Taking on a subject that is still largely avoided in Japan, this powerful thriller explores the threatposed byan emperor, even in a ceremonial role, to a democratic government.Set in a fictionalisland country, the novelis told from the perspective of a group of young adultswho are embroiledin their private problems of friendship, work, and sex. Much of the plot is revealed though their internet postings, whichgraduallybecome a tool of resistance when the country's popular young emperor dies and his sister is next inline to the throne. In the confusion that follows, martial law is declared and the populace, obsessed with fears about personal and national security, agrees to accept a new authoritarian government.Horrified by the rapid swing in thenation's politics, the main characters confront the brutality that is erodingsupport for basic rights and environmental and humanitarian reforms.
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