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Japan raises military profile in naval war games with U.S.

16 Comments
By Tim Kelly

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16 Comments
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Progress, albeit slow.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I thought Japan wasn't supposed to  have a "military"

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

@Chrstopher Glen Japan does not have "a military" , what japan has is a Self-Defense Force... but it should become a Self Defense Armed Forces or "Defense Military".

3 ( +5 / -2 )

culminating in an unexpected event during the highly scripted games...

And what was the unexpected event?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

With one of the largest military budgets in Asia being shored with BOJ freshly minted monopoly money just what is PM thinking?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

unexpected event- read between the lines- he was in charge of the destroyers- defense screening for the aircraft carrier- so sub duties, AA and missile screening. so one of the three. i would pick sub attack- the Chinese have already started to hound our fleet.

the unexpected event might have been a real one.....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This article is like music to my ears. I really like how good is Iwasaki. Better than captains who abandon their ships full of kids.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

"..its rising-sun ensign, a symbol inherited from the wartime Imperial Navy, flying from its main mast."

It was inherited from way before that but the media just has to use wording to suggest otherwise. The Japanese navy used this flag in the Sino-Japanese war of 1884, the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 where Japan was supported by the UK and US, WWI where Japan was an Allied power. Comments like these which suggest that the flag is directly and only connected to WWII is why many SKoreans are under the misconception that it is some kind of fascist flag, The US F-22 Raptor Fighter Squadron (27th Exp) based in Kadena Okinawa use this patch: http://www.ebay.com/itm/USAF-27th-EXPEDITIONARY-FIGHTER-SQUADRON-F-22-RAPTOR-KADENA-2013-PATCH-/151157272227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2331aceea3

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

ShowIng flag

Same question again - what for? For the sake of showing? Waste of money and, very possible, loss of lives. Naval exercises are necessary, but Afghanistan.... No, thank you.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@OssanAmerica:

Very well said!! I was going to point this out, but saw you already had!! Nice job!!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

OssanAmerica, you say yourself that the rising sun ensign was flown during the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and WWI. The author didn't say it was inherited from the WWII Japanese Navy, he said it was inherited from the wartime Imperial Navy, which fought in the three conflicts you mention. He did not say anything about WWII.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

If Japan goes nuclear such scaring off tactics would be no needed.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If Japan goes nuclear such scaring off tactics would be no needed.

Absolutely NOT true. The point of these exercises, and indeed all combat exercises, is to resolve an armed conflict WITHOUT the use of nuclear weapons. The "Nuclear deterrent" is, and always has been, entirely ineffective. ISIS isn't afraid of America's nukes. Nor is Russia or North Korea, both of whom have nukes of their own. Iran has been known to antagonise the US as well. If you think having nuclear weapons means you are safe, you are tragically mistaken. Besides, nuclear warheads can be shot down, so it makes no difference in the long run. However, if Japan started developing nuclear weaponry, it would find itself suddenly without allies, and with the armed forces of the entire Pacific Rim standing against them, ordering them to cease that research immediately. Japan should stick to Self Defence, not offence.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Fox Sora Winters

Lookup mutually assured destruction. It absolutely is valuable for defense for China wouldn't be able to sail one fishing boat around the Senkakus without thinking about the possible repercussions. And as for "the entire pacific rim" standing against them, I suppose the Phillipines or Australia would have the moral standing to complain, but the rest would be called hypocrites and rightly so.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It is about time Japan gets out from under the USA skirts of protection.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lookup mutually assured destruction. It absolutely is valuable for defense

Mutually Assured Destruction is not a defensive strategy, it's the last resort of a madman from many films, novels, games and TV shows. It's suicide to even think that there isn't someone who wouldn't try to take advantage of that insane idea. Have you seen Sum of all Fears? Terrorists detonating a nuclear warhead on American soil with the intention of sparking a nuclear war between the US and Russia? There are radicals who want that kind of thing to happen. They want nuclear war, believing that they will somehow survive it and inherit the Earth. As long as M.A.D is being implemented as a viable option, there will always be a significant risk of it actually occurring. The thought that world leaders would actually gamble with billions of lives is truly disturbing, but that's exactly what they're doing.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

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