Laws of the Yamatai Star Empire

This page contains the laws of the Yamatai Star Empire.

1. Military Laws will not be included within the Unified Law (Proposal 63, Item 1).

2. Laws passed are not retroactive (Proposal 31, Item 1).

1. Any person who wishes to become a citizen of the Yamatai Star Empire must go through the Department of Immigration (Proposal 3, Item 1). All beings are permitted to apply, even non-citizens from other nations, but the Yamatai Star Empire reserves the right to restrict citizenship for any reasonable reason. Those with military records will be screened by the military as well as the Department of Immigration.

2. Any person who wishes to revoke their citizenship is subject to confiscation of their personal possessions, especially pieces of technological or military nature (Proposal 3, Item 2).

3. Citizenship to the YSE is not obtainable by birth alone. To become a citizen, those applying for citizenship must participate in an interview, download a civic information packet, and take a written or oral test. If the applicant lacks a digitized brain, they will receive study materials, and take the same test after a designated amount of time to study.

The following exemptions exist:

• Yamataian children born to parents, at least one of which is a citizen, that are under the age of 12 should be exempted and eligible to be added as citizens. The same should be applied to Yamataians. If either uses accelerated growth towards maturity, they should be evaluated individually.
• Sprites who have served a full term of duty in the Star Army of Yamatai and are honorably discharged with a civic information packet downloaded automatically become full citizens.
• Due to the fact the Nekovalkyrja child grows to maturity within standard three months, they are only exempt only until their first birthday.
• In the case of minority races, the registry will keep file of their standard maturity and assign a uniform age after which they are no longer eligible for immediate citizenship from one or more parents.
• Uniformly, special cases can be evaluated by the registry authority.

4. A citizen is an official member of the Empire, while a plebeian is not. Plebeians include willingly conquered members of other nations, and unregistered Geshrin (Proposal 3, Item 4). Those once owned by Citizens or Corporations owned by Citizens now hold Plebeian status.

5. The Yamatai Star Empire will designate plebeian rights to citizens of any nation with whom such an agreement has been previously made in treaty.

1. 1. Every citizen and plebeian has the right to their own thoughts, mind, and exclusive control of any backup copies thereof. (Proposal 3, Item 8; revised by Ketsurui Hanako-Taisa).

2. Every citizen and plebeian has the right to express themselves and speak freely, so long as their speech does not 1) libel, or present knowingly false information regarding a person or the actions of that person. 2) reveal information that the government, Star Army, or a Major Corporation has deemed as classified (Proposal 3, Item 9).

3. Any citizen or plebeian may own a firearm, energy rifle, or small explosives launcher. Weapons of mass destruction and quantum weaponry will be the only restricted weaponry for non-military personnel (Proposal 3, Item 10).

4. Every plebeian has the right to apply for citizenship.

5. Every citizen and plebeian has the right to live safely and unmolested, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others.

6. Any citizen, given the financial backing and skills needed, has the right to be permitted to start their own company if in compliance with Yamatai Star Empire law. Grants to found and maintain these companies are awarded at the will of the government, but can be applied for by any citizen.

7. Any citizen may vote upon and propose law for the Yamatai Star Empire.

8. Citizens and plebians have the defense of the Star Army of Yamatai and various non-military government offices to support their safety.

A non-citizen is defined as a being who is an alien to the Star Army of Yamatai and applicable allies. This is the base definition for all sentient life not holding membership or citizenship in the Yamatai Star Empire.

1. Every non-citizen has the right to their own thoughts, mind, and exclusive control of any backup copies thereof. (Proposal 3, Item 8; revised by Ketsurui Hanako-Taisa).

2. Every non-citizen has the right to express themselves and speak freely, so long as their speech does not 1) libel, or present knowingly false information regarding a person or the actions of that person. 2) reveal information that the government, Star Army, or a Major Corporation has deemed as classified.

3. Every non-citizen has the right to apply for citizenship, but they are not entitled to citizenship itself.

4. Every non-citizen has the right to live safely and unmolested, as long as they do not infringe on the legal rights of others.

5. Non-military non-citizens will not be singled out by race or political belief, unless the Empire has initiated a total war against that person’s government AND civilian population, IE: Mishhu. However, proper security measures can be taken as the situation demands.

Note: In Yamatai, the Living Property Act regulated a form of slavery until it was abolished. Essentially, the law said that persons created by other persons or entities were the property of that person or entity for a period of 8 years, after which they were granted full freedoms. This applied to natural children as well as artificially created androids and AIs. At present, slavery is illegal and it is the Empress' desire to pressure the remaining slaveholder nations around the YSE to also renounce slavery.

1. The Yamatai Star Empire can grant Asylum to people from outside the Empire by the the Empress, the Mistress Taisho, or qualified persons meeting the requirements mentioned in section 1.1. These people will have the same rights as Citizens, sans the ability to vote or propose law.

1a. In order to apply, or retain the ability to declare Asylum on behalf of the Empire as listed in this article the individual must have official approval from both the Empress, and the Mistress Taisho. Only individuals are eligible, and must be either: a ranking officer of Shosho or higher in the Star Army of Yamatai or leader of a clan that has previously been sanctioned by the Imperial Clan.

2. The Yamatai Star Empire, in times of emergency, can label a group of people as refugees and take them into their care. Refugees have the same rights as Plebians.

The following are crimes and will be punished as directed by the Crimes and Punishments list:

1. It is illegal for a nonmilitary person in Star Army territory to kill a sentient being that he/she does not own, except when acting in self-defense (Proposal 13, Item 1).
2. It is illegal for any person in Star Army territory to force an unwilling sentient being that he/she does not own to engage in or be subject to sexual intercourse or sexual activity (Proposal 15, Item 1).
3. It is illegal to clone (make physical copies of) or ST-clone (make mental copies of) any Star Army citizen/plebian/soldier that you do not own without their consent (Proposal 39, Item 2).
4. All nekos already have a unique genetic ID code. Attempting to modify the code, or a neko as a whole, is illegal, and punishable by life imprisonment (Proposal 39 Item 4).
5. Any person who wrongfully takes, obtains, or withholds any money, personal property, or article of value of any kind with intent permanently to deprive another person of the use and benefit of property or to appropriate it to his use (or the use of any person other than the owner) from the possession of the owner steals that property and is guilty of larceny (Proposal 35, Item 1) Doing the above, but for a temporary nature, is guilty of wrongful appropriation (Proposal 35, Item 2). Doing the above, but with violence or threat of violence, is guilty of robbery (Proposal 35, Item 3).
6. Any person who in time of war is found acting as a spy in or around any place, vessel, or aircraft, within the control of the Star Army, or in or about any shipyard, any manufacturing or industrial plant, or any other place or institution supporting the Star Army, or elsewhere, be punished by torture, until death (Proposal 37, Item 1 - Torture removed by order of the Empress).
7. No person or organization is allowed to use restricted military or corporate technologies or enter restricted military areas without authorization. Restricted Military Areas include, but are not limited to: Military States (Such as Melanchol, Geshrintall) and Newly-discovered planets and systems on the YSE's borders. Restricted Technologies include, but are not limited to: Nekovalkyrja, HSCS, TDD, RDD, WARMS and like devices, Aether Weaponry, Transposition Cannons, Scalar Weapons, ST/SS Tech, Technology involved in the creation of Zesuaium, Yarvex, Xiulurium, Interdictor Devices.
8. Any citizen discovering a new star system must notify the Empire immediately. If sentient life exists in the system, the Rights of Early Contact must be upheld: To not do so is a serious crime recognized by multiple nations.
9. Any citizen, plebian, or otherwise who knowingly commits crime in a government installation is liable to be charged with additional crimes brought forth by the Star Army of Yamatai, as well as civilian charges.
10. Those who lie to obtain citizenship in the Yamatai Star Empire will be charged with Fraud with Intent to Infiltrate, and can suffer deportation or imprisonment.
11. Police, Star Army of Yamatai, Ketsurui Samurai, and other offices dedicated to the protection of the people, the clans, and the Empire will not face charges for taking life, causing physical or emotional harm, or causing collateral damage; as long as their actions are warranted given the specific situation. Gross excess in actions or abuse of authority which are disproportionate to the situation, however, can result in charges.
12. It is a crime for any citizen or plebian to claim or maintain ownership of another sapient being. Non-citizens may only maintain ownership of their sapient property while in Imperial Space with the consent of the government, to be decided on a case-by-case basis.
13. It is illegal to intentionally kill, or harm with intent to kill, a whale or dolphin, with a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison. (Proposal 88 - Marine Life Protection Act, YE 34)
14. It is a crime to knowingly and willfully consume the flesh of another sapient being without that person's written consent. The convening court shall be entrusted with the decision as to whether or not extenuating circumstances are present, and it is within their purview dismiss charges for the same. (Proposal 89 - Anti-Sapient Consumption Act - YE 34)
15. It is illegal to impersonate, or wear the uniform or insignia of, a government official of the Yamatai Star Empire, a law enforcement officer, or a member of the Star Army of Yamatai, with the exception of legitimate movie acting in government-authorized film production. It is also illegal for a person to wear or claim to have been awarded medals and honors which were not actually bestowed upon him. Unauthorized wear of government and military insignia and false claims of awards and honors is punishable by 3 years in prison. Impersonating a government official in connection with a crime is punishable by 20 years in prison. Impersonating a government official with the intent to aid in the commission of a violent crime is an automatic death penalty. It is illegal for private individuals or unauthorized businesses to sell or export uniforms of the YSE government or Star Army of Yamatai. Authorized businesses must verify the employment of the customers. (107, YE 35).

Requirements for obtaining a Nekovalkyrja body:

1. Being a citizen of the Yamatai Star Empire is a prerequisite to use of a Nekovalkyrja body. Any Nekovalkyrja who changes allegiance to another nation must return the Nekovalkyrja body. Failure to do so is a capital offense.

2. A Nekovalkyrja body may be obtained by an employee of the Star Army of Yamatai or other government services with approval of the director or manager of such service when use of Nekovalkyrja bodies are justified (e.g. National Police may use Nekovalkyrja bodies because of the chance of combat).

3. Certain models of Nekovalkyrja bodies (such as stealth models), designated by the Star Army of Yamatai, must be relinquished prior to separation from the military.

4. For the purposes of this bill, Nekovalkyrja refers to NH-2 series, NH-7 series, NH-X series, NH-17 series, NH-18, NH-22M, NH-27 series, NH-28 series, NH-29 series, NH-33 series, and future Nekovalkyrja models.

5. Nekovalkyrja naturally born to Nekovalkyrja parents are given automatic citizenship to the Yamatai Star Empire, unless their parents are members of another nation (such as with NMX Nekovalkyrja).

Proposal #95 - Considerations for Protection of Artificial Intelligence (YE 34)

I. No Entity, defined as any company, individual, or group of individuals, shall knowingly create a product capable of self-acquired sapience without providing a means for that product to become independent. Should a produced intelligence thereafter become sapient, the Entity responsible for granting or inducing that sapience shall thereafter be responsible for the Sapient Being.

II. A Sapient Being, defined for the purposes of this bill as the result of an AI's self-realized or externally induced sapience, shall be considered a minor for purposes of citizenship and eligibility for military service until the passage of three years. The care of the Being shall be the responsibility of the sapience-inducing Entity, who shall claim the AI as a family member for the purpose of education and eventual citizenship. The owner, or parent, is thereafter responsible for the Being's education and welfare, and may be held accountable for maltreatment.

IIa. A Being which is claimed as a minor shall not be considered as mature until such time as either it is deemed so by the parent, or until the passing of three years.

IIb. In the case of a Being which is determined by the creating Entity to be ready for citizenship, citizenship may be submitted for consideration prior to the three-year limit, with the added requirement of immediate military service. A Being which enters service in this manner is entitled to all the training and benefits afforded a Nekovalkyrja, as if it were created by the Star Army of Yamatai for that specific purpose. It may also assume a Nekovalkyrja body if it so chooses.

III. Should an Entity create an artificial intelligence capable of eventual sapience without also providing a means of freedom and self-sufficiency and eventual citizenship, further utilization of the Being in question shall be considered slavery and shall be punishable under the letter of the law.

IIII. Should an Entity induce sapience, they shall be subject to the same.