Dai Li's leadership and fanaticism inspired his men to continue ferociously resisting the Japanese.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Played With: Japan thought that Dai Li died in 1947 at Chongqing, along with his militia, the LPA, and identified a body in Chongqing as Dai Li. The appearance of the Dai Li Conspiracy however tells Japan that he's still alive in the 60s, and his Juntong and LPA are still active. However, a successful investigation reveals that Dai Li is actually still dead, though he and his forces did survive past Japan's initial guess of 1947, having respectively died and disbanded in 1957 instead.
• Shown Their Work: The game makes references to Dai Li's militia, the Loyal Patriotic Army (忠义救国军), as well as his connections to the Sino-American Cooperative Organization. Both of these organizations were real, alebeit very obscure.
• Spotting the Thread: The complicity of the United States in Dai Li’s operations is an open secret, given his militia’s ties to the OFN. The lack of any discernible trail or CIA activity in the region where he’s supposed to be hiding is a strong hint that he may not actually be alive.
• The Spymaster: Dai Li was the leader of the juntong, the secret police under Chiang Kai-shek.

"The Setting Sun" Update

Upcoming content coming with the Japan rework in "The Setting Sun" update.

General Tropes

• Crapsaccharine World: Japan's elites are still riding high on their success, bragging about their quality of life, the biggest economy in the world, the centralization of all Japanese life around the Home Ministry, and the Co-Prosperity Sphere's anti-colonial ambitions being realized. In truth, there are many more nuances to the current state of Japanese society. The entire Japanese economy is built on the corruption and criminal nature of the Zaibatsus who will do anything to hold onto their wealth, including murder and embezzlement. Many political actors turn a blind eye or even participate in these schemes, selfishly filling their own pockets at the expense of others. Meanwhile, the Yokusankai's domineering presence is supported by the Tokkō's brutal repression of any dissenters to the status quo, with the people growing increasingly discontented over being so keenly supervised. Affairs are even worse in the rest of the Sphere, with corporate magnates profiting off of the indentured slavery of their colonized people and soldiers brutalizing the civilians to enforce Japan's control without even a slap on the wrist. All of these cracks remain masked until a routine investigation into the Minezaka trading company's embezzlement blows up into a massive scandal that exposes the bone-deep corruption and rot of virtually every facet of Japanese society, crashing the Japanese economy in either the Yasuda Crisis or the Financial Meltdown and unleashing chaos across the Sphere.
• Morton's Fork: Getting the Yasuda Crisis or Financial Meltdown will depend on how extensively the embezzlement in the Minezaka company was investigated, as shown in the first Japan rework teaser. Either way, it sparks total collapse in the Japanese financial system and knocks Japan out of their victory high.
• Reconcile the Bitter Foes: Deconstructed. The Yokusankai was created in 1940 to unite all sorts of competing interest groups under a country-wide, big tent movement, which would ideally amalgamate them into a united, corporatist organization. However, the first Japan rework teaser shows that bringing these rivals together under a single framework did nothing to consolidate power to a single group. It merely worsened the factionalism within the Yokusankai.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: As seen in the teased "Stapler" event, Fukuda Takeo and Ikeda Hayato have had a history of conflict with each other, getting into frequent arguments and requiring other people to pull them apart before they throw staplers at each other. However, Fukuda still mourns Ikeda's passing and gives a tearful eulogy in his honor.

Prime Ministers

Funada Naka

Role: Head of State, Leader of Naimukei

Party: YSK - Naimukei^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Home Ministry Clique

Ideology: Managerial State^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Pride of Tokyo Imperial University Faculty of Law. Rising star of Rikken Seiyūkai. The powerhouse of the Home Ministry. Heir to the infamous Yuzawa Michio. And now, finally, the prime minister of the Empire. Funada Naka has finally done it.

Funada and his Home Ministry Clique rose to the dominating faction of Yokusankai through his alliance with Kawashima Shōjirō's Yokudō. Sharing their distaste of decentralized electoral policies and exploiting the failure of constitutionalist partymen, an unstable united front between technocrats and nationalists was formed- all to eliminate the plague of partisan conflicts that once haunted the Empire in the Taisho era. Only a strong, centralized government with experts at the helm can lead the Empire and its people to prosperity, and who could suprass the expertise of Home Ministry bureaucrats in running a country? Under the rightful and wise leadership of Funada, the constitutionalists, the fanatics, or whoever steps in the way of Funada's technocratic vision of the Empire shall be ousted, and Japan will rise to the apex of the world free from political excess like a well-oiled machine.

But there is work to be done; people inside and outside of the Yokusankai are all out to get him. Yet Funada remains unwavering- the numbers will tell who holds the key to a bright future. A bright future for both Japan and Greater East Asia.

The current PM of Japan, a conservative technocrat.

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• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The first Japan rework teaser shows that his technocratic faction of Home Ministry Bureaucrats, the Naimukei, have an unstable coalition with the nationalist Yokudō faction because both benefit from reinforcing the unchallenged, status quo rule of the YSK.
• Visionary Villain: Uniting the technocrats and nationalists of the YSK, according to the first Japan rework teaser, Funada envisions a future where Japan becomes the most powerful empire in the world and purges the Sphere of any partisans or dissidents who stand in the way of its future.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: The Yasuda Crisis or Financial Meltdown dramatically destabilizes the YSK and dooms Funada's administration early in the game, where the first Japan rework teaser shows that it opens the chance for someone else to take his place as Prime Minister.

Ikeda Hayato

Role: Leader of Kōchikai, Head of State (Funada resignation)

Party: YSK - Kōchikai^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Broad Pond Society

Ideology: Authoritarian Developmentalism^note Paternalism

The leader of the Broad Pond Society (Kōchikai), a faction of economically liberal technocrats under the YSK.

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• Achilles' Heel: In his teased biography, Ikeda is good with numbers, but arrogant to a fault, which alienates potential allies and could spell doom for his political career if he doesn't live up to the promises of his campaign.
• Internal Reformist: The first Japan rework teaser shows him criticizing the empty sermonizing done by Funada, where Ikeda advocates "low-posture politics" that will focus on uplifting Japan's economic middle class. To do so, he'll need to somehow fight the near-dominant power of the zaibatsu and rural landlords.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: After the corruption of the YSK is exposed to the public in the first Japan rework teaser, Ikeda ends his uneasy alliance with the Yokudō and Home Ministry to take over the premiership and enact his ambitious plans.
• Passing the Torch: According to his teased biography, he was named by Kaya Okinori, the Minister of Economy under Tōjō, to lead the finance bureaucrat faction of the YSK.
• The Remnant: The first Japan rework teaser shows that, after Aoki Kazuo's premiership ended in disaster, Ikeda rallied the remaining Keynesian economists to the Kōchikai faction.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: In the teased event where he becomes Prime Minister, Ikeda promises to double incomes by the next decade, but whether he can fulfill that promise is up in the air.

Kawashima Shōjirō

Role: Leader of Yokusan Giin Dōmei (Yokudō), Secretary General of the Cabinet (Funada cabinet), Head of State (Funada resignation)

Party: YSK - Yokudō^note Imperial Rule Assistance Association - Union of Imperial Rule Assistance Legislators

Ideology: Corporatism^note Fascism

The Machiavellian leader of the Union of Imperial Rule Assistance Legislators (Yokusan Giin Dōmei), a highly conservative and economically corporatist YSK faction made up of YSK legislators.

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• Bastard Understudy: According to Kōno's teaser, he used to be allies with Kishi, but the latter's failed experiment to turn Guangdong into another Manchuria made it unviable for Kawashima to continue their partnership, so he jumped ship and set on his own course.
• History Repeats: The first Japan rework teaser shows that the Yokudō spans a wide range of conflicting political interests and, unless Kawashima enacts extensive reforms to fix it, they will be doomed to the same factionalism that has doomed every YSK administration prior.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: When the YSK collapses and Kōno takes power in his dedicated teaser, Kawashima will escape punishment, free to enjoy his frivolous luxuries without fearing reprisal. This ends up changing if Kishi succeeds Kōno, having not forgotten his past betrayal, where Kawashima will panic at what Kishi will do with him now that he has become Prime Minister again.
• Opportunistic Bastard: As stated in his teased biography, Kawashima's ultimate goal is power and control. Any proclaimed loyalty is temporary to him and he's betrayed several of his allies before to seize it, including the infamous Kishi Nobusuke.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Since he benefits from reinforcing the YSK's rule, as shown in the first Japan rework teaser, Kawashima formed a fragile alliance with Funada's Home Ministry clique to keep the system alive.

Kōno Ichirō

Role: Leader of Dōkōkai, Head of State (Funada resignation)

Party: Mushozoku Giinkai – Dōkōkai^note Association of Independent Legislators - Companion Society

Ideology: Gōken Conservatism^note Conservatism (Reformist caucus), National Conservatism^note Paternalism (Militant caucus)

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Kōno Ichirō dreams of the days before the perversion of politics by the Yokusankai. Alas, the good old days when Japan wasn't antagonized by the rest of the world and when political parties had a say in the Imperial Diet! While Kōno is far from a firm advocate of democracy as understood in the fractious United States, he firmly believes in a sense of constitutional normalcy last enjoyed in the 1920s.

A "normal" government never makes demands of the people for nothing in exchange, nor is it domineered not by politicians, but bureaucrats or military men. Had Japan been a normal country, it would not have faced economic isolation from the rest of the world, without fear of nuclear apocalypse, and fallen into paranoia so stark that the Tokkō wiretap the phones of common farmers and fellow hardworking Japanese. A return to normalcy, Kōno promises - a Japan prideful enough to stand on its own two feet, but not a Japan that is feared and isolated, deprived of its place to stand with the great powers of the world.

Surely, Japan's sacred war and its continuing mission to lead Asia could have been handled better - and under Kōno, it will. Power is best justified by the will of the people, channeled productively by Kōno and his coterie of notables, businessmen, and dynasts. Professional politicians, after all, shoulder the burden of shaping the people's will, the mold by which the Empire will be cast. Now, Hatoyama's ascension as a non-Yokusankai prime minister has already left a crack in the seemingly impenetrable shell of the Yokusankai, and it would be him, Kōno Ichirō, who would destroy the YSK once and for all, and be forever cemented as the restorer of Taishō Democracy and partisan politics.

The leader of Companion Society (Dōkōkai), a leading faction of independent legislators with constitutionalist and relatively democratic policies.

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• The Atoner: Downplayed. Kōno seeks to make Japan a respected nation in the eyes of the world, and to atone for the abuses committed under the YSK's watch. That said, he still intends to see through resolving the Empire's "sacred war" and its perceived mandate over the Co-Prosperity Sphere, albeit on his terms.
• Beneath Notice: Downplayed. Independent legislators like Kōno are tolerated by the YSK by virtue of being perceived as controlled opposition at best, and ineffectual tools at worst. Kōno, however, exploits this to catch the establishment off-guard, laying the groundwork for democratic restoration.
• Dark Horse Victory: By virtue of not being part of the YSK, the prospect of Kōno becoming Prime Minister is seen as this by the establishment.
• Enemy Mine:
  • In the reformist path of his dedicated teaser, Kōno allies with the Kokumin Kyōdō Renmai out of shared sympathy for constitutional principles. However, the alliance is fragile at best, with Kōno knowing that history could repeat with the failure of the 1924 Constitution Protection Movement.
  • Meanwhile, the teased militant path shows Kōno compromising and allying with Kishi's Gokoku Doshikai for the sake of stability. Kōno is reluctant to accept the arrangement and only intends to appease Kishi's interests for as long as it is necessary.
• Good Old Ways: Played With. In his teased biography, Kōno became disillusioned by the one-party rule of the YSK. Instead, he calls for a return to normalcy in the usually paranoid Japanese social atmosphere and the reinstitution of the old constitutional system where partisans have a stronger voice in politics, invoking memories of the comparatively more liberal days of Taisho Democracy.
• Heel Realization: A major reason behind Kōno's reformist and democratic push is his realization of how feared and despised Japan is, in contrast to its own propaganda.
• Internal Reformist: According to his teased biography, Kōno intends to reinstate free elections, democratic liberties, and partisan politics from the near-indomitable power of the YSK.
• Pragmatic Hero: His teased national conservative path has Kōno appoint Kishi to his cabinet and let him reform a "Total War System" to reorient the economy in a statist direction. Much as he disapproves of it, Kōno will temporarily put up with it so he can advance his own agenda.
• Succession Crisis: His dedicated teaser reveals that Kōno will suddenly die of aortic dissection, cutting his term short and creating a succession crisis between Miki and Kishi.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: In the first Japan rework teaser, Kōno's faction, the Dōkōkai, leads the Mushozoku Giinkai, a loose coalition of his own supporters, Rikken Minseitō's remnant faction, intellectuals, and conservatives. All of them want to restructure Japan's political system, but disagree on what the exact endgoal is.

Konoe Fumimaro

Role: Head of State (Funada resignation)

Party: Kyokoku Itchi Naikaku^note National Unity Government

Ideology: Interim Government^note Despotism

In-Game Biography ^{Click to Show} Konoe Fumimaro once again stands atop the castle he built decades ago. It is a castle crumbling on the brink of collapse, yet also a castle he felt, while in his banishment from power and while tormented by the thought of swallowing a cyanide pill and ending his misery, obliged to fix. "Put a turret on the castle," Tōjō yelled, and so he did. "Make the castle a hotel for the peasants," Hatoyama asked, and so he tried. "Let the jester be the new king," Funada proposed, and so he succeeded.

Now the rightful king has returned to his castle, wanting to make his castle anew. The Holy War has concluded in Japan's favor and the Empire is more prepared than ever to be the testing site of Konoe's unblemished Yokusan System, unperverted by the past governments. A system where everyone serves the Empire in unity, and where the Empire cares for its subjects like sons and daughters. A system where every sector of the society loyally encircles the government like an electron and a nucleus. A system where the entire Empire's strength can concentrate to the tip of a needle at its leader's command, free from any interference from the generals or the statesmen.

But the past has changed the old king. He felt powerless and clueless. If he could not stop Tōjō decades ago, how could he convince himself, or how could the people believe, that would make it? Yet there is no time for self-doubt; Konoe could see the abuss consuming the Empire, mocking him for cowardness. And so has he decided- if he failed, it could be no worse than a cyanide pill and a swift escape from this chaotic world, but if he succeeded, a glory future for him and the Empire awaits—

An Empire, merciful to its friend and ruthlessly surpassing its enemy, shining on the world forevermore.

The chief ideologue of the YSK system.

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• Cowardly Lion: As demonstrated in his teased biography, Konoe is self-aware of his past failures and deeply insecure in his abilities to redeem himself, but he bravely accepts the premiership anyway to realize his dream for an efficient and powerful Japan.
• Dark Horse Victory: For Konoe to assume power at all would require the lack of any other qualified candidates and the political system that he helped establish in the first place to tetter on the brink of collapse.
• The Ditz: Despite creating the YSK in the first place, the first Japan rework teaser states that he was completely clueless in its confusing political atmosphere and eventually outplayed by Hideki Tōjō for the premiership.
• Driven to Suicide: Subverted. The Japan teaser states that Konoe has always wants to take a cyanide pill and end his miserable life, but he's never gone through with it because he's stuck trying to fix the dysfunctional Yokusan System he built.
• Founder of the Kingdom: Konoe was the man who founded the YSK that would define Japan's current political system, though his subsequent failures mean that he doesn't get much respect from his own peers. When he becomes Prime Minister, his teased biography metaphorically compares it to a king returning to his decrepit castle.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: With two unsuccessful premierships, Konoe is largely dismissed as an outdated relic of the past. The first Japan rework teaser shows that he's only invited to power for a third time by the Jushin, if no suitable candidate is found in time.
• My Greatest Second Chance: Should Konoe take the reins of power once more, he knows there won't be a next time and that any failure here may as well be a slow death. Thus, he sees this as his last chance to prove everyone, and even himself, wrong.
• Old Retainer: To an even greater degree than Kido. On top of his noble titles, Konoe is not only a descendant of Emperor Go-Yozei but also the head of one of the "Five Regent Houses". This gives him considerable sway with the Emperor, despite his failures.
• Vetinari Job Security: Konoe's status as a descendant of the Imperial Clan and head of one of the oldest and most prominent noble clans in Japan, in addition to his role in forging the YSK in the first place, have made him too indispensable even in the eyes of his detractors. It's also part of the reason why he's a possible Prime Minister in the Japan rework teaser, despite his repeated mistakes.

Tanaka Kakuei

Role: Head of State

Ideology: Populist Conservatism^note Conservatism

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Kōno's Successors

Miki Takeo

Role: Secretary-General of the Cabinet^note Head of Government (Conservative Kōno cabinet), Head of State (Kōno succession)

Party: Kyōdō Minshutō^note Cooperative Democratic Party

Ideology: National Liberalism^note Liberalism

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• Allohistorical Allusion: The Kyōdō Minshutō was an actual party that Takeo Miki was involved in during the late 1940s with the party, being established under very different circumstances than in our timeline, potentially becoming the ruling party of Japan after Kōno democratizes the country after the YSK's collapse.
• Enemy Mine: In Kōno's teased conservative path, Miki is appointed to his cabinet so that they can reform Japan into a constitutional democracy.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: His teased biography calls him one of the most incorruptible politicians in Japan, always willing to hear all sides and wishing to reform Japan to become more benevolent.
• Internal Reformist: From Kōno's teaser, Miki swears to reform Japanese politics inside out and expunge it of any plutocratic and bureaucratic corruption.
• My Country Tis of Thee That I Sting: Miki is aware and critical of Japan's oppression against the other countries in the Sphere and wants to make amends by genuinely living up to their pan-Asian rhetoric. In the teased "Coffee" event, Miki states that he wants to have a more equitable relationship with China, viewing them as indispensable to the Sphere.

Kōno Kenzō

Role: Head of State (Kōno succession)

Party: Kensei Jiyūtō^note Constitutional Liberal Party

Ideology: Gōken Conservatism^note Conservatism

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• Nepotism: Subverted. His teased biography states that his ascension to Prime Minister is not related to him being a brother of Ichirō.
• Reluctant Ruler: In Ichirō's teaser, Kenzō is less than thrilled to take up the premiership after his brother's passing, yet he's pushed to the position by the Kensei Jiyūtō.
• This Is Gonna Suck: With Ichirō's death in his teaser, Kenzō is left with the unenviable task of defending his legacy from those who seek to subvert it, particularly from Tanaka and Kishi. Kenzō is understandably worried and fearful of how he can accomplish such a gargantuan mission.
• Throwing Out the Script: During his inauguration speech in the "Sake" teased event, Kenzō ends up going back to an old draft of his address with a final remark that he originally scribbled out. He finishes his oration by emotionally opening up and imploring his audience to defend the Constitution, the Empire, and the People.

Politicians

Tsukumo Kunitoshi

Role: Leader of Teikoku Hoteru-ha

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• The Remnant: Even though Konoe's public presence has receded since the 1950's, Tsukumo and the Teikoku Hoteru-ha have kept his vision for a centralized government alive and present in the Japanese political scene. His faction is displayed on the first Japan rework teaser.

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