Akitsukuni

Akitsukuni, officially the Greater Empire of Akitsukuni (: 秋津国 Akitsukuni; formally 大秋津帝国 Dai Akitsu Teikoku, "Greater Empire of Akitsukuni") is a  in Uju. It consists of 54 prefectures in 5 regions and has a total landmass of ___ square kilometres, bordered to the south by Elwha and to the north-west by Sisimut. Akitsukuni has a population of around 78 million people, and approximately 9.1 million people live in Heian, the capital of Akitsukuni, which is one of the largest cities in the world. Other major cities include Miyako, the religious centre of Akitsukuni, Tokyo, a major cultural capital, and Kagoshima, the largest shipping port by volume in northern Uju.

The, , , and other native ethnic groups have inhabited what is now Akitsukuni since antiquity, with the Beō culture largely originating from the Sadamisaki peninsula. Jungjun colonisation began in the 16th century, led by Fusen. Akitsukuni was initially settled through penal transportation and exile of Fusenese political prisoners, while two colonies were established in the Akitsukuni region for the bountiful local resources. The populations steadily grew over the subsequent decades and by the 1760s most of the region had been explored and an additional five colonies had been established in the area. Numerous disputes between Fusen and the colonies resulted in the Akitsukunese Revolution, which began in 1762 and ended in 1782 when Fusen recognised the newly-formed Republic of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki as an independent nation.

The newly-independent nation embarked on a vigorous expansion into the interior of Uju throughout the 19th century, displacing and exterminating local native populations, acquiring new territories, and gradually forming new prefectures until it reached a size roughly identical to its modern borders in 1840. The Akitsukunese Civil War resulted in the establishment of the Empire of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki, the installation of the Akitsukunese monarchy and the instating of the Imperial Shrine religion as the state religion in 1848, marking a new stage in the development of modern Akitsukuni. Rapidly modernising in a bid to compete on equal footing with the colonial nations, the Empire's victory in the June War of 1890 confirmed its status as a new world power. Finally reforming into the Greater Empire of Akitsukuni, the Empire embarked on a path of increased militarism, nationalism and expansionism that culminated in the Uju War and the Uju Genocide, which expanded into a part of the Eulhae War that ended with an armistice. A violent coup by Nariakira Okabe in 1949 resulted in reforms made to the government to open up Akitsukunese industry and trade to the world, but laid the groundwork for a recurring cycle of civilian and military governments that only ended in 1991, after which the country underwent major political and economic reform and modernisation, emerging a major global economic and military power, and one of the major regional powers in Uju by the mid-2000s.

Akitsukuni is a modern, major economic power and was one of the fastest-growing developing economies until stagnation in the mid-2010s. It is a great military power with the ability to project its power across the globe, and is also the world's largest arms exporter. Rich in natural resources and minerals, Akitsukuni is an important resource hub for the region as well as nearby Sinju. Akitsukuni boasts one of the highest human development indexes in the region and one of the most diversified economies. It is a member of the Congress of Nations and the Global Threat Discussion Forum, and it is a founding member of the Co-Prosperity and Strategic Defence Coalition. At the same time, Akitsukuni faces numerous issues such as continued internal insurgencies, human rights controversies and strong right-wing politics.

Etymology
The name Akitsukuni (秋津国, あきつくに) translates into Autumn Harbour Land through the literal meanings of the Tianqian characters used in the name. Akitu is an archaic Fusenese word for "dragonfly", allowing the name to be interpreted as "Dragonfly Land" as well. An archaic poetic name from Fusenese legends that at one time referred to the island of Fusen itself, the name Akitsukuni was chosen by the explorer Mamoru Akiyama, the first Fusenese to set foot on Akitsukuni island.

Originally, the full name of the nation included the name of the territory Sadamisaki as well, but the name of Sadamisaki was removed in the declaration of the Greater Empire of Akitsukuni due to the perception that this implied both lands were separate, and not one single, unified nation.

Akitsukunese people refer to themselves as Akitsujin (秋津人) and to their language as Akitsugo (秋津語), even if it is essentially identical to the main Fusenese language besides certain differing words, accents and dialects.

Indigenous development and Sinjun contact
Mainland Akitsukuni was home to numerous native cultures since antiquity, including substantial populations of, and  peoples, with most on the northern coast forming sedentary communities while the interior maintained a nomadic lifestyle. Some of the larger communities maintained territories that spread between what are now modern state boundaries. The people developed and maintained a cohesive civilisation that spanned the entirety of Akitsukuni island and Sadamisaki peninsula.

Jeongmian explorers first arrived in the 15th to 16th centuries. The mainland native population began declining for various reasons, primarily from diseases such as smallpox and measles. Initially, violence was not a significant factor in the overall decline of the native peoples, though conflict amongst themselves and with Sinjuns affected specific tribes and various colonial settlements. In the early days of colonisation, many Sinjun settlers were subject to food shortages, disease, and attacks from the natives. Despite violence between the native factions and the Sinjun colonists, many natives and settlers also came to depend on each other. Trade between natives and settlers was common, including the trade of wares and knowledge about the local terrain and food cultivation.

It was only upon the large-scale arrival of Fusenese settler-colonists in the 16th century did major open warfare occur between natives, particularly the Beō, and the Sinjun settlers. The island Beō were quickly displaced from Akitsukuni island by Sinjun arrivals and resettled on the mainland.

Settlements
Mamoru Akiyama was the leader of settlement.

Independence and expansion
Rise of the Imperial Shrine.

Civil war and the Empire
See also: Akitsukunese Civil War

Various issues began to beset early Akitsukunese society, including the rise of the Imperial Shrine religion and its growing influence amongst the people and sectors of the government and racial issues surrounding the social status and rights of the native population compared to the Fusenese. A major schism formed between the Akitsukunese political factions surrounding the nation's allegiance to Fusen, from which it had won independence from less than half a century ago. Several groups, led by President Akira Masaki desired to reconcile with Fusen and join what was termed Greater Fusen in order to attain greater opportunities for growth and development. These were opposed by a vocal nationalist faction led by Hiromasa Ikeda, who was supported by the Imperial Shrine religious group, which had been banned and suppressed by the Fusenese government prior to the colonial period. Both Ikeda and the Imperial Shrine were staunch Sinjun-supremacists.

Tensions came to a head when President Masaki attempted to pass an amendment to the constitution to grant the indigenous peoples citizenship in the Republic. Ikeda and his supporters in several eastern provinces ultimately declared secession and formed the Empire of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki, while the Republic maintained that the secession was illegal. The ensuing civil war resulted in the defeat of the Republic and the formal establishment of the Empire of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki, with the enthronement of the Imperial Shrine's main religious figure, Himiko, as the first Empress of Akitsukuni. The Imperial Shrine was also made the official state religion.

The Empire was formed and seceded, after which a war began.

After transitioning into the Empire of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki, it found itself in a weird place in the world.

Following the Union victory in 1865, three amendments were added to the U.S. Constitution: the Thirteenth Amendment prohibited slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment provided citizenship to the nearly four million African Americans who had been slaves,[109] and the Fifteenth Amendment ensured that they had the right to vote. The war and its resolution led to a substantial increase in federal power[110] aimed at reintegrating and rebuilding the Southern states while ensuring the rights of the newly freed slaves.

Southern white conservatives, calling themselves "Redeemers" took control after the end of Reconstruction. By the 1890–1910 period Jim Crow laws disenfranchised most blacks and some poor whites. Blacks faced racial segregation, especially in the South.[111] Racial minorities occasionally experienced vigilante violence.[112]

Greater Empire and the Eulhae War
In 1891, the militarists in collusion with Kayako, turn Akitsukuni into an absolute monarchy.

June 21st 1891

Military rule and rebuilding
Nariakira Okabe

Gradual return to power
The years following Okabe's assassination were marked by a return to democracy and political instability, though economically Akitsukuni began improving thanks to open markets and foreign aid. Acting as a 'bastion against communism' in Uju, Akitsukuni received large amounts of foreign aid and support from Sinju, particularly Meisaan. As global decolonisation accelerated, Akitsukuni was able to become one of Sinju's main suppliers and trading partners by focusing on industries and resources traditionally provided to the Sinjun powers by their colonies.

A stabilising political climate was signalled by the three term-rule of Prime Minister Jun Koizumi from 1969 to 1978, also marking the start of Democratic Restoration Party in the Akitsukunese parliament. By 1975, Akitsukuni was the third-largest petrochemical exporting nation in the capitalist world, the second-largest timber exporting nation and home to the largest shipping port by volume in north Uju. Akitsukuni also hosted World Games in 1980, and tourism subsequently began to increase. Despite this growth, large areas of the Akitsukunese interior remained undeveloped and impoverished.

The dominance of the conservative DRP in the Akitsukunese government was also accompanied by a wave of nationalistic sentiment in Akitsukuni, resulting in an increasingly aggressive foreign policy that peaked in the early 1980s. Continued anti-communist sentiment resulted in numerous clashes and disputes with Elwha, culminating in the illegal occupation of occupied territories in the Tenzan mountains and the subsequent 1987 Mountain War. This led directly to the Uju Crisis, a nuclear standoff between Akitsukuni and Nochtlico and the closest the world came to a full nuclear war. Both conflicts were resolved rapidly via armistice with the aid of the CoN.

Dissatisfied with this result, in late 1987 a group of Imperial Armed Forces officers led by Yukihito Tsuge launched a coup on the grounds of restoring order to the nation after the War, using ongoing minor protests by nationalist groups and some armed forces units as a pretext, with the ultimate goal of restarting the war and destroying Elwha. This takeover, later known as Wakizashi Night, soon spiralled out of control as both the public and many in the military regarded the action in an extremely negative light. A terror attack in Heian and the subsequent heavy-handed counter-terrorism activities suddenly resulted in open rioting and clashes between civilians, police, and the military. After the Imperial Square Incident, where coup-aligned military forces fired live ammunition against civilian protesters, the coup leaders immediately stepped down and resigned from their military positions.

In the absence of any form of governmental leadership, the Gikai was rapidly reconvened and carried out an emergency election for an interim Prime Minister, electing the DRP's Tadao Watanabe. Following the resolution of the crisis and the subsequent public elections, Watanabe was again elected and soon enacted epic reforms to the Akitsukunese economy, government and foreign policy to streamline efficiency and maximise productivity in an effort to revive the nation.

Contemporary history
Watanabe endeavoured to repair Akitsukuni's image abroad, and moved to forge ties with Sinju and wider Gungju that were lost following the Uju Crisis. A formal peace treaty to settle the 1987 war with Elwha was also signed in the CoN General Assembly. Steps were taken to thaw relations with the Ujuan communist and indigenous nations, with new policies enacted to provide the Native Autonomous Zones with better infrastructure, education and funding. In a landmark decision by the Watanabe cabinet in 1989, the native peoples of Akitsukuni were allowed to purchase homes and live outside of Native Autonomous Zones for the first time in over a century with the repealing of the Native Land Act of 1848.

Under the New Way policy, Akitsukuni's economy was diversified further in the 1990s, introducing more development into the service and manufacturing sectors and shifting away from solely exporting raw materials, petrochemicals and natural gas. The inland regions were marked as a high-priority area for development, and new infrastructure and transport networks were constructed to serve the people living there, some of which did not have access to running water before 1991. Technological advancements were promoted and carried out by newly-founded national research bodies such as the Akitsukuni Economic-Scientific Progression Group, enabling Akitsukuni to diversify into high-tech industries such as semiconductors and computer parts manufacturing. Nuclear power began to provide for an increasing amount of Akitsukuni's energy needs, moving away from traditional coal, with the nation's 47th nuclear plant opening in 1996. As the mean household income rose and the national standard of living increased, Akitsukuni became one of the richest nations and a leader in scientific development in north-eastern Uju by 1997, also completing the space station Heiwa in that year.

Entering the 2000s, Akitsukuni became one of the fastest-developing economies boasting a well-developed infrastructure and high standard of living. The "big four" Akitsukunese industries, petrochemicals, metals, timber and weapons, were joined by rare earth elements, computers and manufactured goods to make up 72% of Akitsukunese exports. In 2010, the Akitsukunese Navy was involved in the 2015 Pulau Semakau Incident, a military standoff with the Barujayan Navy. Following the subsequent investigation and scandal involving corruption, bribery and his ties to the military, Prime Minister Junichiro Ishihara was impeached.

Government and politics
Main articles: Government of Akitsukuni, Politics of Akitsukuni

Akitsukuni is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy where the hereditary monarch, the Empress, officially holds no political power. Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister and other elected members of the Teikoku Gikai, while sovereignty is vested in the Akitsukunese people. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. Kameko is the current monarch of Akitsukuni. Though legally the monarch holds no power, due to her immense influence as a figure of worship within the state religion of Imperial Shrine, the Empress holds considerable influence amongst members of the government and public.

Akitsukuni's legislative organ is the Teikoku Gikai (帝国議会), a unicameral parliament with 722 seats. Members of parliament serve four year terms and are popularly elected. Nominally, there is universal suffrage for adults over 21 years of age, with a for all elected offices. However, allegations that certain ethnic groups are barred from voting in regional elections have emerged from international watchdogs.

The Gikai is dominated by the conservative Democratic Restoration Party (DRP), followed closely by the social liberal Democratic Party of Akitsukuni (DPA). Amongst the minor parties, the United Front for Reform (UFR) and the Socialist Party of Akitsukuni (SPA) are catching up to the two leading parties, but the difference is still vast. The DRP has enjoyed near continuous electoral success since 1955, except for a brief 11-month period between 1993 and 1994, and from 2009 to 2012.

The Prime Minister of Akitsukuni is the head of government and is appointed by the Empress after being designated by the Gikai from among its members. The Prime Minister is the head of the Cabinet, and he appoints and dismisses the. Hanako Yamamoto is the current Prime Minister of Akitsukuni. Although the Prime Minister is formally appointed by the Empress, the Constitution of Akitsukuni explicitly requires the Empress to appoint whoever is designated by the Gikai.

Monarchy
Main article: Akitsukunese monarchy

The Empress of Akitsukuni (天皇) is the ceremonial head of state of Akitsukuni's system of constitutional monarchy and is a major religious leader and figure of worship in the Imperial Shrine state religion. She is considered the highest mortal authority of the Imperial Shrine, as she is believed to act as a vessel for the Imperial Spirit, one of the worshipped Kami of the religion. Her importance thus also lies in dealing with heavenly affairs, including rituals and rites throughout the nation.

The role of the Empress of Akitsukuni has historically alternated between a largely ceremonial symbolic and religious role and that of an actual imperial ruler. Before the ascent of the Empress Kayako in 1888, the Empress held a purely religious role. This changed with the reforms made under Kayako, which transformed Akitsukuni into an absolute monarchy with the Empress in a more direct governing role. Akitsukuni transitioned back into a constitutional monarchy with the Empress no longer a part of the government after the death of Empress Tsukiyama in 1949 and subsequent governmental and constitutional reforms.

Since the establishment of the monarchy in 1848, the main residence and seat of the Empress has been the Imperial Palace, located in Miyako, the religious and imperial capital of Akitsukuni.

The current Empress of Akitsukuni is Kameko. She officially ascended to the Bamboo Throne on 3 February 2010. She is styled as Her Grand Imperial Highness, Daughter of Heaven, Empress of Akitsukuni and Sadamisaki. Empress Kikuko is known to be one of the youngest monarchs in recent history at 20 years of age.

Law
Main article: Law in Akitsukuni]]''

Statutory law originates in Yashima's legislature and has the rubber stamp of the Empress. The Constitution also requires that the Empress promulgate legislation passed by the Gikai. Akitsukuni's court system is divided into four basic tiers: the Supreme Court and three levels of lower courts. The main body of Akitsukunese statutory law is called the Six Codes.

The law is enforced by police departments in provinces, though large cities often have their own police forces. Internal surveillance and protection agencies such as the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB) are also maintained by the government. Capital punishment is still legal in Akitsukuni, but requires the Prime Minister's approval. Once the Prime Minister has approved of the death penalty, only an Imperial Pardon can reverse it. Torture has been banned and is not used by any law enforcement agency.

Foreign Relations
TBD

Military
See also: Akitsukunese Armed Forces

The Akitsukunese military is divided into the Army, Navy, and Air Force. There is also two independent arms of service, the Strategic Missile Force and Aerospace Defence Force. In 2010, the military had 1.037 million personnel on active duty. Akitsukuni is a recognised nuclear weapons state, and has had a nuclear weapons program since the mid-1950s. Akitsukuni's military is commonly ranked amongst the most technologically advanced and powerful military forces in Tiandi. It also possesses a potent surface naval force that is the largest in the North Uju Region.

The country has a large and fully indigenous arms industry, producing most of its own military equipment with only few types of weapons imported. Akitsukuni is one of the world's top supplier of arms, a spot it has held since 2001, accounting for around 30% of worldwide weapons sales and exporting weapons to about 80 countries. The Council of Nations found that Akitsukuni was the second biggest exporter of arms in 2010–14, increasing their exports by 37 per cent from the period 2005–2009. In 2010–14, Russia delivered weapons to 56 states and to rebel forces in northern Elwha.

The Akitsukunese government's published 2014 military budget is about $117.2 billion, approximately 2% of the national GDP. The official budget is set to rise to $121 billion in 2015, and $125 billion in 2016. However, unofficial estimates put the budget significantly higher. As of 2016, Akitsukuni's military budget is one of the highest in the world.

Administrative divisions
Akitsukuni consists of 54 provinces in 5 regions. Each province is overseen by an elected governor, legislature and administrative bureaucracy, and is further divided into cities, towns and villages.

21 provinces



Geography
The North Yashima archipelago, also known as the Akitsukunese archipelago since the 17th century, has a total of 3,453 islands.

Economy
Main article: Economy of Akitsukuni

Akitsukuni has an upper-middle income mixed economy including a strong agriculture industry, abundant natural resources, particularly minerals, oil and natural gas. The nation also has a strong industrial capacity with some of the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronics, steel, chemicals, processed foods and weapons. It has the __th largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and the __th largest by purchasing power parity. Since the 1990s, higher domestic consumption and greater political stability have bolstered economic growth in Akitsukuni, enabling it to develop extremely quickly through export and foreign investment-led growth. Metals, oil, natural gas and timber account for more than 70% of Akitsukunese exports abroad. Since 1998, the exports of natural resources started decreasing in economic importance as the internal market strengthened considerably.

A simpler, more streamlined tax code adopted in 2001 reduced the tax burden on people and dramatically increased state revenue. Akitsukuni has a flat tax rate of 13%. Akitsukuni is considered well ahead of most other resource-rich countries in its economic development, with a long tradition of education, science, and industry. The country has a higher proportion of higher education graduates than any other country in Uju, and the vast majority of the population is educated.

The economic development of the country has been uneven geographically with Akitsukuni island and Sadamisaki peninsula contributing a very large share of the country's GDP. Inequality of household income and wealth has also been noted, though is not extreme. Another problem is modernisation of inland infrastructure, ageing and inadequate after years of being neglected; the government has said $1 trillion will be invested in development of infrastructure by 2020.

Natural resources
Rare earth elements.

Science and technology
Akitsukuni is a leading nation in scientific research, with a particular focus on high technology, machinery, chemical and biomedical research. Some of Akitsukuni's more prominent technological contributions are in the fields of electronics, machinery, earthquake and tsunami engineering, industrial robotics, optics, chemicals, food technology, nuclear power, semiconductors and metals. Akitsukuni leads the world in robotics production and use, possessing more than 20% of the world's industrial robots as of 2015.

The space agency of Akitsukuni is the Akitsukunese Imperial Aerospace Administration (IAA). It conducts space, planetary and aviation research, and leads development of rockets and satellites. It has developed a series of rockets, the latest and the most powerful of which is the H-IIB. IAA uses the indigenously-produced Kaguya manned spacecraft, which has been in use in various iterations since the 1960s. Akitsukuni's space exploration plans include the launching of a space probe to observe the sun, creating a permanent orbital habitat, and building a moon base by 2030.

IAA also operates a single space station, the Heiwa (平和), which has been in low orbit since 1997. After a massive overhaul involving the deorbiting and repairing of nearly 75% of the station in 2014, the station is being improved with new plans for it to remain in orbit indefinitely. Heiwa serves as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and spacecraft systems with a goal of developing technologies required for permanent occupation of space.

Demographics
See also: Demographics in Akitsukuni, Ethnic issues in Akitsukuni, Meisaani people in Akitsukuni

Akitsukuni's population is estimated at around 78 million, with 60% of the population living on mainland Akitsukuni, 39% on Akitsukuni island and 1% in the Miojima archipelago. Akitsukunese society is largely linguistically and culturally homogeneous, composed of 96.1% ethnic Fusenese and a small population of native minorities, foreign workers or immigrant communities. The most populous native community in Akitsukuni are the Beō, with around 1,014,000 people and making up 1.3% of the population. Akitsukuni is the only country in the region to have so few native Ujuans, due to the genocidal policies conducted for centuries before the 1950s. In recent years, immigration has spiked as more migrant workers and corporations enter the economically liberalising nation.

Most Akitsukunese see Akitsukuni as a monocultural society, under the popular slogan of "one race, one language, one culture", which drew criticism from representatives of ethnic minorities such as the Beō. The majority of Beō live in rurual reservations maintained by the government.

Religion
See also: Religion in Akitsukuni, Imperial Shrine (religion)

Since 1848, the Imperial Shrine is the official state religion, to which about 90% to 95% of the population officially belong. About 4% to 8% of the population are. The remaining 2% are non-Shinto religious minorities, including Taoists, Buddhists, Muslims and the Beō indigenous faith.

The government has not released statistics regarding irreligiosity. However, the irreligious figures have been growing since 2005, especially amongst the coastal youth.

Manga and Anime
The fusion of traditional woodblock printing and art styles imported from the colonised West led to the creation of manga in the early 20th century, a comic book format that is now popular within and outside Akitsukuni. Manga-influenced animation for television and film is called anime, and numerous anime television series are adapted from manga series. Compared to similar animations and comics in Nomyokuni, Akitsukunese versions tend to be more serious in tone, often with military or nationalistic undertones. Even so, more light-hearted plots are also widespread, with the 'slice of life' and romantic comedy genres highly popular as well. In terms of art styles, there is little difference between Akitsukunese and Nomyokuni animations and comics.

Examples of notable series include the extremely long-running Tactical Fighter Chongdaem, a massive multimedia franchise primarily focusing on pilot-assisted robots and often referred to as the pioneer of the  genre, Code Human Instrumentality, which follows a rebel group in a dystopian future where Akitsukuni has been conquered by a sinister global force, War Sorceress, about a multi-national group of girls who use magic and advanced weaponry to defend North Yashima from aliens, Space Carrier Akagi, featuring the Imperial Navy carrier Akagi as a spaceship fighting aliens and Nichijou, which is indescribable.

The nationalistic and militaristic messages carried by numerous Akitsukunese-produced anime and manga has drawn criticism over the years due to their occasionally overt political messages. The "War Sorceress controversy" in 2010 involved the depiction of military action on a contested island between Akitsukuni and Meisaan, and the "Chongdaem controversy" in early 2015 was caused by the depiction of military attacks on numerous Nomyokuni and Qinyue landmarks by Akitsukunese characters. Nevertheless, overseas viewership of Akitsukunese animation of all types continues to be high, though in recent years faces competition for popular culture relevance by increasingly popular Jeongmian music.

Literature
The earliest works of Akitsukunese literature were created during the period when Akitsukuni was still the northern part of the Yashimese Empire, and include the Kojiki and Yashima Shoki chronicles, as well as the Man'yōshū poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written in Tianqian characters. In the early Heian period, the system of phonograms known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was developed. The Flight of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Akitsukunese narrative. An account of Heian court life is given in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of Gendo by Murasaki Shikibu is often described as the world's first novel.

During the Edo period, the chōnin ("townspeople") overtook the samurai aristocracy as producers and consumers of literature. The popularity of the works of Saikaku, for example, reveals this change in readership and authorship, while Bashō revivified the poetic tradition of the Kokinshū with his haikai and wrote the poetic travelogue Oku no Hosomichi. The industrial revolution saw the decline of traditional literary forms as Akitsukunese literature integrated Jeongmian influences. Natsume Ōgai and Mori Sōseki were the first "modern" novelists of Akitsukuni, followed by Ryūnosuke Mishima, Jun'ichirōMurakami, Yukio Tanizaki and, more recently, Kazuo Akutagawa and Haruki Ishiguro.

Cuisine
Akitsukunese cuisine is based on combining staple foods, which are typically Akitsu rice or noodles, with a soup and okazu, which are dishes made from fish, vegetable, tofu and the like, to add flavour to the staple food. The traditional food of Akitsukuni is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes, with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients, quality of ingredients and presentation. The side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Fish is common in the traditional cuisine. It is often grilled, but it may also be served raw as sashimi or in sushi. Seafood and vegetables are also deep-fried in a light batter as tempura. Akitsukunese cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients.

Apart from rice, staples include noodles, such as soba and udon. Akitsukuni has many simmered dishes such as fish products in broth called oden, or beef in sukiyaki and nikujaga. Foreign food, in particular Tianqian food in the form of noodles in soup called ramen and fried dumplings, gyoza. Historically, the Akitsukunese shunned meat, but following the colonisation of Chōsen, meat-based dishes such as tonkatsu became common. An indigenous form of sweets called wagashi is also consumed, which include ingredients such as red bean paste, as well as the indigenous rice wine, sake.

Following the colonisation of Chōsen, various types of foods unique to Akitsukuni began to appear. A particularly interesting example is Tsuke-Kimuchi, a fusion of the traditional Korean Kimchi as it had been produced in the region and the traditional Akitsukunese vegetable pickling methods.

Sports
Akitsukuni's national sports are kendo and sumo. Traditional martial arts such as judo, karate and modern ones such as aikido are also widely practised and enjoyed by spectators in the country. After the Industrial Revolution, many mainland sports were introduced to Akitsukuni, such as taekwondo from Jeongmi and Cuju along with other martial arts from Meisaan. Meisaani Wing Chun and Wushu are also particularly popular in Akitsukuni, both for self-defence and as a sport. Due to the widespread colonisation efforts by Akitsukuni in the 16th and 17th centuries, sports from Gungju such as and  were also introduced, becoming widely popular by the 21st century. Akitsukuni hosted the Summer World Games in Heian in 1964 and in Ishikari in 1972, and the Winter World Games in Heian in 1986 and Minuchi in 1998. Heian will host the 2016 Summer World Games, making it the first Sinju city to host the World Games thrice.

Cuju is currently the most popular spectator sport in the country. Akitsukuni's top professional league, now known as Akitsukuni National Professional Cuju, was established in 1936 as North Yashima Professional Cuju. Akitsukuni has one of the most successful football teams in Sinju, winning the Sinju Cup four times with highly aggressive play and tactics. Since the establishment of the Akitsukuni Professional Yakyū League in 1992, Yakyū has also gained a wide following. Auto racing is also widely popular in Akitsukuni, including stock-car racing, off-road rallies and legal forms of "Tōge racing".