Nanpan

Nanpan (Traditional Chinese: 南本; pinyin: Nánběn), officially the Republic of Nanpan (Traditional Chinese: 南本共和國; pinyin: Nánběn Gònghéguó), is a self-proclaimed sovereign state in East Asia, lying off the south-eastern coast of the Hokkaido Island. Neighboring states include Japan surrounding Nanpanese territory, Russia to the northwest, China, South Korea and North Korea to the southwest. Nanpan is considered one of the populous micronations in East Asia.

Prehistorically, Nanpan was mainly inhabited by Yamato and Ainu before Han Chinese began immigrating to the area in the 21st century and declared the Republic of Nanpan. The country was part of Imperial Japan and post-war Japan for over a century, from 1868 to 2016. An independent Nanpanese self-proclaimed micronation was formed in 2016, following a Nanpanese victory in the Bloodless Revolution. Successive governments flourished as the state expanded geographically and politically into southwest of Hokkaido Island.

Nanpan's landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from mountains, lakes and forests to urban areas in the capital city of Nan'an. It exercises jurisdiction over four provinces and one direct-controlled municipality. The Republic of Nanpan is a unitary presidential constitutional republic with a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly.The Conservative Party and the Democratic Progressive Party of Nanpan has dominated the National Assembly since the declaration of independence in 2016. Nanpan is one of the founding members of East Asia Summit of Micronations and the Asia-Pacific Micronational Economic Cooperation (APMEC). The country ranks high on its national social policies, on the Human Development Index (micronations), notably on key measures of education, healthcare, life expectancy, quality of life, personal safety, and housing. Although population is low due to most uninhabited islands, Nanpan has one of the medium per capita incomes, with low taxes. The country has cultural influences from the Tang dynasty and is considered as part of the East Asian cultural sphere.

The first written mention of Nanpan is in Ezo history texts from the 21st century AD. Political influence from other regions, mainly Singapore, followed by periods of modern technology, particularly from Western Europe, has characterized Nanpan's history. Before the establishment of the Republic of Nanpan, the country was governed by Japan under the Hokkaido Prefecture. In 2016; President Yuen Siu-kei proclaimed the Republic of Nanpan, the entity constituted the area claimed following the bloodless Liuyue Revolution.

Etymology
The modern-day Mandarin word for Nanpan is 南本, which is pronounced Nánběn. The English word Nanpan possibly derives from the historical Chinese pronunciation of 南本; the Old Mandarin or possibly early Wu Chinese pronunciation of Nanpan.

The official name of the modern state is the "Republic of China" (Chinese: 南本共和國; pinyin: Nánběn Gònghéguó). The shorter form is "Nanpan" Nánběn (南本), from Nán ("south") and běn ("origin"); literally "Southern Origin", as the country lies off the south-eastern coast of Hokkaido Island.

Prehistory
Ainu, Nivkh and Orok first settled where Nanpan now is when it was part of Hokkaido before recorded history. During the Nara and Heian periods (710–1185), people in Hokkaido conducted trade with Dewa Province, an outpost of the Japanese central government. From the Middle Ages, the people in Hokkaido began to be called Ezo.

During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), the Japanese created a settlement at the south of the Oshima Peninsula. As more people moved to the settlement to avoid battles, disputes arose between the Japanese and the Ainu. The disputes eventually developed into a war. The victory of the Japanese Matsumae clan result to authority over the south of Ezochi until the end of the Edo period in 1868.

Hokkaido was known as Ezochi until the Meiji Restoration. Shortly after the Boshin War in 1868, a group of Tokugawa loyalists led by Enomoto Takeaki temporarily occupied the island, but the rebellion was crushed in May 1869. Hokkaido became a prefecture of the Empire of Japan after 1869.

Chinese settlement
A group of settlers from Mainland China settled in Nanpan and built a Chinese themed city in 1992; present-day Nan'an. Due to high entry fees and lack of visitors, the city was closed down and emptied in 1999. Since then, Nan'an was abandoned until the second Chinese settlement from Hong Kong and Macau which declared the Republic of Nanpan in 2016.

Republic of Nanpan (2016-present)
The two-months bloodless Liuyue Revolution ended with the independentists' victory with no major combat; Nanpan was occupied. On 19 June 2016, Yuen Siu-kei proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Nanpan with his faithful companions: Irene Cheung and Han Tsao-chi. Yuen was proclaimed president until 1 January 2017.

Geography
The total area of Nanpan is 487.8 km² (188 sq mi), making it one of the smallest countries in the world, smaller than Guam and larger than Andorra. The country is landlocked lying off the south-eastern coast of the Hokkaido Island, with Japan surrounding its territories.

Less than 10% of Nanpan's land area is urbanized, while the majority is grassland, woodland, shrubland, lakes and agricultural land. As much of the country's terrain is hilly to mountainous with steep slopes, less than 10% of Nanpan's landmass is developed, and about 80% of the remaining land area is reserved as country parks and nature reserves. High altitude vegetation in Nanpan is dominated by primary forests, as the primary forest was mostly left undisturbed, and most altitudes are also dominated by grasslands. Most of the country's urban development exists in Nan'an.

Climate
Nanpan has a humid continental climate, with a wide range of temperature between the summer and winter. Summers are generally warm but not humid, and winters are cold and very snowy. With an average snowfall of 5.96 m (19 ft 7 in), Nanpan is one of the few countries in the world with such heavy snowfall. The heavy snow fall is due to Siberian High developing over the Eurasian land mass and the Aleutian Low developing over the northern Pacific Ocean, resulting a flow of cold air southeastward across Tsushima Current and to west Hokkaido. Nanpan's annual average precipitation is around 1,100 mm (43.3 in), and the mean annual temperature is 8.5 °C (47.3 °F).

Government
The government of the Republic of Nanpan was founded on the Constitution of the Republic of Nanpan, which states that the RON "shall be a democratic republic of the people, to be governed by the people and for the people." The government is divided into three administrative branches: the Executive Branch (cabinet), the National Assembly and the Judicial Branch. The Pan-Blue and Pan-Green coalitions are presently the dominant political blocs in the Republic of Nanpan.

The head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the president, who is elected by popular vote for a maximum of 2 four-year terms on the same ticket as the vice-president. The president has authority over the National Assembly. The president appoints the members of the Executive Branch as his cabinet, including a prime minister, who is officially in charge of the Executive Branch; members are responsible for policy and administration.

The main legislative body is the unicameral National Assembly with 27 seats. Members serve four-year terms.

The prime minister is selected by the president without the need for approval from the legislature, but the national assembly can pass laws without regard for the president, as neither he nor the prime minister wields veto power. Thus, there is little incentive for the president and the national assembly to negotiate on legislation if they are of opposing parties.

The Judicial Branch is the highest judicial organ. It interprets the constitution and other laws and decrees, judges administrative suits, and disciplines public functionaries. The president and vice-president of the Judicial Yuan and additional thirteen justices form the Council of Grand Justices. They are nominated and appointed by the president, with the consent of the National Assembly. The highest court, the Supreme Court, consists of a number of civil and criminal divisions, each of which is formed by a presiding judge and four associate judges, all appointed for life. there is no trial by jury but the right to a fair public trial is protected by law and respected in practice; many cases are presided over by multiple judges.

Military
The Nanpanese military consists of the Army (RONA), the Navy (RONN), the Air Force (RONAF), the Marine Corps (RONMC), the Military Police and reserve forces. Many of these forces are concentrated near the Nanpan-Japan border. The first line of defense against an invasion is the RON's own armed forces. Current RON military doctrine is to hold out against any possible invasion or blockade by Japan until the Japanese authorities recognize the Republic of Nanpan; this has been reported unlikely to happen since Nanpan is a micronation and has no recognition from any UN member-states.

All Nanpanese males are constitutionally required to serve in the military, typically 2 years. However, only males over the age of 18, who have not gone through reserve training of the Army Reserve Force Students, are given the option of volunteering for the armed forces, or participating in the random draft. The candidates are subjected to varying lengths of training, from six months to two years of full-time service, depending on their education, whether they have partially completed the reserve training course, and whether they volunteered prior to the draft date (usually 19 February every year).

Economy
Nanpan has a dynamic, capitalist, export-driven economy with gradually decreasing state involvement in investment and foreign trade. In keeping with this trend, some government-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Real growth in GDP has averaged about 3%. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is substantial. Nanpan has its own currency, the Nanpan dollar.

The Nanpan Stock Exchange has a market capitalisation of $5,000 as of December 2016. The Nanpanese Government has traditionally played a mostly passive role in the economy, with little by way of industrial policy and almost no import or export controls. Market forces and the private sector were allowed to determine practical development. Under the official policy of "positive non-interventionism", Nanpan is often cited as an example of laissez-faire capitalism. Following the founding of Nanpan, the micronation industrialised rapidly as a manufacturing centre driven by exports, and then underwent a rapid transition to a service-based economy in 2016.

Demographics
Nanpan is a multi-racial country, with Chinese, Japanese and British historically making up the majority of the population. The vast majority of Nanpanese descend from the people of Mainland China, the Japanese Archipelago and the British Isles.

Religion
Nanpan has full religious freedom based on its Constitution. Upper estimates suggest that 84–96 percent of the Nanpanese population subscribe to Taoism, Confucianism, Folk religion, Buddhism or Christianity, including a large number of followers of a syncretism of these four religions. However, these estimates are based on people affiliated with a temple, rather than the number of true believers. Other studies have suggested that only 30 percent of the population identify themselves as belonging to a religion.

The "three teachings", including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, historically have a significant role in shaping Nanpanese culture.

Demographically, the most widespread religious tradition is the folk religion, which overlaps with Taoism, and describes the worship of the Shen (神), a character that signifies the "energies of generation". The Shen comprises deities of the natural environment, gods representing specific concepts or groups, heroes and ancestors, and figures from Sinorean mythology.

Among the most popular folk cults are those of Mazu (goddess of the seas), Huangdi (one of the two divine patriarchs of the Han race), Guandi (god of war and business), Caishen (god of prosperity and richness), Pangu and many others.

Education
Nanpan's education system used to roughly follow the system in England, although international systems exist. The government maintains a policy of "mother tongue instruction" (Chinese: 母語教學) in which the medium of instruction is Mandarin, with written Chinese and English, while some of the schools are using English as the teaching language. In secondary schools, 'biliterate and trilingual' proficiency is emphasised, and Japanese-language education has been increasing.

Nanpan's public schools are operated by the Nanpanese Education Bureau. The system features a non-compulsory three-year kindergarten, followed by a compulsory six-year primary education, a compulsory three-year junior secondary education, a non-compulsory two-year senior secondary education leading to the Nanpan Certificate of Education Examinations and a two-year matriculation course leading to the Nanpan Advanced Level Examinations. Under the national curriculum, there is only one public examination, namely the Nanpan Diploma of Secondary Education.

Robotics
Robotics has been included in the list of main national R&D projects in Nanpan during the early 21st Century. The government announced plans to build and program NXT robots, eventually to improve automatic system programs to make them more useful.

In December 2016, the Nanpan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) programmed the walking NXT Miniature Humanoid. The first Nanpanese-made NXT Miniature Humanoid were developed by Lego Mindstorms, built and programmed by a group of technicians from NAIST. The NAIST built and programmed many other kinds of robots, such as the NXT Robotic Artist and the NXT Portable Crane. The robotic technology relies on various of sensors that is programmed using codes, therefore a robot can self-control without a remote.

Plans for robotics are also incorporated in the entertainment sector as well; the Robot Game Festival has been held every year to promote science and robot technology.

Culture
Nanpan shares its traditional culture with China, but the both countries have developed distinct contemporary forms of culture since Nanpan seceded Japan. Historically, while the culture of Nanpan has been heavily influenced by that of ancestral China, it has nevertheless managed to develop a unique cultural identity. The literary emphasis of the exams affected the general perception of cultural refinement in Nanpan, such as the belief that calligraphy, poetry and painting were higher forms of art than dancing or drama. Nanpanese culture has long emphasized a sense of inward-looking national perspective. The Nanpanese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism actively encourages the traditional arts, as well as modern forms, through funding and education programs.

Concepts like feng shui are taken very seriously, with expensive construction projects often hiring expert consultants, and are often believed to make or break a business. Other objects like Ba gua mirrors are still regularly used to deflect evil spirits, and buildings often lack any floor number that has a 4 in it.

Cuisine
Most of Nanpan's cuisine comes from China, which is highly diverse, drawing on several millennia of culinary history. In Nanpan, food is viewed as crucial to national identity and a unifying cultural thread. Nanpanese literature declares eating a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a frequent topic of conversation among Nanpanese people. People from different communities often eat together, while being mindful of each other's culture and choosing food that is acceptable for all.

Nanpan's staple food is rice, wheat based breads and noodles. The diet of the common people in pre-modern times was largely grain and simple vegetables, with meat reserved for special occasions. And the bean products, such as tofu and soy milk, remain as a popular source of protein. South-eastern cuisine, due to the area's proximity to the ocean and milder climate, has a wide variety of seafood and vegetables; it differs in many respects from the wheat-based diets across northern Nanpan.