Theis an island nation in the western Pacific ocean. Located 700 kilometers east of Japan , the islands are divided into 16 provinces spread over many islands, Yakashima is a parliamentary democracy , where the executive and legislative branches of government are interconnected.

Yakashima is a stratovolcanic archipelago of 521 islands. The 3 largest are Meitochi, Botonishi and Engishima, which make up the majority of Yakashima's land area. Yakashima's population of 36.9 million, making it the 37th largest in the world. 6.7 million people live in the Sentomachi area, making it the 39th largest city in the world

Archaeological evidence indicates aboriginals, known now as the Orichoro, lived in Yakashima since about the year 300 . These people likely immigrated to the islands from Japan and settled in the western islands of the nation. In 1266, Japan gained control of the islands, but they were almost forgotten during the Edo Period. In 1612, Dutch sailors landed on the eastern shores, and a clash between the Western and Eastern societies continued until Yakashima's independence in 1798, as Japan began entering the Meiji Period.

Yakashima is a member of the UN and the G20. A minor economic and political power, Yakashima is a developed country with the world's ninth largest economy by nominal GDP. IN 1933, Yakashima renounced its right to declare war, but still has a small military and navy. Yakashima ranks high in measures of freedom, civil liberties, rights, equality and education, and ranked 3rd in the 2014 Human Development Index.

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Etymology

The name Yakashima likely comes from the Japanese phrase mountain island. This is probably due to the island's large Soratawa Mountains in the western regions of the island that Japanese settlers first saw when settling the mountains.

When the Dutch settled in Yakashima, they called the islands Greiland, which is a compound word of the Dutch phrase green land, likely owing to the island's lush forests. There are other names, but none of them stuck, and in 1798, the name Yakashima was chosen as the final name.

History

Prehistory

Evidence of human habitation of Yakashima dates back to the year 312, where explorers from what we now call Japan immigrated to the islands. It is unknown why, but early records suggest they christened the land Tochichiksura, which means land of Earth and sky. These settlers established the city of Yuhimachi and began to spread all around the islands. These people became known as the Orichoro.

The Orichoro developed a culture and history of their own, similar to Japan. Around the year 456, there were 3 main societies on the island: the Yamajunin (mountain dwellers), the Moribito (forest people) and Firosha (field workers). Beginning in the year 566, Ichirou Akiyama, the current Emperor of Yakashima united the three societies into an alliance known as the Toritiekei, or the Triple Alliance. This created political stability and ended many of the ways occurring among the societies.

In 501 AD, Yakashima entered the Yutabito Period, which marked prosperous living among all the three, now united socieites. Ichirou Akiyama died that same year and passed the throne to his son Daichi. At this time the population of Yuhimachi swelled to 30 thousand. Other cities such as Sentomachi, Mokuzudo and Ungamizu grew to over 15 thousand people. Countless other villages also popped up. This period, which lasted until the 13th century, saw the Yakashima people much better then any other ancient societies. No other civilization even knew of its existence.

Annexation by Japan

Yakashima's true cultural assimilation to Japan occurred on September 16, 1266, in an event known as the Day of Namida, where thousands of Japanese samurai raided the islands and burnt Yuhimachi to the ground. Tochichiksura was renamed Yakashima and the current Emperor, Hiraku Akiyama, was hanged.

The Emperor of Japan was given control over the islands. The vast reserves of coal and fish, which the Orichoro had learned to charish and preserve, were delved and mined mercilessly by the Japanese. When Japan entered the Edo period in 1603, Yakashima was largely forgotten and 80% of all Japanese samurai were pulled from the island and back to Japan. The population began to relax. During this time, the new government opened up the borders of Yakashima and allowed Dutch, Portuguese and English explorers to come and trade.

In 1787, Japanese samurai returned to the islands, but the population fought back, using knowledge gained from Western explorers, and a ten year long war known as the War of Dokuritsu occurred. In the end, in 1798, Yakashima was declared independent from Japan after six hundred years of enslavement.

Modern Era

In 1821, the Treaty of Independence was written, which officially declared Yakashima independent from Japan. In 1845, Yakashima's sovereignty was finalized when the Constitution was written. In the 1850s and 1860s, as Japan began to gradually open up its borders, the Yakashimese Prime Minister Rokurou Ueno assisted Commodore Matthew Perry in convincing Japan to open up its trade routes.

Yakashima largely adopted Western models of government. They adopted the British Navy model and the German army model, and the French political system. Yakashima's quick opening of their borders allowed a slurry of new ideas to enter, which gave it the knowledge it required to pull through that era.

In 1938, Yakashima was invaded by Japan who invaded the capital of Sentomachi. Many were killed in this massacre. In 1940, as World War 2 began, Yakashima declared allegiance to the Allies and the United States sent in extensive military support. Yakashima was a key strategic point in the Pacific theater. During World War 2, Prime Minister Yuuma Suzuki extensively helped the United States in their military conflict, though Yakashima did little actual fighting.

After World War 2, Yakashima mended its relationship with Japan as the new Japanese constitution was written. Now, the two nations maintain complex trade routes and political relationships. Yakashima was largely uninvolved in the Cold War, but briefly played a role in the Vietnam War as it gave the US military and political assistance.

Government and Politics

Yakashima is parliamentary democracy whereby the Prime Minister is both head of state and part of Parliament, and gets a say in laws being made. The title of Prime Minister is elected every 8 years, with a midterm approvement vote being held every 4. Votes are held using the alternative vote.

The legislative organization is, as mentioned above, is known as Parliament, and operates out of Parliament Tower in Sentomachi. Parliament is a bicamerial parliament, where power is divided between the Senate, which holds 512 seats, and the House of Commons, which holds 256 seats. Seats are elected by popular vote every 6 years. Parliament is dominated by the Yakashimese Liberal Party, which has held power for a straight 20 years.

Administrative Divisions

Yakashima is divided into 16 provinces and 112 counties. Each province has an elected Governor that represents the province in the House of Governors in Parliament Tower, in Sentomachi. The various provinces and their locations are listed below.

Each province has a capital. The capital city of Osenta, for example, is also the capital city of Yakashima itself, that city being Sentomachi. For the capitals of each province and the histories, view the Provinces page.

Geography

Yakashima has a total of 521 islands located in the Western Pacific Ocean. The main islands from north to south, are Meitochi, Botonishi and Engishima. Meitochi, known locally as the Mainland, contains most of Yakashima's land area and houses most of the populace. The Nishisuito Islands, located in the northwest, are the largest archipelago, containing 487 islands.

67% of Yakashima is mountainous, mostly extending into the west. As you travel east, the terrain slowly recedes, to the point where the eastern provinces are mostly marshes and floodplain. 4/5 of the residents reside on the coast, where nearly all major cities are located. There are very few spots in Yakashima that aren't forested, with the exception of the very eastern regions.

The Yakashima islands lie just outside the Pacific Ring of Fire, but, like neighboring Japan, they do receive some volcanic activity. In fact, Yakashima is a stratovolcanic archipelago formed by volcanic forces. It is thought that Yakashima was once attached to the Eurasian continent, but drifted away along with Japan some 15 million years ago.