"A strong military bloc, the nations of the Asian Alliance came together when Chinese expansionist policies led to the Great War in 3021. After terrible losses of life and territory, Japan equipped Thailand's Armed Guard with BioLogic suits, and the Alliance was swiftly victorious thereafter.
 
"The Alliance was betrayed shortly after China's withdrawal, when Thai General Somchai Sangsiri renamed his nation Siam, and attacked the closest of his former allies..."

"Empire was for a very brief time a collection of four independent cites, New York, London, Paris and Munich, which at the turn of the fourth millennium were the wealthiest cities on Earth...
 
"The gamble did not pay off. The four cities were narrowed down to only one less than a month after Empire formed, as New York was attacked by its parent state the ROA and Paris and Munich quickly surrendered to Federation troops.
 
"London, on the other hand, easily annexed the rest of the isle of Britain simply by incorporating it into the Greater London Metropolitan District..."

"Founded 1958 as the European Common Market...
 
"The Federation is best known for its bravery on the battlefield, but its reluctance to actually win there. In the 2350s it battled China after the annexation of Russia, and lost Finland. A gengin dispute in 2483 resulted in war with the United Nations of Islam, and the loss of Israel and Lebanon. Most recently, London, Munich and Paris attempted to secede in 3000 to form a new country, Empire (see above)..."

"Governed by the Imperial Family, the Tanaka, who enjoy near-absolute power. By ancient tradition, the House of Councillors has the power to override the Emperor's decision on a unanimous vote, but this would jeopardize the nation's honor and so such a vote is almost never called for...
 
"[Manhattan was saved destruction during the New York/New Jersey War] due to Japan's devotion to protecting its corporate investments. Such investments in Manhattan were already extensive before 3000, and the imperial government repeatedly warned the Republic that excessive destruction of Japanese property there would lead to direct intervention. Since these warnings were ignored, Japan launched a Mecha Bomb at the battlefield from an orbital platform, disabling every piece of machinery for a radius of 40 kilometers...
 
"...the ROA had little left with which to fight against a determined Japan. Peace was negotiated quickly, with the island of Manhattan being sold for twenty-seven dollars (R$27.00). The imperial family entrusted the island to Mimitsu to be used as a testing ground for organic technology."

"Its proximity to Earth and its abundant underground water resources have made people regard Mars as 'the colony with a future' for 475 years, and this cautious optimism is slowly paying off. Within the last half century, Mars' atmosphere has become dense enough to allow minimal open-air farming of hardy, specially-engineered textile crops, and (with oxygen masks) the population can even go outside at certain times of the day...
 
"Tourists marvel at the level-headed practicality and the warm sense of humor of most Martians, and wonder if there was ever a time when people on Earth acted so nostalgically 'normal'..."

"Nation of 361 member states, spanning North America and most of South America. Governed by the Elect, a body of representatives elected by the ROA Supreme Court, who in turn are selected by the Governors of the individual states, who are selected by a body of 144,000 individuals called 'the Raptured' an hereditary legislature whose ancestors were last elected by the people of the Republic in 2706...
 
"Host of the 2967 World's Fair (West Orange, New Jersey), easily eclipsed by Ganymede's hosting the Solar System Fair in the same year. Its only other recent accomplishment, losing New York to Japan, the ROA also officially blames on New Jersey..."

"Yearning to usher in a simpler and more magical time, General Somchai Sangsiri worked to create the world of Siamese mythology in the flesh. In doing so he threw the ancient Genetic Engineering Treaty to the winds. He altered his own genetics so that he would resemble Hanuman, the Monkey God, and he took as radical an approach to the remaking of Siam..."

"Venus became the new home of Japanese, Koreans, and many others of Asian descent, including Indians and Pakistanis beginning in 2617. One of the leading families came to be the Mitsui, whose patriarch arrived trying to establish inexpensive forms of space travel. Fumichika Mitsui had little success in finding investors for spaceships, but the tunnels of Venus made the perfect testing ground for underground public transportation. By the turn of the 28th Century, some of the sturdiest vehicle designs began coming out of Venus, and the Mitsui, along with other local families, found success and wealth at the height of the Mechanical Age. These Venusian families formed the Mimitsu ('Earthworm') Lines Company in 2701...
 
"Today, Venus Colony is a large shareholder in Mimitsu Lines..."