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12 Comments

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  osmondau at 02:30 PM JST - 27th August

  japan, you have the power to give up US cradling, if your so-called protector is causing so many hassles to your citizens, whats the point of having their presence? are they here to threaten your people or they merely here to prey for the next victims??

  tell us admirals to keep military disciplines!!

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  USNinJapan2 at 09:00 AM JST - 28th August

  osmondau

  japan, you have the power to give up US cradling...

  First they will have to be willing to wield the spear themselves. Despite their various complaints, the Japanese populace would rather continue to 'contract out' national defense to the US than spend the additional money to arm their own defense forces or amend their constitution to legally empower them. This is a choice made by the Japanese government and people and one of the unavoidable (minor) consequences is that there will be occasional crimes committed by US military personnel. No matter what the US military (or Japanese) does the crime rate will never be 0%, and expecting there to be no incidents in a large population of people, any people, is irrational and unreasonable. It is high time people understand this and tolreate the exremely low crime rate of American military personnel (in comparison to Japanese citizens) as an unavoidable but acceptable consequence of our presence in Japan. If a >0% crime rate, aircraft noise, etc. are absolutely not acceptable, than they need to rethink their priorities and decide whether they are actually willing to do what it takes (amend laws, militarize, volunteer for service) to defend themselves as a developed nation which is critical to regional stability and to the world economy.

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  The_Marion at 10:13 AM JST - 28th August

  Note: Even as we blog this situation there is a Japanese Court testing the legality of the "Secret Deal" that Japan foisted on the Ryukyuan people in the form of a supposed reversion. I suggest we tackle one situation at a time. After all this has been going on for some 64 years.

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  The_Marion at 10:23 AM JST - 28th August

  Note: I have volunteered to sit on this panel to decide whether Japan has anything to say on anything involving the Ryukyu Islands. Further, I am aware the USA will soon move to the Marianas AND AS YOU MAY BE AWARE THE jAPANESE ARE MOVING THEIR SELF DEFENSE FORCES INTO OKINAWA EN-MASSE. Lo the poor Ryukyuan as the SDF morphs into a Imperial Japanese Military ala 1934 to 1945.

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  apecNetworks at 04:22 PM JST - 28th August

  Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, needs to concentrate on one thing - to make the SDF superfast, not size. All future developments should be overshadowed for the "need for speed". With people like former Defense Minister Ishiba as a resource, the other priorities can be covered.

  The one stickler I emphasize is the SDF needs a home based multipurpose fighter similar to the one Japan worked on w/ Boeing. At the elite levels, Japan needs to develop and keep it's technology b/c state of the art technology is never shared nor sold (historically).

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  apecNetworks at 06:07 PM JST - 28th August

  It should be mentioned that the aforementioned post on a "home based multipurpose fighter", is connected to the viability of Article 9 and the general public's affinity to the Article. A state of the art fighter which is unpredictable and deadly serves as a strong deterrent to would be foes, and can be used to leverage better trades w/ other countries.

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  apecNetworks at 06:10 PM JST - 28th August

  Correction:

  "can be used to leverage BETTER DEFENSE RELATED trades w/ other countries."

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  soldave at 10:19 AM JST - 29th August

  Okinawa will always get the short straw, partly due to them not being seen as pure Japanese. Either the US bases will be put here or the MSDF bases will be put here, so that they don't upset the real Japanese people. Okinawans can just deal with it.

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  The_Marion at 10:27 AM JST - 29th August

  Soldave:

  A big Amen

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  The_Marion at 10:38 AM JST - 29th August

  apecNetworks

  Keep in mind that no military anywhere in this world will ever fight a war today like we fought WWII. We will never run up sandy beaches and the actual bumbbardment will be carried on from an airconditioned office thousands of miles from where the battle will take place.

  THE TECHNOLOGY OF WAR IS NOW BEING WORKED ON EVERY NATION ON THIS PLANET and just to jolt your thoughts, "remember that Japan is now a Plutonium Super-power.

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  apecNetworks at 04:34 PM JST - 29th August

  To The_Marion:

  I understand what you are saying. I have been attached to the SDF from the get go, and I do understand what the Japanese can do well. The fighter incorporates so many Japanese industrial strengths, it's a no brainer. Costs are prohibitive, but if the Defense Ministry pursued it, fully automated fighters are defini te, bvr w/ great range, a need to perfect thrust vectoring, massive research in wireless transmissions, new composite manufactuing techniques, on and on..... - all these developments miniaturized beyond belief.

  I didn't know they are a "Plutonium Super-power", but that road leads to problems. Article 9 has great influence in the region, and this status can not be replaced, should be kept as long as possible - this is a judgement call and many in the Japanese Govt. would not prefer it. Example: if Japan abandons Article 9 and deploys nuclear intercontinental ballistic missles, Japan's status in APEC would be significantly altered. It's a judgement call.

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  The_Marion at 09:32 PM JST - 29th August

  "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive." Remember the Democrats gave birth to the Cairo Accords of 1943 which gave the Ryukyu Islands back to the Ryukyuan people.

  It was the Republican Administration that suggested (illegaly) that we return the Ryukyu Islands to the Japanese. It is a Republican President who has brought about all the unrest in Japan as they effect a line of resistence along the coast af Asia. In the tomorrows to come, it looks like we may returnthe Presidency to the Democrats - and then what?

  I am aware that it could happen that our military will vacate the Ryukyu Islands and rebuild in the Marianas to the tune of one Marine Division.

  With the Self Defense Forces firmly in place on Okinawa are we seeing a rebirth of the Imperial Japanese Military? What then?

  Extrapolation says to me that "from somewhere" the Ryukyuan will gain support for these wonderful people. (Whatever goes around, comes around.)

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