Polity

The House of Kusari is a Constitutional Monarchy where the power of the monarch, the Emperor or the Empress is regulated as to the provisions of the Constitution.
The power in Kusari is divided between the Monarch and his subjects for the sake of social balance and harmony.

The Emperor

The Emperor is the traditional symbol of the nation and in all his wisdom directs the House of Kusari on the path of progress and prosperity. The Emperor is brought up free from need and thus can make decisions free from the corruption of greed and cronyism. The Emperor is prepared from the early years to assume the mantle of leadership and responsibility for his subjects and is rigorously educated under the best standards and practices available to form expertise in the matters of statehood. Thus, the monarchy in Kusari is founded on the principles of hereditary meritocracy and freedom from political lobbyism.

The Imperial Diet

The Imperial Diet (Teikoku-gikai) consists of two chambers: the Chamber of Peers (Upper Chamber) and the Chamber of Commons (Lower Chamber). Both Chambers partake in the legislative process and cooperate.

• The Chamber of Commons drafts and proposes laws. The law projects proposed by the Chamber of Commons are to be reviewed and approved by the Chamber of Peers to be accepted. On failing to pass the approval of the Chamber of Peers a draft law returns to the Chamber of Commons for review and improvement. If the improved draft law is rejected for the second time by the Chamber of Peers, the Chamber of Commons can override such rejection with ¾ of the votes.
  
  
• The primary responsibility of the Chamber of Peers is to approve the state budget as well as to oversee the Central Bank and the monetary policy of Kusari. Additionally, the Chamber of Peers is responsible for approving the declarations of war, peace treaties, and embargoes.
  
  
• The Chamber of Peers can also draft laws when such a need arises. In such a case the draft laws are to be submitted to the Chamber of Commons for review and improvement and approved again by the Chamber of Peers.
  

The Emperor in all his wisdom reserves the right to veto any draft law or decision of either the Chamber of Peers or the Chamber of Commons. If such a veto occurs, the decision or draft law in question cannot be re-submitted for consideration within three months.

The Chamber of Peers can issue a motion of no confidence to the Chamber of Commons in case of the inability of the latter to carry out its duties due to failure to form a coalition, surreptitious activities, or incompetence. The motion of no confidence is to be approved by the Emperor. In such a case a new election is to be held, where as the Chamber of Peers tentatively assumes the duties of the Chamber of Commons. Failure to obtain the approval of the Emperor renders the motion of no confidence null and void.

Public elections

A legal subject of Kusari is everyone born to at least one (1) parent of Kusari descendance or someone who has lived for a period of at least ten (10) years in Kusari with permanent employment.

All legal subjects* of Kusari aged twenty (20) and above have the right to freely cast their votes in periodical elections to form the lower chamber of the Imperial Diet. The election occurs every five years and is based on a proportional ballot.

All legal subjects* of Kusari aged thirty (30) and above and who have lived the last ten (10) years within the territories administered by the Empire of Kusari have the right to passive vote and be elected to the administrative and legislative organs of the Empire.
*Subjects which were imprisoned for severe crimes, were/are affiliated to outlawed organisations are stripped of their right to vote.

The Chamber of Peers

The Chamber of Peers is formed from the ranks of the hereditary nobility of Kusari. The candidates are nominated and appointed by the Emperor for a term of 10 years with no limitations as to prolonging the term of service. The candidates can be recommended to the Emperor by either the Diet Chambers or the Privy Council of the Emperor (the institute of Genrō).

• In order to be nominated to the Chamber of Peers, the candidate must belong to one of the noble clans of Kusari recognised as such by the Emperor.
  
  
• Nobles of prince and duke rank automatically receive a seat on the Chamber of Peers for an unlimited term unless retired by the Emperor.
  
  
• Members of the Chamber of Peers can be constituted as Governors of the following star systems: Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, Tottori and Tohoku. This requires the approval of the Emperor or ⅔ of the Chamber of Peers and the Prime Minister. The Governors act as link between the regional and the national level, delegating regional concerns to the Imperial Diet or the relevant Ministries and overseeing the rightful utilization of state funds on the regional level. Once approved, they remain as Governor unless retired by the Emperor or a ⅔ vote by the Chamber of Peers.
  
  
• The Governor of Tohoku requires additional approval of the Shogun and is tasked solely with the overseeing of the Heaven's Gate vault. They are not to interfere with the Naval Forces operations in the system but shall report any internal security relevant concerns directly to the Shogun and the Emperor.
  
  
• Local nobility is defined as people who have created their titles by virtue of colonisation and the development of land or conferred a title by another noble clan. Such nobility cannot be elected into the Chamber of Peers until their noble status is recognised by the Imperial Court of Kusari. This limitation should not preclude, however, their ability to be elected in the local administrative organs designated for the nobility.
  

The Prime Minister / Cabinet of Ministers

The Prime Minister is the supreme executive official of the Empire of Kusari following the Emperor. The Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and oversees the work of the state apparatus. The Prime Minister approves new policies suggested by the profile ministries and acts as the representative of the House of Kusari ex officio during foreign visits. The Prime Minister also oversees the administration of the prefectures of the House of Kusari by the local governors.

• The nominated leader of the party gaining the majority of votes on the election to the Chamber of Commons becomes the Prime Minister.
  
  
• The Prime Minister must be approved by the Chamber of Peers following its nomination. In case of a failure, the party of the Prime Minister nominates another candidate for the position of the Prime Minister. If the second nominee also fails to get approval by the Chamber of Peers, the matter is elevated to the Emperor who can overrule the lack of support by the Chamber of Peers and appoint either of the two nominees or dismiss them both. In the case of the latter, any party in the coalition with the Party that won the election nominates a candidate for the consideration of the Emperor. If no candidate is elected, the Emperor nominates a tentative Prime Minister for a period of six months. Within these six months, the party which won the elections to the Chamber of Commons has to prepare a new candidate or has to address raised concerns with the previous nominees.
  

The Cabinet of Ministers is the advisory executive organ of the Empire of Kusari. The Cabinet of Ministers oversees the development and implementation of policies as well as acts in an advisory capacity to the Emperor and the Prime Minister.

The Imperial Court

The Imperial Court is the supreme judiciary organ in the Empire of Kusari. The Imperial Court upholds the Constitution and the laws of Kusari by judging the adherence of the Imperial Diet, Prime Minister, Cabinet of Ministers, and prefectural administrative, judiciary, and legislative organs to the Constitution and the laws of the House of Kusari.

• The Imperial Court consists of twelve judges: five are assigned by the Chamber of Commons, the other five - by the Chamber of Peers, and the remaining two are appointed by the Emperor. All judges are elected on a meritocratic basis for a period of ten years without the right to re-election. Upon completing their term, the judges shall continue their service in the capacity of honorary imperial judges in the prefectural courts.
  
  
• The Imperial Court shall primarily consider the matters submitted to it by the Imperial Diet, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet of Ministers, and the Emperor.
  
  
• In principle, any case can be elevated to the Imperial Court if approved by a Prefectural Court and submitted to the Imperial Court via a designated procedure.
  
  
• The Imperial Court shall also oversee the work of the Prefectural Courts and monitor their adherence to the rule of law in the discharge of their duties.
  

Day-to-day judiciary duties to the subjects of the Empire of Kusari are carried out by the Prefectural and Municipal Courts that are formed in accordance with the regular labour legislation of the Empire of Kusari.

Constitution Amendments

Any amendments to the Constitution can be made by ¾ majority vote by both the Chamber of Commons and the Chamber of Peers and upon the approval of the Emperor.

• A consultative referendum can be held. A ⅔ popular vote of the subjects of Kusari in favour of an amendment overrides the ¾ majority votes of the Imperial Diet but needs the approval of the Emperor to become effective.
  
  
• Any amendments to the Constitution are to be approved by the Imperial Court.
  

The Kusari State Police

The duty of enforcing the laws and decisions of the courts is entrusted to the Kusari State Police (KSP). In line with its name, the KSP is funded by the state and shall be free of influence, commercial or otherwise, of a third party not related to the state.

• The functions of the Kusari State Police are regulated and coordinated by the Imperial Ministry of Justice.
  
  
• The Kusari State Police operates independently from the other defence forces of the Empire of Kusari but can act in concert with those. State Police forces shall not be subject to command by senior officers of the Imperial Armed Forces of Kusari except for the time of war, when outside their jurisdiction or in individual cases where the IAF responds to grave misconduct.
  
  
• The Kusari State Police can employ third parties for bounty hunting and assisting in bringing in known criminals. For every such case, a contract stipulating conditions is to be made by the respective local KSP command and be funded from the local KSP budget. Employing of freelancers and mercenaries should be reasonable and not exceed the local KSP budget.
  

The Imperial Armed Forces

The safety of the Empire of Kusari is ensured by the Imperial Armed Forces of Kusari (IAF). The IAF comprise the Imperial Kusari Navy (IKN, uchugun), the Imperial Ground Forces (IGF, rikugun), the Imperial Guard, and Kusari Office of Intelligence (KOI).

The management of the IAF is carried out by the Ministry of Defence of Kusari. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the development of new policies, doctrines, and equipment for the IAF. The Ministry of Defence comprises the following specialised organs:

• The Board of Admirals decides upon the matters of the IKN, the promotion of the personnel, and the discharge and maintenance of the IKN operations within and outside the space of the Empire of Kusari.
  
  
• The Board of Generals decides upon the matters of the IGF, the promotion of the personnel, and the discharge and maintenance of the IGN operations within and outside the space of the Empire of Kusari.
  
  
• The Kusari Office of Intelligence is a specialised organ responsible for intelligence and counter-intelligence operations aimed at obtaining and protecting information vital to Kusari’s security and interests.
  
  
• The Emperor is the Supreme Commander of the IAF.
  

The Imperial Guard

The Imperial Guard is the personal retinue of the Emperor that ensures the safety of the Imperial Dynasty. The Imperial Guard operates both in space and on the ground and is not limited by the doctrines and policies of the Ministry of Defence when it comes to the security of the Imperial Dynasty. The Imperial Guard is commanded by the Shogun who also acts in an advisory capacity to the Emperor in the matters of war but does not have any role in the command of the IAF outside the Imperial Guard.