Shihaisha

The Republic of Shihaisha (支配者の共和国 Shihai-sha no kyōwakoku), or simply Shihaisha is an island nation located in East Asia. It is located in the Pacific Ocean and lies east of Japan's Hokkaido, and south of the Kuril Islands. In the nation's Kanji name, Shihaisha means "dominator", chosen because of the nation's forming after Japan had surrendered from World War II.

Shihaisha is comprised of 2 islands split up into regions. Honadō is the most populous and largest region of the two. Hazoku is an island off the eastern coast near the Kuril Islands. Shihaisha is the 23rd most populous nation in the AIN, with a population of 7.16 million as of 2012. The nation's capital is Shinkawa, and the largest city is Shiroku.

Shihaisha is a great industrial country, exporting hundreds of thousands of domestic products to foreign countries every week. Nashi Electronics is the key to Shihaisha's economy, selling about 820,000 portable electronics to Shihaishans every year. Local farms and greenhouses also make Shihaisha an Asian breadbasket. Shihaisha has one of the lowest homicide rates in the world, due to its similar peaceful cultures with Japan.

Etymology
The name Shihaisha comes from the same word in Japanese, which means dominator. It was used because of the nation's formation after the defeat of Japan in World War II.

Shihaishan people sometimes refer to themselves as Hirako (平子). The official language is Japanese, although many residents are taught to be fluent in English.

History
Shihaisha's history is quite shorter than most other nations' histories. Although it's short, it has a haunting history. It's founding and disappearance had to do with destruction, natural and human.

World War II
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in the US in 1941, the US was brought into World War II. The bombings on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced Japan to surrender and lose the war. Soon, the US started taking land on the island of Hokkaido to start a new territory. Residents were allowed to stay, although they would have to follow US Customs and Government. The territory continued to grow and grow until Japan gave up most of the island to the US.

Freedom and Growth
Population in the territory reached 5 million in 1952. It was only a matter of time until the US had no interest in it anymore and gave it up. Japan did not take the offer to reclaim the country. Instead, the residents chose certain people to make up the government of a new country, Shihaisha. The capital city, Jiyu (自由), consisted of thousands of tiny village houses and apartments.

Typhoons of 1972
In November 1972, a series of strong typhoons swept through Shihaisha. Trees were knocked over, causing roof damage on many houses. Power poles fell and caused blackouts for weeks. The Heiwana River's (now Hanako River) water levels rose to 7.5 feet, flooding the area completely. The death toll was estimated to be around 39.3 thousand. Damages were estimated to cost around ¥190,439,130,563.

Abandonment
Countries from around the world assisted in helping with the recovery. Shihaishans were grateful for all the help they had gotten. Although residents were thinking optimistic-wise, the government was worried on how to pay for clearing and supplies. The government paid for the recovery, although this left Shihaisha bankrupt. Some residents moved out because of how Shihaisha was failing, while others left fearing more typhoons to come. In February of 1973, Shihaisha was abandoned and no longer a country. All that was left in its area was debris and barren land.

Modern Shihaisha
On April 18, 1991, Shihaisha was brought back to life. Empty land and abandoned campgrounds started to turn into a developed area. Unlike the old Shihaisha, the new version of the country planned to be more green, and more efficient. Big parks and trees were to be kept in certain areas of the city and more ways of transportation besides car were to be developed. It turned out well, many decided to walk to their jobs after taking trains or subways in certain places. Cars still zoom past buildings on the roads, although only 45%-65% of the population drive.

Geography
Shihaisha is located on the huge island of Hokkaido in East Asia. Japan borders Shihaisha to the west and south. It takes up 75% of the land in Hokkaido, and has islands off the eastern coast of the country. Although land area is great, 45% of it is still undeveloped. The Tsugaru Strait separates Shihaisha and Japan's part of the island from Honshu, Japan's mainland. The Honkaido Expressway connects Shihaisha and Japan to Honshu via a bridge and borders.

Hanako River is the main river that flows right next to Shihaishan cities Shisaido, Shiroku, and Nochi. It has no boat traffic for it is very narrow and shallow. There are plans on widening the river for ferries or small cargo boats. It has an important role in Shihaisha's utility system. Plenty of hydro power plants generate green energy from water of Hanako River and some purification plants clean the water for residents to use and drink.

Shihaisha is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are currently 2 active volcanoes in the nation: Mt. Meakan and Mt. Tokachi. It is also located in a seismically active area, with many destructive earthquakes in its past. Tsunamis are also a problem in the area, but occur rarely. The nation was devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.

Climate
Shihaisha has a mild climate. The entire country fits in the humid continental climate zone. It has warm summers, with many sunny days and clouds occasionally. Fall and winters are very chilly and snowfall occurs a lot during December and January. Typhoons sweep through the country during October and November. Most of the typhoons are usually small although strong typhoons can happen once in a while. Typhoon Nohakai is a great example of unexpected, strong typhoons that damage the area. Rivers see some drift ice during the winter.

Environment
When Shihaisha was reformed in 1991, the government visualized a nation that combined peace between humans with peace with nature. Thus, the Shihaishan Nature Care Plan was started to help the flora and fauna in the area. Over time, the plan was expanded to saying that oil-run cars were prohibited and that 2 sectors in Honadō were to be preserved for flora and fauna growth exclusively. It also called for the use of generating green energy through wind and solar power as an alternative to coal and oil. Shihaisha is an official signatory of the Kyoto Protocol.

Demographics
Shihaisha has an estimated population of 7,161,479 as of January 19, 2013. Most of the population of the country lives in its 4 main cities: Shiroku, Shisaido, Nochi, and Engatoshi. 55% of the population are Shihaishan, although other ethnic groups include Japanese (27%), American (10%), and Korean (8%).

There has been a great increase in population from 2011 to 2012. Land is plenty in Shihaisha, although widespread growth is small. Since there was no growth across the country for population, dense cities and residential apartments and skyscrapers were common in the cities. Shiroku became very successful through it's towering apartment growth and commercial towers. Millions have moved in because of the country's low cost on housing and it's peacefulness.

Sectors
Shihaisha is divided into 11 sectors. 70% of the sectors are forest and are not populated. Kessai, Hazoku, and Kawaji are the only populated sectors of the country. Forest sectors include Kitaigan, Taihebu, Naiya, Kyunomo, Shiubu, Motsuka, Metona, and Nantō. The government is planning on master-planned communities to help with increasing populations.

Languages
As of 2012, Shihaisha has 2 official languages: English and Japanese. Some locals also speak their native language with friends and relatives.

Most highway signs and store signs have English and Japanese translations of what's being said. According to Shihaishan law, if a provided translation of both languages is not shown, tickets or imprisonment will be given to the person guilty. This was to help with English-speaking residents and Japanese-speaking residents in the country.

Transportation
Shihaisha is grand, yet small in population and dense. Most roads consist of thin lanes to increase density, although larger avenues and high-capacity roads have wide lanes for less congestion. Driving is encouraged in Shihaisha, although a great majority of the population like to walk to their jobs. Shihaishan government hopes to have a green environment, thus cleaner ways of transportation have been made.

Roads
Roads are plenty in the country. On average, Shihaisha sees 3,592,172 drivers on the road every day. Most roads consist of narrow lanes because of the density in the big cities. Traffic although, is not much of a problem because the majority of the people tend to use public transportation. Many cars that are used in Shihaisha are electric.

Highways
Shihaisha has very few highways because of its small size. It currently hosts 3 highways, with 2 of them connecting the entire country together. Highways include: S-Highways & EXP-Highways.

S-highways are used to decrease driving time when driving from one part of the country to the other. S12 is the only current S-highway in Shihaisha. Future growth will consist of adding 5 more S-highways.

EXP-highways are used for faster travel to neighboring countries or inner-city travel. 2 EXP-highways exist currently: EXP-Nippon and EXP-Shiroku. Unlike S-highways, there are no numbers in their names, instead, choosing the destination to where the highway would end. Most EXP-highways tend to have toll booths.

Public Bus
The bus has taken a major part in transportation around the small, suburban-like cities. Shio-no Coach is the official bus network of the city. Shio-no Coach doesn't require payment for services, although other bus companies charge for a cheap fare because of better seating. The cities of Kukotoshi and Shiroku, the cities with the most amount of bus users, plan to have quick, bus-only lanes to certain parts of their cities. Shihaisha is an eco-friendly place, so many of the buses use less fuel on long drives. All buses are equipped with small TVs set to local news channels.

Railways
The commuter train is the 2nd most popular way of commuting through the country. TransAta's subsidiary TransGlobal currently operates the Ekusutori Rail system that runs through the country. All trains are fuel-efficient and have many of electronic amenities on board, such as TV screens, WiFi, and smart toilets. TransGlobal's takeover of the system has included a decreased amount of railroad crossings in dense urban areas. Many stations are located across from bus and subway stations.

Air transport
The flag carrier of Shihaisha is Shihai Airways, which flies to many destinations and plans on flying to more in the future. Sky Yasuku on the other hand is also international, but serves more of the low-cost carrier market. The 2 largest airports in the nation are Shinkawa Capital International Airport and Shiroku International Airport. United and Delta are major international carriers into the nation.

Culture
The Shihaishan culture has improved greatly since when the nation was first formed in 1956. The culture is heavily influenced by that of the Japanese culture, however there are some traces of Western, Chinese, and Korean culture. In order to preserve the historical temples and forests in the nation, there has been a Shihaishan Historical Conservation Program or SHCP set up to preserve the places.

Art
The Shrines of Shinshō (神の神社将 Kami no jinja shō) are examples of some of the many shrines built in response of the nation's need of new shrines. Like those from Japan, many early buildings in the nation were built of wood and stones which had at least one shōji in each building. Recently, the technology in the area has allowed earthquake resistant towers to be built in highly-active regions. Although the use of concrete and windows are used as the primary plan for buildings in the area, more glass structures have been built. Shihaishan art is mainly compromised of a contemporary version of Japanese-style painting. Many artists favor painting the Shrines and other natural areas, leaving urban areas and modern day areas to photographers. Shihaishan arts are featured in some manga comic books for children, and sometimes even anime.

Music
During the nation's early years, folk music using the shamisen and koto were popular. Although, once a spike in American immigration had started in the 1960's, the music had started getting a Western influence on it. Soon, there were a few country songs played on the radios in Shihaisha, although the craze had died down during the reformation.

Modern day Shihaishan music consists of many Shi-pop, A-pop, and J-pop influence. Karaoke at certain clubs in the urban areas have also become a trend.

Cuisine
The average Shihaishan's diet consists of breakfast, chīsaku, lunch, and dinner, although dessert is optional. During breakfast, the meal usually consists of white rice, any sort of seafood, and a bowl of ramen noodles. Chīsaku is a snack in between breakfast and lunch. Sometimes served at chīsaku is tempura, or sushi. Lunch consists of a bowl of miso soup, yakitori, and anything else one chooses to eat. Dinner is the largest meal of the day consisting of: Miso soup, tempura, any sort of seafood, rice, udon soup, and anything else. Many meals are served with green tea as beverage.