Japan to have a 'military' again for first time since WWII

[Joe Republic]

KillerTrollo - if you 'can't forgive America', why do you still live here?

[Platypus]

there is such an incredibly huge difference between America taking contol of what you refer to as "Aztlan" and world war two, pacific and european.

[afleitch]

Even if we follow his line of reason, the USA nicked 'Aztlan' and the Mexicans nicked it from the native tribes. Luckily no one does follow that line of reason and understands that in the past war often resulted in territorial changes. It has happened more times than I care to remember in Europe.

[Storebought]

So, to those who consider modern Japan to be an unrepentant threat to Western civilization, what do you suppose we do about them? Keep the Japanese nation artificially pacifist, so that the only defense from the hundred-million man Chinese army, and the missiles from their kept dogs the North Koreans, will be American and Australian and British troops?

Hell, to me that seems deeply counterintuitive. We should allow the Japanese to rebuild their military to some extent, if only to serve as cannon fodder before a NK attack.

[Platypus]

Yeah, cos the DPRK is really likely to attack Australia and the UK.

[patrick1]

I'm not saying this is a revival of Imperialistic Japan, but I don't support a stronger Japanese military. I don't, honestly, support a stronger Japanese anything.

As I said, I know they're meant to be our friends, but I just can't accept that we should be friends with a nation like Japan, which glosses over it's past, and in which attitudes aren't really all that different then in the 30s and 40s.

I completley agree.  They have never really taken full ownership of their crimes in WWII.  My Grandfather fought on Iwo Jima and try as he would he still didn't care for the Japanese at all.  I agree with you Hugh in that the culture and attitudes have not changed that much and in my western biased estimation it can be downright bizarre at points.  I had business relationships with the Japanese and from my limited experience they were really cold with an authoritarian bent.

[Rin-chan]

Yay for Japan!  I hope they blow up North Korea so we don't have to... but then again... their damned pacifism!  Why did they have to end their awesome feudal age!

SAMURAI WERE SO AWESOME!

Rin-chan

[Platypus]

I wonder how many of the older troops would support your position.

[patrick1]

Yay for Japan!  I hope they blow up North Korea so we don't have to... but then again... their damned pacifism!  Why did they have to end their awesome feudal age!

SAMURAI WERE SO AWESOME!

Rin-chan

The samurai ethos was certainly alive and well when the Japanese officers had beheading contests in Nanjing.

[Storebought]

Yeah, cos the DPRK is really likely to attack Australia and the UK.

What a quaint isolationist view you have.

I am saying that any attack, directed missile strike into S Korea, invasion of Taiwan, etc., will inevitably involve an American military response. And, frankly, if the US goes into east Asia, the UK and Australia will go with it, because, simply, that's the way the world works. This scenario is similar to what existed in Europe before 1914, except none of our alliances are in any way "secret."

Quite frankly, I would support a Japanese military with the scale of the French army and navy, if only to relieve the number of American troops stationed in SK and Okinawa.

[TexasGurl]

ヤンキー犬すべては死ななければならない!

[Storebought]

How strange. I tried to quote Texasgurl's amusingly insulting Japanese quote (something about Yankees dying), and out produces

[Jake]

I wonder how many of the older troops would support your position.

I imagine many of them have personal problems with the Japanese as a whole that prevent them from seeing the interest America (and in your case, Australia) has in a resurgent and militarily powerful Japan.

[Platypus]

Yeah, cos the DPRK is really likely to attack Australia and the UK.

What a quaint isolationist view you have.

I am saying that any attack, directed missile strike into S Korea, invasion of Taiwan, etc., will inevitably involve an American military response. And, frankly, if the US goes into east Asia, the UK and Australia will go with it, because, simply, that's the way the world works. This scenario is similar to what existed in Europe before 1914, except none of our alliances are in any way "secret."

Quite frankly, I would support a Japanese military with the scale of the French army and navy, if only to relieve the number of American troops stationed in SK and Okinawa.

see, that's the thing. A war between the DPRK and the west, we'll be there. But if the PRC get's involved, we'd be at best a minor playing. A war over Taiwan and Australia would, at most, pay lip service to the Americans. Our alliance is very very strong, but it only deals with direct threats tro eachother; just because America makes a promise to Taiwan doesn't mean Australia does too.

[Storebought]

Yeah, cos the DPRK is really likely to attack Australia and the UK.

What a quaint isolationist view you have.

I am saying that any attack, directed missile strike into S Korea, invasion of Taiwan, etc., will inevitably involve an American military response. And, frankly, if the US goes into east Asia, the UK and Australia will go with it, because, simply, that's the way the world works. This scenario is similar to what existed in Europe before 1914, except none of our alliances are in any way "secret."

Quite frankly, I would support a Japanese military with the scale of the French army and navy, if only to relieve the number of American troops stationed in SK and Okinawa.

see, that's the thing. A war between the DPRK and the west, we'll be there. But if the PRC get's involved, we'd be at best a minor playing. A war over Taiwan and Australia would, at most, pay lip service to the Americans. Our alliance is very very strong, but it only deals with direct threats tro eachother; just because America makes a promise to Taiwan doesn't mean Australia does too.

This entire scenario is hypothetical -- if there is any theater-scale conflict in Asia, it will have its start in some ethnic nonsense in Pakistan.

But suppose mainland China does invade Taiwan, once and for all. After the initial attack, the first place the half million some refugees will stop will be The Phillippines, but because of the grinding poverty of that country, they'll simply keep moving until they reach the first stable, democratic nation in their path -- Australia.

A great many of the Taiwanese will stay there, but some will flee to the US. In the latter case, the United States should welcome those people with open arms stretched wide.

Of course, those Taiwanese could in fact flee northeast to Japan, but, seriously, we all know how the Japanese are...*

*This line would seem to contradict what I posted some time ago, but it really doesn't. Japanese xenophobia is a small matter compared to an expansionist communist China. Any line of defense, including a militarily significant Japan, against Chinese belligerence will benefit every Pacific democracy.


 

[XxVENOMxX]

i am pro toward a Japanese military because of all the sh**t happening in the pacific, i understand how you all think that japan was to blame for all the sh**t in the pacific, but really, we as Americans have done much worse, one we completely ed up the Mexicans in their chance for stardom in the Americas, after WW1 we became cowards and shut the world out in complete fear of losing our respect and families to war *which we would have at the time* and OK japan was kind of a dick for sending pow's to killing camps and through the Bataan death march, but America is just as ed up or even worse,  the Americans fire bombed Tokyo a city made up of wood and stone multiple times killing civilians and politicians alike and ooh.... don't even get me started on the ing Bombs, we had already won the war but we as Americans still dropped the bombs on them anyways just to get some pointless revenge, Japanese may be savage fighters but we are almost no different, the only reason why we are is because of how highly scientific our armies are.

[A$AP Sawx]

i am pro toward a Japanese military because of all the sh**t happening in the pacific, i understand how you all think that japan was to blame for all the sh**t in the pacific, but really, we as Americans have done much worse, one we completely ed up the Mexicans in their chance for stardom in the Americas, after WW1 we became cowards and shut the world out in complete fear of losing our respect and families to war *which we would have at the time* and OK japan was kind of a dick for sending pow's to killing camps and through the Bataan death march, but America is just as ed up or even worse,  the Americans fire bombed Tokyo a city made up of wood and stone multiple times killing civilians and politicians alike and ooh.... don't even get me started on the ing Bombs, we had already won the war but we as Americans still dropped the bombs on them anyways just to get some pointless revenge, Japanese may be savage fighters but we are almost no different, the only reason why we are is because of how highly scientific our armies are.

[Cory]

They can have their opinion. I can oppose it. I do oppose it. Japan=a net negative in world history. At present? ...

What a stupid thing to say. Can you please just stop it? You're so massively butthurt that it's blatantly clouding your judgment and preventing you forming an objective and accurate opinion on the present day status of what Japan's military is named.

Don't get me wrong, I also think that culturally speaking Japan "got away" with WWII but Jesus H. Christ it's 2013 let's show a little nuance here.

Yeah, cos the DPRK is really likely to attack Australia and the UK.

And you think Japan is! Are you serious?

[rejectamenta]

It was actually 2005 when that was written.

[Platypus]

a) It was 7 and a half years ago.

b) I still think Japan is culturally problematic, and their acknowledgments of WW2 and the decades preceding it are abysmal.

c) North Korea still isn't going to attack us.

d) This was an interesting read

[Cory]

Oh yeah I just read the dates........