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A passport and the Constitution of Nikoniko Republic, a mini-dokuritsukoku in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima

Mini-dokuritsukoku (ミニ独立国, "mini-independent countries") are micronations established in Japan. More specifically, it refers to those founded in the 1980s during the "micronation boom", when local communities and businesses declared "independence" to promote tourism, local culture and rural business, and to combat migration of young people into cities due to urbanization. The majority of micronations established are light-hearted experiments and had no intention to challenge the government sovereignty. To this effect, the term is sometimes translated as "parody states".

History

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Before 1970s

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Following the end of World War II, several micronations were inadvertently created during the Occupation of Japan. Between 1946 and 1968, the Bonin Islands were governed by the United States Navy, though it was neither made part of the United States nor Japan. Native islanders established a Bonin Islands Council and travelled with ID cards that listed Chichi-jima as their nationality.[1] Meanwhile, Izu Ōshima was removed from Japanese administration through an oversight by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in 1946. Realizing the mistake, islanders drafted a "Ōshima Charter" (Japanese: 大島大誓言, romanized: Ōshima Daiseigon) that called for the establishment of the "Republic of Ōshima" (Japanese: 大島共和国, romanized: Ōshima Kyōwa-Koku). The island was restored to Japanese rule on March 22, ending the 53-day autonomy of the island.[2]

Micronation boom

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In 1977, residents of Usa, Ōita established the "New Yamatai State". Named after the legendary Yamatai state, the micronation hoped to revitalize the city's economy.[3] Local cities and businesses followed suit after Governor of the Kanagawa Prefecture Kazuji Nagasu advocated for the decentralization of policy-making during what he called the "local era" (Japanese: 地方の時代, romanized: chihō no jidai), and novelist Hisashi Inoue's publication of Kirikirijin in 1981, telling the story of a village that secedes from Japan and proclaims its marginalized dialect its national language.[4] The story was in turn inspired by the micronation of New Atlantis.[5]

The following micronation boom, fuelled by copy cat behaviour from businesses such as ryokan and minshuku, reached its peak at 1983 before seeing the numbers of new micronations decline.[6][3] By 1988, approximately 150 micronations had been established.[7] Between 1988 and 1989, at the height of the Japanese asset price bubble, a smaller second boom occurred when the Japanese government announced the "100 Million Yen Project" (Japanese: ふるさと創生事業), a plan that called for huge investments in municipalities.[8][9]

Many of the micronations were "light-hearted ventures",[3] and did not advocate secession from Japan or the formation of a formal state. Many were established for the sake of publicity,[10] and were treated as such by the Government of Japan, for example, when Ministry of International Trade and Industry Michio Watanabe signed a treaty of friendship between Japan and the Kingdom of Inobhutan.[5] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disagreed with this publicity stunt, fearing that it may offend the similar-sounding Kingdom of Bhutan.[11] In 1986, the Ginko Federation hosted a micronations version of the Olympic Games, the "Mini-dokuritsukoku Olympics" (Japanese: ミニ独立国オリンピック), which was broadcast on prime-time television. Kirikiri Country, named after the novel, hosted their own version of United Nations summits between 1983 and 1985.[12] The Nikoniko Republic established their own timezone and minted their own currency.[5] In 1987, the President of the Alcohol Republic, representing the peace delegation of the micronations, visited Vatican City and shook hands with Pope John Paul II.[13][14]

Following the burst of the asset price bubble in the early 1990s, many local businesses closed, city budget decreased and municipalities were merged and consolidated, leading to the dissolution of many of the micronations.[7][8] It is estimated that around 203 micronations were established in total during the boom.[5][15]

Current situation

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As of 2016, less than 50 micronations remain.[12] A 2020 study found 40 active micronations.[16] Activities of the "New Yamatai State" was suspended in 2010, but restarted in 2020 in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.[4]

Notable micronations

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Citations

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  1. ^ Long 2014, pp. 104–105.
  2. ^ Long 2014, pp. 106–107.
  3. ^ a b c d e Streich 2021, p. 121.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Streich 2021, p. 122.
  5. ^ a b c d Hobbs & Williams 2021.
  6. ^ Oshimo, Amano & Kumagami 1997, p. 9.
  7. ^ a b Streich 2021, p. 119.
  8. ^ a b c d Streich 2021, p. 124.
  9. ^ Oshimo, Amano & Kumagami 1997, p. 10.
  10. ^ Oshimo, Amano & Kumagami 1997, p. 12.
  11. ^ Shiraishi 2010, p. 118.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Pasion 2016.
  13. ^ Niigata Nippo 2023.
  14. ^ Shiraishi 2010, p. 112.
  15. ^ Adachi, Soshiroda & Tsutsumi 2021, p. 147.
  16. ^ a b c Adachi, Soshiroda & Tsutsumi 2021, p. 146.
  17. ^ a b c Kurahara, Goto & Hikage 1996, p. 168.
  18. ^ Streich 2021, p. 125.
  19. ^ Streich 2021, p. 123.

References

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  • Adachi, Daisuke; Soshiroda, Akira; Tsutsumi, Takashi (2021). "ミニ独立国を契機としたまちづくりの持続性に関する研究" [Sustainability of community development triggered by the Mini-Nation Campaign] (pdf). Journal of Japan Institute of Tourism Research (in Japanese). 33 (3). Japan Institute of Tourism Research: 145–151. doi:10.18979/jitr.33.3_145. Archived from the original on 2023-08-05.
  • Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (2021-12-16). "Micronations and Statehood: Why Pretend to be a State?". IACL-IADC Blog. Archived from the original on 2023-01-08.
  • Kurahara, Munetaka; Goto, Yuki; Hikage, Toshiya (1996-10-30). "住民主体のまちづくりに向けての北海道ミニ独立国の活動に関する考察" [Consideration on the activities of the mini-independent country of Hokkaido for resident-centered town planning] (pdf). Proceedings of the Architectural Institute of Japan (in Japanese). 61 (488). Architectural Institute of Japan: 165–175. doi:10.3130/aija.61.165_2. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22.
  • Long, Daniel (2014). "Shards of the Shattered Japanese Empire That Found Themselves as Temporary Micronations" (PDF). Shima. 8 (1): 104–108. ISSN 1834-6057. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-11-28.
  • "独立しよう、国を作ろう！地域が輝いた「ミニ独立国」ブーム…新潟県内でもユニークな活動を展開 今はなき「3カ国」の遺産とは". Niigata Nippo (in Japanese). 2023-09-15. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01.
  • Pasion, Adam (2016-02-09). "The Will to Secede: Japan's Micro-nation Boom". Japan Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-10-22.
  • Taro, Shiraishi (2010). "地域づくり型ミニ独立国のいま:４つの事例から" [Present Conditions of Community Project by Mini-Nation Campaign: 4 Case Studies]. Journal of the University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences - Humanities, Arts & Sciences (in Japanese). 22 (2): 111–124.
  • Streich, Philip (2021). "The Japanese Experience with Micronations" (PDF). Transformations (35): 118–128. ISSN 1444-3775. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-10-22.
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