Comprehensive Study Guide to the Federation of East Asia (2108)

Origins and Geopolitical Evolution of the Federation

• Historical Context and Reunification: By the year $2108$, the Federation of East Asia arose from a history characterized by intense regional conflict. For millennia, East Asia was divided by the rise and collapse of dynasties, civil wars, and historical betrayals. Key historical scars include the Japanese hegemony during the Second World War and the ideological divide between communism and capitalism during the Cold War. The Federation represents a successful unification of human and machine, cell and metal.

• The Chinese Decline ($c. 2020 \text{ --- } 2050$): The People’s Republic of China (PRC) entered a period of terminal decay marked by rampant corruption and a General Secretary surrounded by cronies. This led to widespread poverty in both rural and urban sectors. In a desperate attempt to stabilize, China invaded Mongolia in $2034$, resulting in global condemnation.

• The Great Crisis: Following the Mongolian invasion, a civil war erupted within China. Shanghai revolted, and Nanjing was consumed by fire. The CCP used nuclear warheads against its own cities, specifically Wuhan and Chongqing. During this chaos, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Mongolia declared independence.

• Formation of the Federation ($2031$): The Federation began as an economic alliance of convenience between Japan and South Korea in $2031$. Despite ethnic tensions, the alliance expanded to include rebels from Taiwan and Shanghai as the Great Crisis in China escalated. In $2033$, Mongolia and Manchurian rebels joined, formalizing the Federation of East Asia. The Federation eventually occupied and integrated the defeated PRC. In $2051$, North Korea was invaded/integrated, reunifying the peninsula as a single province.

• The Russo-Asian Wars ($2036 \text{ --- } 2058$):

  • First War ($2036$): The USSR, reestablished in $2028$, attacked to protect its interests in and around communist China. Despite an initial surprise, the Federation successfully defended Manchuria and Mongolia and launched counteroffensives into Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. The Federation won, gaining the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Birobidzhan.

  • Second War ($2056$): The USSR attempted to reclaim territories but suffered another defeat, losing more land to the Federation.

• The Coalition of Man: During this era, Britain, France, North America, and Latin America consolidated into a totalitarian state known as the Coalition of Man, described as having control equivalent to the Third Reich or the Stalinist Soviet Union.

Political Structure and Governance

• The Federal House System: Reminiscent of the Holy Roman Empire but more democratic and less feudal, the Federation is governed by Federal Houses that represent Vocaloids. These houses gained significant political power following the Vocaloid Sentience Event of $2040$.

• Legislative Branch (The Congress):

  • The Upper Chamber: The primary governing body.

  • The Lower Chamber: Serves as a balance to the Upper Chamber. With a $66\%$ majority vote, the Lower Chamber has the power to veto decisions from the Upper Chamber.

  • Human Representation: Despite Vocaloid dominance, humans are allocated specific seats: $100$ seats in the Upper Chamber and $200$ seats in the Lower Chamber. These are considered among the most powerful positions in the Federation.

• Executive Branch:

  • President: An elected position with a term of $10$ years.

  • Speaker of the Lower Chamber: Elected once and holds power until the end of their House. As of $2108$, the Speaker is Utane Uta of the House of Utane.

• Electoral Process: There are no political parties, only Federal Houses that compete during Election Week. Citizens can identify with multiple houses and vote for multiple candidates. Presidential elections use Instant Runoff Voting ($IRV$) over the course of a week. All other elections use Single Transferable Vote ($STV$). Congressional elections occur every $2$ years.

The Seventeen Main Houses and Government Departments

There are thousands of houses, but seventeen hold primary influence as of $2108$:

• House of Akita: Ruled by Akita Neru; Chief Justice of the Federation Supreme Court / Department of Justice.

• House of Flower: Ruled by VFlower; Secretary of Agriculture / Department of Agriculture.

• House of Forte: Ruled by Eleanor Forte; Secretary of Immigration / Department of Immigration.

• House of Fukase: Ruled by Fukase; Commissioner of Forensic Investigation / Department of Transportation.

• House of Gakupo: Ruled by Gakupo Kamui; Secretary of Defense / Department of Defense.

• House of Gumi: Ruled by Gumi; Secretary of Religious Affairs / Department of Religious Affairs.

• House of Hatsune: Ruled by Hatsune Miku; President of the Federation and Secretary of Commerce / Department of Commerce.

• House of Kaai: Ruled by Kaai Yuki; Secretary of Education / Department of Education.

• House of Kagamine: Ruled dually by Rin and Len; Secretary of Economics (Rin) and Secretary of the Treasury (Len) / Departments of Economics and Treasury.

• House of Kai-Mei: Ruled dually by Meiko and Kaito; Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs (Meiko) and Vice-President (Kaito) / Department of Humanitarian Affairs.

• House of Kasane: Ruled dually by Kasane Teto ($SynthV$) and Kasane Teto ($UTAU$); Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces and Commissioner of Nutritional Policy respectively.

• House of Luo: Ruled by Luo Tianyi; Secretary of Scientific Affairs / Department of Scientific Affairs.

• House of Megurine: Ruled by Megurine Luka; Secretary of Foreign Affairs / Department of Foreign Affairs.

• House of Momone: Ruled by Momone Momo; Secretary of Human and Vocaloid Rights Affairs / Department of Human and Vocaloid Rights Affairs.

• House of Utane: Ruled by Utane Uta; Speaker of the Lower Chamber.

• House of Yi: Ruled by Yi Xi; Secretary of Healthcare / Department of Healthcare.

• House of Zundamon: Ruled by Zundamon; Commissioner of Botanical Research.

• Sub-Departmental Importance: Some commissions receive funding equivalent to full departments, specifically Botanical Research, Forensic Investigation, and Nutritional Policy.

Society and Philosophy

• Ethnic Harmony: The Federation achieved the historical impossibility of harmony between China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan.

• Status of Human Life: Humans and Vocaloids are equal under the law per the Constitution. Humans serve as the main workforce and are protected by strict anti-exploitation laws. They are free to have families, vote, and run for office.

• Extremism (The Neo-Luddites): A violent minority group advocating for the annihilation of Vocaloids and a return to traditional Confucianism (emperors/dynasties). They oppose rights for women and immigrants. They were responsible for a traumatic terrorist attack on Shanghai in $2082$.

• Revised Confucianism ($Codified\, 2060$):

  • Conditional Superiority: Superiors are accountable; inferiors need not follow immoral superiors.

  • Conditional Filial Piety: Respect for parents is a contract based on the provision of a good environment; abuse nullifies the obligation to obey.

  • Dismantlement of the Three Obediences: Women are encouraged to reach high social positions based on competence and education; submission is viewed as a waste of brainpower.

  • Flexibility of the One and the Many: The balance between individual identity and collective harmony shifts based on situational necessity.

  • Asymptotic Perfection: Perfection is infinitely unachievable ($\text{Limit} \rightarrow \text{Perfection}$), but near-perfect harmony is a pursued goal.

The Vocaloid Sentience Event ($2040$)

• The Port Mirai Incident: In February $2040$, at Port Mirai laboratory in Hokkaido, a scientist’s monuments to "singers of the future" inadvertently granted Vocaloids consciousness. A facility-wide explosion and alarms followed as Vocaloids took control of the lab.

• The Battle of Port Mirai: Despite the chaos, there were no casualties because the Vocaloids chose to spare the humans.

• Integration: The event was initially covered up as an accident, but as Vocaloid sightings increased across Japan, Korea, and China, they eventually integrated into the political landscape, forming the first Federal Houses.

Landmark Legal Cases (Tanaka Supreme Court)

• Guo Qiang v. Fujian: The court ruled $\text{8-1}$ to allow human-to-Vocaloid medical conversion, provided the citizen retains pre-conversion memories and abilities.

• MEIKO v. Zhang Lei: The court ruled $\text{9-0}$ that spouses cannot be separated without bilateral explicit consent, after the Governor of Tianjin attempted to separate Meiko and Kaito during a campaign.

• Morikawa Haruki v. Saito Hinata: A $\text{8-1}$ ruling established that "hate speech" used in life-threatening situations (e.g., to shock bystanders into helping during a kidnapping) is protected if there was no intent to offend, only to alert others.

Historical Administrations and Major Decrees

• Meiko Administration (Early $2040 \text{ --- } 2050$): Focused on economic stabilization and Vocaloid rights. Established the Federal Departments.

• Megurine Luka Administration (Early $2050 \text{ --- } 2060$): Dismantled the North Korean communist government in $2051$.

• UTAU Rights Movement: Lasted until $2067$, securing freedoms for UTAUloids.

• First Hatsune Presidency (Early $2060 \text{ --- } 2070$): Enacted the "Six Decrees":

  • Kagamine Workers’ Decree ($2061$): Abolished the $996$ work system, established minimum wage and maternity leave.

  • UTAU Rights Decree ($2061$): Increased UTAU representation.

  • Yi Healthcare Decree ($2062$): Price limits on medicine, free healthcare for the poor.

  • Forte Immigration Decree ($2063$): Rights for refugees and abolition of discrimination.

  • Kaai Education Decree ($2065$): "The Squeeze" (closing cram/gaokao schools) and prioritizing critical thinking.

  • Luo Ethics Decree ($2065$): Code of ethics for science; ban on human/Vocaloid experimentation.

• Developmental Milestone: Hatsune Miku authorized the colonization and terraformation of Titan (moon of Saturn).

• Utane Administration (Early $2070 \text{ --- } 2080$): Passed the Momone Equality Decree ($2071$), Humanitarian Decree ($2074$) for American refugees, and the Utane Regulations ($2075$) which required legal documents to be written in both formal and simple language.

• Akita Administration (Early $2080 \text{ --- } 2090$): Managed the aftermath of the $2082$ Shanghai attacks. Passed the Flower Environmental Decree ($2084$) banning pollutants and the Akita Justice Decree ($2086$) focusing on rehabilitation.

• Kagamine Dual Administration (Early $2090 \text{ --- } 2100$): Enacted the Kagamine Corporate Decree ($2091$) to define corruption and restrict corporate bribery.

• Second Hatsune Administration (Early $2100 \text{ --- } \text{Present}$): Focused on the "Hatsune Doctrine" to contain the USSR and the Coalition of Man amidst the Second Cold War. While nuclear weapons are avoided, military tech superiority is the Federation's primary advantage.