Seijuro Akashi

Seijuro Akashi (Sanese: 赤司 征十郎 Surname: Akashi born December 20, 1981) is the _th and current Premier of the Socialist Republic of Teiko. He is also the youngest to date to hold the office and first openly homosexual head of state and government in the modern times. Born in Rakuzan City, Makoto Prefecture, Akashi is a graduate of University of Kaijou and Touou Law School, where he earned his doctorate of law, becoming one of the first five Teikonians to be able to do so. During the 2001 Law Bar Exam, Akashi garnered a raw score of 99.82%, the highest rating ever achieved in such exam.

Akashi first entered politics as one of the Makoto Prefecture representatives at 22. At the Central-46, he served as Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson for his last three years and have presided over the impeachment case of former Minister of Transportation Sado Yasutora. He also co-written the original Teiko National Framework Agreement which garnered several critics in its implementation and rationale due to its fascistic nature. He was then appointed Minister of Interior and District Government (MIDG) in 2007, completing the last 3 years of Toriyama Yoshifuda who resigned over allegations with his liquidation reports over the mulled overpriced tanks brought from Germany.

In 2008, Akashi received national attention during his campaign to represent Teiko National Party in the upcoming 2009 Teiko National Elections. Despite criticisms raised against Akashi regarding his experience and lack of thereof, the Teiko National Party decided to nominate Seijuro Akashi for the Office of the Teiko Premier. The 2009 premier campaign was one of the most heated and expensive in Teiko's history. The original nominee of the Democratic Party of Teiko, Yuu Yanase withdrawn from the race in the last minute. Amidst the issues, he then defeated incumbent Beika Prefecture Representative Tatsuya Himuro with a landslide victory in popular votes as of the widest margins in any national elections in Teiko. Akashi was inaugurated as premier on January 30, 2010.

During his first two years in office, Akashi implemented strict fiscal policies and rules. Majority of the problems he earned from the past administration arise in the Ministry of Interior and District Government and Ministry of Budget and Finance. Akashi signed into law a few notable economic stimulus legislation in response to foster a better Teiko economy. Among these includes, the Teiko Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2011 and the Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Akashi also signed the controversial SSM Act of 2014 which legalizes same-sex marriage in Teiko in March 2014 as well as the Foreign Policy Conscription Act in August 2014 that will require foreign born neutralized Teiko citizens to serve in the military for at least one year.

Akashi announced that he is not sure whether he will be seeking for any reelection but mentioned that living somewhere far from politics is one his lifetime goals during the 2014 Correspondence Night. Akashi promised to fulfill the last remaining agenda in his last year in office and he will not place any unfinished task that will burden the incoming administration. Outside of politics, Akashi has given away several amount for charities and he has announced his plans to marry his current fiancé, Furihata Kouki before his term ends on January 2016.

Early Life
Seijuro Akashi was born on December 20, 1981 in Rakuzan City, Makoto Prefecture. He is the only child of Tadatoshi Akashi, then mayor of Rakuzan City and Amaya Akashi, daughter of a prominent Teiko businessman. Akashi's parents met in 1979 in an arranged marriage that will further strengthen the relationship between the two most eminent families in Rakuzan, the Akashi Clan and the Kitagawa Clan. After several months of dating, the two finally married on April 4, 1981 in Haranishi. The couple despite having domestic issues and the swirling controversies surrounding them remained as one until 1985.



In 1985, after a series of heart attacks due ailing health, Akashi's father died and his mother suffered severe injuries in the skull in a vehicular accident at the Yagamo Road (now Daisuke Niwa Avenue) near Tōnaibata. Not long afterwards, Amaya Akasi also passed away two months after the accident. Seijuro Akashi, who was 4 back then was adopted by his uncle, Masahiro Akashi, founder of Kronos Heaven Technologies and International Container Terminal after several deliberation on the child's ownership. The Rakuzan City Court finally announced that the child ownership should belong to the Akashi Clan despite protests from the Kitagawa Clan.

Akashi under the supervision of his uncle attended Ouran Academy, one of Teiko's premier and elite schools in Rakuzan City for his elementary, high school, and college education. He graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor's degree in law and continued to pursue a doctorate degree under the University of Kaijou and Touo Law School. In 2005, Akashi garnered his doctorate degree in law, becoming one of the first Teikonians to able to achieve such. He was one of the students of former professor of economics at Ouran Academy, former Premier Izaya Orihara. In 2001, Akashi set the record for the highest rating in any Law Board Exam in the world with 99.82%.

During his college years, Akashi was an active youth leader and volunteer. He was also voted as president of the Teiko Youth Council, the head organization of all student body organizations and youth councils in Teiko. Akashi was also the student body president of Ouran Academy since his second year and was a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Youth Award, the highest endowment that can be given to any civilian in the criteria by the national government. Seeing his potential as a politician, Akashi despite being groomed to be a successor of the Akashi clan's corporations decided to run for a congressional seat of Makoto Prefecture during the 2003 general elections.

Congressional Career
Akashi's entry to politics was plagued with controversies mostly coming from the opposition stating that he is only running for publicity and to further expand the interests of the Akashi Clan in the Teiko politics. However despite the criticism, Akashi ran for a seat in the Central-46 as a Makoto Prefecture Representative under the banner of the Teiko National Party in the 2003 general elections. Akashi won in a landslide victory quickly defeating his opponent then Makoto Prefecture Representative, Nobukazo Kotabe even in the early reading of the ballots.

Akashi was elected to the Central-46 for the 17th Session (2007-2010), representing the 3rd district of Makoto Prefecture becoming one of the youngest to hold such position at age of 24 years and 1 month. Akashi was also voted as chairman of the Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations also known as Blue Ribbon Committee.

As a member of the Central-46, Akashi passed numerous house bills and resolutions:


 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-4251, granting annual productivity incentives to all workers in the private sector.
 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-4397, strengthening the regulatory power of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Board in regulating multi-national corporations
 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-3532, increasing the penalties for non-compliance of the prescribed increases and adjustments in the wage rates of workers.
 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-1842, providing for the codification of criminal laws.
 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-8193, inquiry in aid of legislation into the policies and processes of the Energy Regulatory Commission in granting rate increases to electric utilities.
 * Central-46 Bill #1001-2204-8401 which is referred to as the Teiko National Framework Agreement, still being processed as of May 2014.

Akashi was offered to become the Sandaedeung during a snap Central-46 election on November 8, 2009 but declined and ran for Teiko Premier on the same year.

Minister for Interior and District Government
After Toriyama Yoshifuda's resignation in early 2007, loss of confidence with then Premier Izaya Orihara plunged deeply to its lowest since his appointment. The need to find a replacement was very imminent and one of the first people recommended by Former Sandaedeung Leon Fuwata was Akashi Seijuro. Such remark was met with mixed reactions but nevertheless, Akashi was appointed by Izaya on August 2007 to complete the last remaining three years in office.

Seijuro Akashi's appointment to become Minister Interior and District Government (MIDG) was met with criticism majority of which comes from the Democratic Party of Teiko. Most of the critics mentioned that the MIDG which is considered to be the most important ministry in the cabinet should not go to someone who has not even served the Central-46 for more than one term. Although such appointment is constitutionally valid, naysayers call it a taboo. There was also a minority opposition coming from the Teiko National Party itself considering that Akashi will be replacing someone who resigned over corruption allegations. Kise Ryouta's appointment to the Ministry of Internal and External Communications was both met with criticisms and praised. Being the first Teiko Cabinet official to have been a singer, model and actor, many politicians slams Seijuro Akashi of inter-weaving the media and politics and taking advantage of it to clean its administration's image as the Teiko National Election of 2014 is coming fast in November. However, Akashi himself declined the accusations and instead called out his opponents as worrisome and anxious as they know they have failed to please the Teikonians in their present term.

Personal Life
In a 2013 interview, Akashi highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "Although I do not have a family of my own yet, the Akashi Clan is very much like a little AIN if not more like UN and the daily dealings includes the World War 2 and Hundred Years War to be more precise.", he said. "It's so funny to think that when people actually talk about the Akashi Clan, all they get is fear and hatred when in fact majority of my family members are weirder and funnier than you thought they would be." Akashi has six uncles in his father side and two aunt which among them includes several key people like Masahiro Akashi, a prominent Teiko businessman, Kobayashi Akashi, former Sandaedeung of the Central-46 and Ryoko Akashi, former cabinet member. In history books, it is very much noted that the Akashi Clan played a vital role in the formation of modern Teiko after the World War 2.



In his youth, Seijuro Akashi was known as "Sei" among his family and friends, but asked to be addressed with his surname during his college years as it was the status quo. Besides his native Japanese, Akashi is a polyglot who can speak fluently in Korean, English, Chinese and some basic Thai, Greek, Latin and German. Majority of the foreign language was learned through college and was polished via self-teaching. Akashi also enjoys and literature and writes novels and essays in his free times. As of 2014, Akashi have published two books after his college graduation, Life Beyond Limits and The Call.

Akashi loves to plays basketball, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team in Rakuzan National High School wherein he won three major consecutive tournaments as captain; he is ambidextrous. He is also a supporter of the Rakuzan Minotaurs, and is a major fan of the Teiko National Basketball League. In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first basket at the all star game while wearing a Rakuzan Minotaur jersey. He is also primarily a football and baseball fan. Also as a college athlete, he also advocates sports to all youth and healthy living for all. In 2011, Akashi invited the 1980 Rakuzan Minotaurs to the Imperial Residence for a courtesy call.



In July 2008, Akashi met Furihata Kouki during a government summit dinner wherein the latter works as department head of Aviation Safety and Regulatory Department under the Ministry of Transportation. Working together with the Central-46 Committee on Transportation, Furihata was assigned under Akashi on August later that year. Furihata declined initial request to date but the two began dating three months afterwards. Although both was hesitant at first, their relationship began to be in public by early 2009. The couple received many critics coming both from the religious sector and the press. As of March 2014, after the passage of the SSM Act of 2014, Akashi announced his plans for marriage before his term ends.

In December 2013, Arashi and Kanjani estimated the Akashi clan's net worth at $19.3 billion and Onodera publishes in its annual report of Onodera 400 that the Akashi clan headed by Masahito Akashi is the second richest family in Teiko. Their wealth mostly came from corporate holdings, stocks, bonds and other non-liquid investments. Akashi's personal wealth is estimated at $56 million which includes his real estate properties in Shinza. Akashi is also a major philanthropist having given away a total amount of $24 Million since 2011 to different social outreach organizations such Blue Waves, The Habitat and Wammy House Foundation.

Religious views
Akashi is an agnostic theist by religion. He wrote in an article for Devon News that he "was neither raised in a religious household nor does he want to be either". Akashi described his uncle as being detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known." He also described his aunt as a "confirmed atheist" basing in her actions and lifestyle. Akashi explained that despite his friends and other relatives convince him of a certain religion, he came to understand that religion by per se is not the most important thing in life but rather the attachment to a deity and each one is accustomed to believe in his own and figure out for oneself who god is.

Despite his unbelief in religion, Akashi met with a lot religious leaders to discus spirituality. Naoto Kun, a Japanese pastor once mentioned in his weekly articles that Akashi is not an close minded individual and his heart is open for any religion that may be given to him. Akashi confirmed the claims in October 2010 and simply shrugged the statements off. In 2012, however, he mentioned that he will no longer be meeting with with Kun after the latter gave another set of controversial statements against Akashi prior to the 2012 general elections.