Government

## Introduction

Minami is an empire. The official long-form name of Minami is "The Imperial Realm of the South", *Minami Teikokudo"* (南帝国土).

Administration consists of an Emperor (天子, tenshi), at the top; a representative *Shogun* (将軍); Ministers (大臣) and Ministries; and *Daimyou* (大名), hereditary feudal lords.

Furthermore, there are Ministers representing the faculties of the Government at various levels; and also Daimyou (大名), feudal lords who own land and who are subordinate to the Shogun.

Minami is a centralized government, exercising power over administrative areas with a hierarchy of delegated officials.

The governmental system of Minami is called the *Ritsuyou*, and is based off of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism. The original version of this *Ritsuryou* system was used in ancient Japan.

## Major characteristics

The *Ritsuyou* system, Minami's system of government, defines both a criminal code, the *Ritsu* (律), and the *Ryou* (令), hence the name "Ritsuryou".

### Centralization of Authority

The central administrative government of Minami has two major top-level branches. Namely, the J*ingi-kan* 神祇官, and the *Daijou-kan* (太政官).

The *Jingi-kan* deals with matters pertaining to religion, while the *Daijou-kan* deals with matters relating to the state.

The *Daijou-kan* is split into 8 ministers, who deal with specific aspects of government. Ministers may also head *ministries*, groups of people dedicated to managing particular parts of government.

### Rating of Government Officials

A global system of ranking for all government officials is present in Minami's government. Known as *kanshoku* (官職), this system rates government officials by merit and performance. This system prevents abuse by limiting their power based on the rating of the official. Promotion is a bureaucratic process, and in order to advance or be promoted in government, one must have a consistently high rating to be recommended to higher positions.

Note that this system is not a "title" system, but rather a *trust* system, which is one method that provides a check-and-balance for abuses in government.

This system regulates strictly the privileges and powers of officials. It consists of 8 ranks, the highest being the 8th rank *ichi-i* (一立); and the lowest being *so-i* (初立), the 0th (beginners) rank. The top six ranks are considered true aristocracy and are consequently very hard to obtain.

### Administrative regions

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The *Ritsuryou* system divides Minami into several administrative regions. The original historical system was slightly adjusted.

* Territories (*dou,* 道), large top-level regions with several *provinces*
* Prefectures (ken, 県), composed of *districts*
* Townships (*gou*, 郷), composed of *cities, towns, and villages*
* Cities (*chi,* 市); Towns (*chou,* 町); and Villages (*son,* 村)

## Heirarchy

The Minami government has a heirarchy of officials. These are the major ranks of Minami government.

### Emperor

The highest position in all of Minami, the Emperor is believed to be divinely descended from the gods.

### Shogun

The prime-minister to the Emperor. Some eras may have a Shogun, while some eras may not. During times of peace, the Emperor is not expected to intervene in ordinary issues, and the Shogun handles most of the complicated affairs of the Government and the officials below him.

### Ministers

Ministers are advisors to the Shogun and the Emperor, and also overseers of the government. There are 8 ministers under the *daijou-kan*, the department of state. Ministers are dedicated to overseeing certain aspects of the government. They may also head *ministries* with people assisting them. Unlike the *daimyou*, they do not own large lands. However, they have the power of assembling together and exercising legislative authority over Minami.

### Daimyou

The daimyou are the feudal lords of Minami. They mainly function as large landowners, though they cannot exercise national lawmaking power. They could, however, make regional laws that apply within lands that they own. The Prefectures of Minami are owned by the Daimyou.

Their powers are mostly hereditary, with them being passed down by their parents and their nobility-descended families.

## Minstries

The nation contains 8 Ministries (府省, *fushou*). Ministries handle particular areas of government and administration. Some ministries may be assistants to the Emperor, while some may do jobs such as record-keeping or taxation. Each ministry is headed by a Minister (大臣, *daijin*).

Though some ministries might have multiple members in them, ministries are generally thought of as representative of various faculties, or operations of government, rather than discrete organizations. As managing government matters may be hard, there can be assistants and advisors to Ministers within the particular Ministry.

### Note

The names of the Ministries in Commonspeak are only loosely translated, since they follow the antiquated *Ritsuryou* system used in ancient Japan.

### List of Ministries

#### Ministry of the Center

中務省 *Nakatsukasa-shou*

This ministry primarily takes care of matters pertaining to the personal life of the Emperor.

This ministry also helps with timekeeping and recordkeeping, and signing of official documents.

Some jobs include helping the Emperor observe proper forms of etiquette; advice to the Emperor; the inspection and signing of imperial documents; the issuance of edicts by the Emperor during war; compilation of the faction's history; and the timekeeping and adjustment of the Calendar.

#### Ministry of Ceremonies

式部省 *Shikibu-shou*

This ministry has the authority to rate and monitor government officials. Furthermore, the *Shikibu-shou* enforces the *Ryou* criminal code. For this reason, the "Ministry of Ceremonies" is slightly misleading. The coinage of "Ceremonies" was mistakenly applied by Western historians while trying to translate the ancient Japanese *Ritsuyou* system.

Another job of the Shikibu-shou involves the conducting of Imperial Examinations, and facilitating higher education among literate populations.

#### Ministry of Civil Administration

治部省 *Jibu-shou*

The Ministry of Civil Administration formally manages foreign affairs; religious affairs; and family registers. The ministry's roles have also evolved to include the recordkeeping of Imperial court history; supervision of higher-ranking Imperial families; and the overseeing of Imperial mausoleums.

#### Ministry of the Populace

民部省 *Minbu-shou*

This ministry provides for the public infrastructure of the nation, and also various services for the common population. As this ministry views common people as taxable assets, this Ministry collects taxes from the population and presents them to the Ministry of the Treasury. This ministry also performs record-keeping for matters pertaining to real-estate, census, and tax accounting.

#### Ministry of War

兵部省 *Hyoubu-shou*

This ministry serves as the defensive body of the nation. This ministry manages the Imperial Military (天兵, Tenbei).

The Minister is the also the highest ranking member of the military.

#### Ministry of Justice

刑部省 *Gyoubu-shou*

This ministry serves as the judiciary body of the nation. All state courts are managed and represented by the Ministry of Justice. This ministry performs judicial work such as: administration of trials; overseeing the severity of criminal punishments; and regulating fines, imprisonments, and penal servitude.

#### Ministry of the Treasury

大蔵省 *Ookura-shou*

This ministry manages all the financial spending and government expenditures of the nation.

Some of the jobs include: regulating all gold, silver, and copper coinage within the nation; overseeing commerce and industry; control of market fluctuations; and regulations of weights and measures.

All official tax records and collections end up under the auspices of the Ministry of Treasury, and this Ministry is considered the official tax collection body of Minami.

#### Ministry of the Imperial Household

宮内省 *Kunai-shou*

While the Ministry of the Center assists the Emperor with his personal duties, the Ministry of the Imperial Household takes care of the Imperial court as a whole.

Some responsibilities include: supervision of Imperial rice fields; management of Imperial servants and maids; procuring food, clothing, and items for the Imperial court; and cooking for the Imperial court.