Tokyo
The places where the Cold War runs hot
Free City
Tokyo is a vertical megalopolis of glass, plastic, neon, and holographic advertisements. It functions as a de facto city-state with its own laws and borders, although it lacks international recognition as an independent state. Power is concentrated in megacorporations, security companies, and criminal organizations.
The Great Humiliation
After the Great War, a treaty forced Japan to surrender its Pacific colonial territories and subordinate Tokyo to Columbian corporate interests. The imperial family retained its position but was exiled to Kyoto and excluded from the city’s affairs.
The corporate administration enjoys extraordinarily permissive economic laws. Tokyo has no central government or public police force; protection depends on private companies, some employing Everymen, and the services of the Yakuza.
Hyperion Motors and the TDA
Hyperion Motors, a technology conglomerate and automobile manufacturer, was the first Columbian company to establish itself there and leads the local megacorporations. Construction of the Helion Core supplied the energy that enabled urban and industrial expansion.
Hyperion promotes the Tokyo Development Authority, TDA, an alliance of corporations and criminal organizations. Tadahiro Shimazu is its nominal director, but real power belongs to Henry Iwasaki, the head of Hyperion. The TDA seeks to turn Tokyo’s de facto independence into recognized sovereignty and extend its power over China, Korea, Japan, and Australia.
Districts of Light
Shibuya, Shinjuku, and the other Districts of Light are filled with shopping centers, neon, and holographic advertisements. Consumption and excess dominate these spaces, while the city’s size and lack of centralization allow the world’s largest black market to operate.
Working life is fiercely competitive. Commutes from the outskirts, long hours, and working conditions exhaust the population. A major Dutchmen cell operates in the financial heart of the city.
Astraeus Tower and the Helion Core
Astraeus Tower is Tokyo’s largest and tallest skyscraper and the headquarters of Hyperion Motors. It represents one of the principal centers of corporate power and FNC influence in Japan.
Beneath the building lies the Helion Core, the great nuclear reactor supplying the city. The VKKB and the Dutchmen have tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate its facilities for decades.
Tokyo Hypersonic Station
Built beside Astraeus Tower and powered by the Helion Core, the station connects Tokyo with the rest of Japan through hypersonic trains and vast tracks and tunnels.
Those unable to afford this transport use a labyrinthine subway network or spend hours on congested highways. The energy and transport infrastructure reinforces Hyperion’s position in the city’s everyday life.