New Port City
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New Port City (or Niihama-shi 新浜市) is a fictional metropolis depicted in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell anime and manga series. The main setting of the various GitS stories, New Port City is located on Japan's western coast, on Nagasaki Bay in the fictional Niihama prefecture (新浜県) near the refugee island of Dejima. In Ghost in the Shell and Stand Alone Complex New Port City is the capital of Japan and one of the locations used by the Japanese Army. It should be noted that there is a real Niihama in Japan that is very different from New Port City.
The opening lines of voice-over in the 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell establish the setting as New Port City. In this film, the city's visual style is modeled upon Hong Kong; characters seen on signs are in Chinese, rather than Japanese. The television series Stand Alone Complex keeps the city's name but changes its appearance. (In the second episode of the second season, much of the city resembles the New York of Taxi Driver.) The city houses most of Japan's politicians, business leaders and industrial workers.
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[edit] Notable sites and locations
The following are notable sites or locations in New Port City.
[edit] Dejima Island
Dejima Island is a former man-made artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki that was a Dutch trading post during Japan's self-imposed isolation (sakoku) of the Edo period, from 1641 until 1853. During the time in which Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell takes place, the island is occupied by refugees following the 3rd and 4th World War.
[edit] Institutions
[edit] Government
- Japanese Naval Base - is one of the naval bases used by the Japanese government.
- Japanese Self-Defense Force
- Prime Minister - Japan's Head of State (Yoko Kayabuki as of 2nd GIG)
- House of Councillors - is the upper parliament house used by the Japanese government. (speculated, but not canon)
- House of Representatives - is the lower parliament house used by the Japanese government.
- Cabinet - see entry Cabinet of Japan
- Ministries - see entry Ministries of Japan
- Niihama Prefecture Police (新浜県警) - Unlike the current capital Tokyo, with its own Metropolitan Police Department, the law and order in New Port City is maintain by the Niihama Prefecture Police, under the command of a police superintendent general. The NPP's SWAT teams are frequently called to assist in Section 9's operation.
- Chinese Embassy - is the Chinese embassy located in New Port City. In Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG, the embassy was infiltrated by a terrorist group called the Individual Eleven.
[edit] Agencies
- Cabinet Intelligence Agency - is the American Empire-funded organisation set up in Japan to monitor the actions of the Japanese government and Section 9.
- Public Security Section 9 - is an intelligence department set up by the Japanese government to counter terrorism.
- Public Security Sections 1, 4 and 6 - see entry Other Fictional Organizations
[edit] Institutes
- Spring-8 Radiation Research Institute- an institute located in New Port City that conducts research on the Japanese nuclear program.
- National Library - is the New Port's library that mostly consists of cybernetic information instead of books.
[edit] Tourism
- New Port City International Airport - is New Port City's international airport.
- New Port Hotel - is one of New Port's famous hotels. The building is located in the heart of the city and overlooks the Dejima region.
- Expressway - is the major highway running through New Port. The expressway connects the city with Tokyo and Dejima.
- Dejima Bridge - is a bridge that connects New Port City with Dejima Island. During the Dejima refugee rebellion in 2nd GIG, the bridge was brought down in order to prevent JSDF forces from entering Dejima.
[edit] Entertainment
- Geisha House - is the one of the most prestigious Geisha houses in New Port City, as such it is very popular amogst the higher echelons of New Port's business life.
- Ishikawa Arcade - One of the most popular Virtual Arcades in New Port City. Ishikawa secretly uses the brains of its patrons for distributed computing.
[edit] Businesses
- Serano Genomics - is the one of New Port City's major micromachine companies.
- Megatech Body Co. - is a cybernetic body manufacturer. In the 1995 film Ghost in the Shell, Major Kusanagi's and the Puppet Master's bodies were created by Megatech.
[edit] Newport City (Dominion: Tank Police)
A similar sounding city using a different spelling of New Port is the base city for another of Shirows works, Dominion: Tank Police. The anime and manga series is based in fictional Newport City, where pollution has created bacteria-laden smog, and crime is so rampant, that the local police force are equipped with armoured tanks instead of police cars.
[edit] New Port City (Gundam Wing)
There is also a New Port City in the mecha anime Gundam Wing. In this setting, it is the capital of the fictional pacifist nation, the Sanc Kingdom, and much action during the third story arc takes place there. New Port City seems to be a typical European coastal city, with major locations including the castle that serves as home to the Peacecraft family.
