There was even a time when modern Kyushu issued its own currency, separate from the yen. The Saigo bill appeared in 1877, although the Tokyo government banned its use. Other regions could declare themselves independent in the same way. The new Japan could be a gathering of independent islands into a Republic of Japan.
North-south alliances
The western Pacific holds more islands than any other region on earth. If we see our world as an ocean of islands, the north-south Japanese archipelago could enhance the global trend toward north-south alliances by forming such a republic.
Japan as the northern center of the western Pacific and Australia at the south would together anchor the thousands of Southeast Asian islands between, including uttered groups like Micronesia and Polynesia. Together they could eventually be seen as a western Pacific Oceanic Republic.
North America, for instance, recently enhanced its north-south alliances by signing the North American Free Trade Agreement, linking Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Taking into consideration the close economic relationship between the U.S. and the nations of South America, sooner or hter there will be a free trade agreement embracing both Americas.
Europe, meanwhile, has constructed the European Union, which ranges from north to south in that region.
Africa is made up largely of former European colonies, where European languages are spoken. Here again, a north-south axis can be seen.
The western Pacific has the world_s most distinctive identity as a multi-island ocean where diverse cultures interplay. When this oceanic republic is formed, Japan will see the Tokyo-centered _modern days_ as the past, probably replaced by a new Republic of Japan, a flower bed for the diverse cultures of our island network.
