The Empire of Rising Sakura is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Emperor Arashi with an iron fist, and renowned for its keen interest in outer space, zero percent divorce rate, and free-roaming dinosaurs. The hard-nosed, cynical, humorless, devout population of 2.91 billion Ajianese are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The large, corrupt, moralistic, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Shojiki City. The average income tax rate is 80.1%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Ajianese economy, worth 401 trillion Imperial Ajianese Yen a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a large, well-organized black market in Arms Manufacturing, Trout Farming, Information Technology, and Cheese Exports. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is an impressive 137,997 Imperial Ajianese Yen, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 2.6 times as much as the poorest.

National stress about the waning heir-line is causing a rise in alopecia, collisions between bicycles and carnival floats are on the rise, retirement homes are often fitted with luxurious suites, and the latest Harry Potter book is a bestseller. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Rising Sakura's national animal is the Fox, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

Rising Sakura is ranked 25,921^st in the world and 1,218^th in The North Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 210.26 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.