North Japan

The Democratic People's Republic of Japan (Japanese: 日本の民主人民共和国; Hepburn: Nihon no minshujinminkyōwakoku), commonly referred to as North Japan is a country in East Asia that encompasses the northern half of the Japanese archipelago. It is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. It has no land borders except with South Japan. Sapporo, located in Hokkaido, is the country's capital and largest city with a population of 1.9 million.

Before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union invaded Japan on July 15, 1945, taking control of the northern half of the country. After Japan formally surrendered to the allies on August 9, 1945, the Soviet Union installed a provisional government to administer the north while the United States began its occupation of the south. The DPRJ was formally proclaimed on August 15,1948 by Rokuro Matsushita, the first Premier. Although the Soviets formally withdrew from the country May 10, 1950, they continue to keep several hundred troops on bases throughout the country.

North Japan is officially a socialist state and has been ruled by the Japanese Workers Party (JWP) for over seven decades. The party has been accused of various human rights abuses, particularly violations of freedom of speech and the press, claims the party denies. Elections are held in the country every three years but have been subject of international scrutiny. It is a developed country whose standards of living have increased since economic reforms were undertaken during the mid-1970s which opened up trade with North Japan's neighbors as well as relaxing various government controls. Nevertheless, North Japan's economy remains highly centralized which critics claim is responsible for its under performance compared to its southern counterpart while its supporters claim is responsible for the decrease of social inequality.