*A series of facts, lore, historic events, and character biographies within the Norio universe, released alongside the regular shorts*
First and foremost, the structure of Norio
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The organization is headquartered in Shibuya, Japan, but as a multinational agency of the UN it has regional branches across the world. Each of them, dedicated to defending their territory and given a geographic area of responsibility. These branches run in similar fashion to US unified combatant commands and are each led by a high ranking commander appointed by the United Nations.
There are six branches in total, each dedicated to a certain area of responsibility:
Norio Japan: the headquarters of Norio located in Tokyo, Japan and the parent of all branches. It is the largest among the groups and where most decisions of Norio are made. Responsible for the defense of Japan and the Russian Far East. As well as the North Pacific.
Norio Korean Command: headquartered in Seoul. Responsible for the defense of the Korean peninsula.
Norio Chinese Command: headquartered in Beijing. Responsible for the defense of China and the South China Sea.
Norio North American Command: responsible for the defense of the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Norio European Command: responsible for the defense of Western Europe and European Russia. Headquartered in London, England.
Norio Oceanian Command: responsible for the defense of Australia and New Zealand, and the South Pacific. Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.
Each branch operates independently of one another but remains completely subordinate to the Norio headquarters in Japan. The branches will also work together in times of extreme crisis.
Though Norio receives much press coverage and praise, it is not without its critics. Although the organization is under the command of the United Nations, it often acts independently in operations and has very little oversight from the UN. It's also not unheard of for Norio to conduct activities deemed illegal by international law to achieve its goals, activities that most civilians turn a blind eye to given that they don't, nor do any other organization, have the power to stop Norio.
Some of these actions include eliminating whistleblowers, hunting down political opponents, and suppressing resistance against the UN or Norio. Anyone who dares cross Norio disappears forever. The agency also possesses more power and influence than world governments and is known to pressure civilian and military organizations into helping them. It can enter into any UN member state without prior consent from the state government and ultimately ignore that state's law altogether.
The organization is led by a board of executives headed by a director responsible for overall matters of the force, he also shares this power with a deputy director, and one executive responsible for Norios finances. Norio also has a public relations branch dedicated to handling the press and news outlets, and they are known to often lie about the true scale of certain disasters.
Some of these executives also maintain connections with the yakuza and other crime syndicates to further Norios' exploits in eliminating its enemies. Many of its employees are also embedded within the United Nations executive and legislative branches to further their influence.
By outward appearance Norio runs in a similar fashion to a megacorporation, with buildings and sites dedicated to various functions all over Japan.
Funding and Equipment:
Norio is funded by the U.N and maintains a yearly budget of $20-35 billion, while also utilizing funds from member states such as Korea, Luxembourg, and the United States. Its budget also allows for the group to establish and decommission bases across Earth and in space. As well as establish their very own space program.
Norio is heavily influenced by historic military forces, using colors and uniforms modeled off historic nations such as the Russian Empire and Meiji-era Japan to invoke an intimidating appearance to its enemies. Despite their appearance they ultimately have won public favor and are seen as the protectors of Japan and Earth.
In terms of its weapons and equipment, Norio purchases much of its instruments from defense corporations and other aerospace companies. Maintaining contracts with various groups around Japan. Matsuura Industries is one such, the company's defense subsidiary developing EX-35 fighters for pilots, as well as bombers and orbital defense satellites.
Norio will also purchase rifles, pistols, rocket launchers, and other weapons from other foreign corporations for its operatives to use. One such corporation is Spartan Armament, an American weapons company that supplies most small arms to Norio.
Ideology:
Norio has also been described by civilians as an authoritarian fascist-like organization that controls most media across Japan as their public relations branch chooses which stories to air, and makes use of heavy propaganda to sway the public eye. All races, both genders, and all sexual orientations are equal assuming their allegiance is to the organization.
They are openly hostile to anti-UN groups and have no qualms about harming civilian rioters in public. The group has been accused of human rights violations, suppression of free speech that tarnishes the UN, and killing anyone who gets in their way. Despite these accusations none of them can be proven due to Norio's wide fanbase and influence across Japan.
The organization considered themselves a necessary evil for the glory of mankind, all massacres and horrific jobs are covered up and gone without a trace. The pilots of Norio receive the most press coverage and are always portrayed in a positive light.