Akiteiwa

Akiteiwa, officially known as the Imperial and People's State of Akiteiwa is a Unitary Constitutional Monarchy located in the Akitei Peninsula in Eastern Kesh. It controls an area of 799,675 square km, divided over 116 Prefectures and 1 Special Administrative Zone, with a collective population of over 113 million people.

The Constitution of the modern state of Akiteiwa was created in the 19th century amid economic and political modernisation. The turmoil of which caused much social upheaval, with the state evolving from a Feudal monarchy into an Absolute Monarchy and then into a Constitutional Monarchy in the space of 40 years.

In the decades following, Akiteiwa has endeavoured to integrate itself more into the international community, becoming an important source of agricultural goods and steel for export.

Prehistory
According to evidence from Akitei archaeologists and historians, the peninsula that encompasses the borders of modern Akiteiwa have been inhabited for around 30,000 years, the earliest migrants coming from the south, near modern day Kodeshia. Until the development of agriculture, these people lived in nomadic band societies, hunting and gathering as they moved. On the coasts, fishing formed a large part of the caloric intake and larger semi-sedentary settlements arose as a result of the reliable food security. Population saw a stark increase in approximately 9000 BCE, with the domestication of rice in the PROPER NOUN River Valley in modern day Guurdalai. With the primary method of food production moving away from hunting and gathering, society became more specialised, leading to the formation of complex social structures and the earliest states.

Early States
It is believed the precursors to the modern Akitweiwan state arose approximately around 2500 BCE, coinciding with the the diffusion of Bronze technology from Kodeshia. These states arose from small cabals of warriors clad in Bronze consolidating their control over fertile rice farming territory, forming dozens of "Rice Kingdoms" around the river valley. In time, these rice kingdoms came into conflict with each other over resources and prestige. Records for this period are scarce, but academic consensus points to PROPER NOUN kingdom being the first incarnation of both Akitweia and Guurdalai, with the Imperial Family drawing direct lineage from its first ruler PROPER NOUN. By 900BCE, this Empire controlled much of the river valley and surrounding area, becoming prosperous on trading tin to Kodeshia and taxing the trade of goods across the bay of PROPER NOUN

The Early Empire 1100-900BCE
The early history of the Empire is one marked by conflict and war. Sparked by a militant and expansionist government, the Empire embarked on a series of conquests around the river valley, deposing the nearby kings and instituting a centralised system of provincial governance. These conflicts drew ire from a greater and greater number of nearby kingdoms, causing them to band together in alliance. These increasingly difficult wars required increasingly larger numbers of professional, aristocratic soldiery. These soldiers would be raised from the lower ranks of the soldiery of the conquered peoples and would in turn, demand payment for partaking in the Empire's wars. This led to an increasingly robust political-military-bureaucratic complex in which the tax collecting bureaucracy needed to be expanded to new land in order to raise the necessary funds required to fuel the increasingly large military needed to exert control over these lands. Eventually, the Empire would conquer most of its neighbouring Kingdoms, leaving it with an oversized and underpaid military.

The First Imperial Civil War
With the spoils of war drying up as the rich rice kingdoms fell increasingly under Imperial dominion, the colossal military which had been the driving force of the conquest had found itself underpaid and marginalised by the new bureaucratic elite. This new bureaucratic class had found itself at the centre of Imperial political influence after monopolising the rights to collect taxes from the newly conquered territory. More often than not, this revenue would be collected by a member of this new bureaucratic class, who would act as the provincial governor. This marginalisation of the military caused some discontent within the aristocratic class of warriors. Petitioning straight to the Emperor, the military sought to wrest some political concessions from this bureaucratic class. In response, the Emperor dismissed these concerns, stating that his rule is law and that they will serve in his armies for whatever he gives them. Understandably, much of the military revolted, seeking to take land from the Empire for themselves, believing that this land was rightfully owed to them. Had they acted in unison, they could very much have forced the Empire to come to terms, however many of them defected to the Empire either out of loyalty to the Emperor or the fact that they were paid a handsome sum. In either case, the Imperial military destroyed the rebel army in open battle, ending the crisis. In the following years, the military had found itself properly subordinated to the Imperial government, having lost much of its number in the war. Still an aristocratic class, the warriors would spend their time quelling unrest and defending the Empire from raiders beyond its borders.

The Great Upheaval
In the early 19th Century, continued contact with Artemian powers spurred a period of modernisation and expansion of the technology, military, culture and administration of the Empire. This expressed itself primarily through the abolition of the previous feudal system of governance, and the introduction of new technologies such as industrial steelmaking and fertiliser mass production. Initially, this led to a brief period of Absolute imperial rule. However, following the a revolt of the old nobility, the feudal peerage established a constitution, mandating a legislative body made up of members of this nobility. This continued for nearly two decades, before a series of urban revolts called for elected representatives in a legislative body, much like the Artemian model. This led to the establishment of the proto-type of the modern State Diet.

The Grand Campaigns
The historical rivalry with Guurdalai dominated Akitei foreign policy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With Tiperyn being allied to Guurdalai, Akiteiwa had sought other Artemian powers for military and financial support. These powers included the Merand-Curgovinan Union, Teutonian Empire and the Federal Republic of Modrovia. Additionally, strong anti-imperialist sentiment led to increased trade and ties with Kodeshia, who formally entered into a military alliance with Akiteiwa in 1910 with the signing of the Orchid Compact. When Kodeshia declared war on Tiperyn in 1919, Akiteiwa followed, contributing to the Jade Sea offensive by committing its navy to a delaying action in the west of the Tethys. In the war with Guurdalai, an initial fast paced offensive on two fronts had caught the Guurkhun military off-guard, leading to a large swathe of territory being taken in the opening year. However, the Akitei military quickly found itself overextended and on the defensive, settling to dig in and consolidate its occupied territory, while also agitating for the other Akitei parts of the northern peninsula to revolt against the oppressive Guurkhun rule.

Geography
Akiteiwa is a peninsula in the far east of Kesh. It's relatively flat, with forests and developed rice farmland dominating much of the landscape.

Monarchy
The Akitei Imperial Family can claims its lineage back to the Empire that spawned from the river basin on the borders of modern Akiteiwa and Guurdalai. More specifically it can trace patrilineal descent from Emperor XXXX after the Great Cleaving in the Xth century, following the Gurkhun conquest of most of the Empire. For centuries, Imperial authority was paramount in Akitei politics, with minor interruptions during the Regent Century and the Great Interregnum. In more modern times, the Imperial family has devolved power to the Imperial Diet, where it still holds considerable legal influence, if significantly less than when they reigned as absolute monarchs.

Parliament
The Imperial Diet is the foremost legislative body in Akiteiwa. The Diet is Bicameral in nature, split between the Canopy of Swords and the Common Bough. The Canopy of Swords is analogous to an Upper House, with its members largely elected from and by the peerage. The Common Bough is analogous to a Lower House, though the power of the purse is vested in the Canopy, unlike other legislatures. Each House is empowered to elect specific members of the Cabinet; for example the Canopy holds the sole right to appoint the Ministers for Defence and Foreign Affairs, while the Bough holds the power to elect the Ministers for Health, Education and Agriculture. Each Ministerial position and its powers are enshrined within the constitution and any bill to create new cabinet positions must pass with a majority in both Houses.

Agriculture
Agriculture is the primary export focus of the Akitei economy. Rice, Soybeans and Citrus are the most major of exports, however fish, ducks, prawns and softshelled turtles are farmed in many parts of the country, contributing considerably to food security, rural incomes and cultural unity. While most farms are owned by small landowners, there has been considerable growth in large, consolidated farms. These farms are able to concentrate capital into new technologies and production methods, leading to increased economic growth.

Mining and Industry
Akiteiwa formerly gained fame as a robust steel exporter to Kesh. Following the exhaustion of its iron ore mines, vertical steel monopolies were forced to innovate their production methods, leading to steel production being among the last vestiges of the economy's former industrial capacity. As of 2019, most industry is in the form of light machine and arms manufacturing and cheap production of electronics. However there has been a trend towards an increase the production of industrial chemicals, primarily in the form of agricultural fertiliser. Due to the prominence of agriculture, food processing is a sunrise industry, with experts predicting a massive increase in production of fast moving consumer goods.

Services Sector
The services sector is generally considered by analysts as the weakest sector of the economy. With much of the workforce employed in agriculture and manufacturing, there is little in the way of disposable income for individuals, leading to limited growth in luxury services. However, there is growth in industry-based services such as in transportation and mechanical repairs for agricultural equipment. Being state owned, there is considerable investment in the health and education services, the bedrock for societal health and growth.