Kusari Empire

Kusari or the Kusari Empire (鎖帝国 Kusari Teikoku) is the title of one of the four original houses in Sirius. The Kusari is a small yet expansive house, with significant forces holding the four core systems (New Tokyo, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu) and claims and patrols to many other lesser systems surrounding them. Kusari influence stretches from the distant Tau-31 system to Sigma-19, effectively occupying the entirety of the known lower northern Sirius sector. Kusari is currently engaged in a war with Bretonia over the sovereignty of the Tau-31 system.

First landing
The Kusari was originally the name of one of the five Alliance sleeper ships carrying colonists on their escape from the Solar System to the Sirius Sector. This particular ship carried refugees from the Japanese part of the Alliance. The ship arrived in the Sirius sector in 4 A.S., taking a standard year to survey space until finally discovering a system within the Crow Nebula containing a planet suitable for human life. The system, as well as the planet would be officially named as New Tokyo. Conditions for food production were more than adequate, and the newly established house Kusari would quickly enjoy a period of quick growth and technological advances.

Nomad War (800-801 A.S.)
During the Nomad War Kusari would temporarily fall under the influence of the infested Governor Tekagi, who would play a vital part in pitting the forces of Kusari and Rheinland against each other during the Battle for Honshu. Tekagi himself is known to have been assassinated by a joint action of the Blood Dragons and the Order during the height of the war, possibly averting the Nomad infestation of the then Shogun Edo.

During the climax of the war a massive Rheinland fleet pushed through Sigma-13 straight into Honshu, where a large battle then commenced, eventually ending with the defeat of the infested Rheinland soldiers, and the subsequent end of the conflict.

Present day
813 A.S. marked the start of the largest conflict in the 9th century so far: the War for the Tau systems, more widely known as the Bretonian-Kusari conflict. The Kusari Naval Forces would dominate over the Bretonian fleet in this war, eventually leading to an ongoing invasion of Leeds.

Controlled and contested space
Kusari lays claim to as many as ten star systems (New Tokyo, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Tau-29 and Tau-31). Out of these, four hold colonised planets: New Tokyo, Kyushu, Honshu and Shikoku.

Despite the relative proximity to the Sigma systems, Kusari military do not often operate in the area, giving leeway to the fiercely independent Gas Miners Guild, on which the supplies of H-Fuel to Kusari rely.

Territorial claims
The Tau-29 and Tau-31 systems are considered as under the protection of Kusari since 812 A.S. This claim resulted in a state of war with the Kingdom of Bretonia. Currently the Kusari Naval Forces are in near total control of both Tau systems, with planet Harris being the last Bretonian controlled base left.

Recent Kusari progress into Leeds has successfully split the system into two sides, with the Kusari Navy now firmly holding Glasgow and Stokes, both of which were taken at the beginning of the invasion of Bretonia.

Government and politics
Kusari is a constitutional monarchy led by an Emperor as the official monarch and head of state. The Naval Forces are under the command of a Shogun who, although officially subordinate to the Emperor, wields both political and military power as his representative. The Naval Forces have formal control over unpopulated systems, aside from the bases present in those systems. Kusari also has a house of representatives from all the populated planets with official control over the government and it's ministries, although these representatives are mostly subordinate to the Shogun and Emperor.

Internal affairs
To outsiders Kusari might look like a single, unified empire, standing together in all matters. But in the house itself the reality is quite different.

Much of the house is divided between the influence of the two great keiretsu (corporations): Samura Industries and Kishiro Technologies. These two companies compete with each other fiercely, often to the point of an indirect war. While Kishiro prefers economic competition, Samura (being the larger of the two) utilises it's influence among the local thugs to physically impede it's rivals' growth, frequently resorting to sending attack parties against it's shipping. Kishiro on the other hand struck a deal with the Gas Miners Guild (disgruntled over Samura's ever growing prices) for exclusive distribution of H-Fuel, as well as taking several contracts with the Kusari Naval Forces. Kusari is also in the grasp of the Hogosha, who control much of it's middle structure through bribery. The Empire is known to openly endorse political organisations that resort to terrorism against foreign shipping when the state police aren't paying attention. Fighting against the Emperor and his Shogunate are the Blood Dragons and Golden Chrysanthemums - dedicated to different views, yet united in their similar goal of overthrowing the state and removing Samura's influence from the government.

All this is often carefully hidden by the Kusari government itself, which regards all foreigners with extreme suspicion, especially those looking to meddle in the local affairs.

Economy
The Kusari economy can be described as a free market system sporting little regulations and government intervention into the area of private businesses. This allowed two prominent companies to grow outwardly into corporate giants, scooping most of the other businesses to either one corporation or the other. In the present times these two great keiretsu (Samura Industries and Kishiro Technologies) control many of the largest and most profitable markets in all of Sirius (specifically the exclusive distribution of H-Fuel), which in turn places Kusari in a key political position on the international arena.

Although very competitive with each other, both Samura and Kishiro managed to corner certain markets in Kusari into monopolies, taking their competition to a new level of profit and control. Samura being the larger of the two is especially oriented towards developing new Kusari acquisitions in Hokkaido and the Tau systems. It's main dealings include: Kishiro is more oriented towards profit than "outgrowing" it's economic opponent. It's dealings are highly focused in the area of cybernetics and cutting edge technology, but specifically focused on:
 * Natural food grown on Kyushu, which provides direct competition to Synth Foods, Inc.
 * Hydrocarbons and fertilisers mined and processed in Tau-29 and Shikoku
 * Polymers processed on Tsushima Depot, Kyushu
 * Reselling niobium from the IMG to Rheinland
 * H-Fuel mining and distribution to Liberty and Rheinland.
 * Optronics development

Both corporations also operate commercial shipyards within Kusari territories, lending their services to civilian contractors, as well as the Kusari Naval Forces.

Foreign relations
The Empire currently maintains a myriad of different diplomatic stances, ranging from friendly cooperation with Rheinland to the near total war over the Tau systems with Bretonia. Relations with Liberty are at a neutral, but cold level, specifically due to the Naval Forces advance into Leeds. However, despite the Liberty-Bretonian alliance, no sanctions have been imposed on the Kusari state by Liberty -- a fact attributed to Liberty's reliance on several key Kusari imports. Rheinland is currently satisfying much of it's H-Fuel needs through trade with Kusari, creating a visible political bond between the two houses.

States and other Lawful Sovereign or Semi-Sovereign Entities

Crime and dissent
Kusari has a fair number of criminal and reactionary organisations, all formed into two camps: pro-government and anti-government.

Pro-government (quasi-lawful)
These groups are characterized by their non-hostile status with the local police forces, as well as their relationship with Samura Industries, essentially working as the corporation's handymen. This camp also has relations with the Corsairs, and is frequently engaged in widespread artifact smuggling. Two factions are recognized as part of this camp:
 * Hogosha is a large criminal organization engaged in a number of criminal activities (these including anything from protection rackets to artifact smuggling), with its influence spread all across Kusari. Similar to old Earth Yakuza, the Hogosha have have gained an understanding with the local police force primarily using bribery and extortion. Several notable political figures are known to cooperate with the Hogosha, thus making the organisation an entrenched part of the house, as long as the current government remains in power.
 * The Farmers Alliance is a political group with the goal of removing foreign food shipping from Kusari. Working closely with the Hogosha, the Alliance is frequently deliberately ignored by the state police, regardless of their criminal actions against foreign traders. It is also suspected to be very closely tied to the corporate giant Samura.

Anti-government (unlawful)
The anti-government camp is composed of two groups openly hostile to both the state police and naval forces, as well as to the two keiretsu and their supporters. Despite this dislike, the involved factions are more likely to spare Kishiro shipping than they are to not attack Samura. They also have a secret understanding with the Gas Miners Guild. This camp links two factions:
 * The Blood Dragons are a radical terrorist organization dedicated to overthrowing the Emperor and his co-conspirators in order to install a direct descendant of the Shogun Hideyoshi, and resume the Hideyoshi Shogunate formerly overthrown in the Sakura coup of 321 A.S. As a result, they are locked in a guerrilla conflict against the Kusari Navy (who are dedicated to the protection of the Emperor) as well as Samura and their Hogosha and Alliance cronies.
 * The Golden Chrysanthemums are a primarily female movement for the institution of a matriarchy, and a subsequent liberalisation of Kusari. The group is characterised by its heavy usage of Cardamine, as well as its sympathy to the Bretonian war effort in the Tau border worlds and the Bretonian government as a whole.