Politics & Law
Ashihara’s government currently consists of the House of Representatives, which includes the House of Councilors. The members of these seats are currently elected at the leisure of the Imperial Court, which holds the ultimate authority on which verdicts are passed. To become law, a bill will first be passed by both houses and then promulgated by the Emperor.
Prefectural decisions are handled by the Nakatsukasasho, a collection of ministries divided into left and right branches. The left ministry oversees socio-cultural affairs, whereas the right ministry manages economic and juridical matters.
Because of the close collaboration of the imperial court, the elite clans, and bureaucratic interest groups, it is sometimes impossible to determine who is responsible for specific policy choices. Historically, steps were taken informally by elite groups by quietly laying the foundation for proposed changes through gathering support and feedback from concerned parties. With the reformation of the government, these allegiances between clans and businesses were forced to develop into the official political parties known today.
Although these parties function within an official capacity in Ashihara’s government, they actually hold little sway in the decisions made by the house of representatives due to the Kazoku-rei.
The power one holds within the House of Representatives is almost solely defined by their proximity to the imperial court. Such notions of allegiances influencing political power is a holdover from the warring ages, and in modern Ashihara one’s ancestry continues to have more credence in court than one’s political aptitude.
The Kazoku-rei, the peerage law, defines the positions that are available to any individual within the government based on their placement within a predefined peerage; the Kazoku. There are five distinct ranks within the Kazoku: Ōshaku (王爵), Koshaku (侯爵), Hakushaku (伯爵), Shishaku (子爵), and Danshaku (男爵).
This law allows the higher echelon of the Kazoku to control a political party’s authority, going so far as to limit the prefectures which they can represent.
Clamours for Political Reform
The House of Representatives and the Kazoku continue to see a lot of criticism in modern-day Ashihara from the general public.
Politicians are lambasted for their inability to address the people’s needs and placing emphasis on ‘misguided, wasteful, and overall idiotic’ ventures, such as the expansion of industries. Advocates for political reform emphasize that the House of Representatives as it stands does little to provide for the people which they claim to serve.
Newer, more progressive political theories are being developed by scholars and activists alike. This has spurred the founding of the Jiyū-tō, a progressive political party which wishes to place the power back into the people’s hands rather than Ashihara’s elite.
Justice & Law enforcement
WIP