Abe says military shift of historic significance

True. . . Japan is shifting from its decades-long dependence on USA. Japan is coming into her own - - - and I believe, in this new for, Japan will contribute greatly to peaceful co-existence in Asian area.

Japan’s prime minister has likened the relaxation of strict rules on the country’s military to the seismic shift of the Meiji Restoration—a moment widely understood as the birth of the modern nation—a report said.

WOW, now I am even more concerned. Abe down-played the significance of the change in his press conference saying it was just for simple things like shooting down NK missles flying over Japan, and sweeping for mines. But now, speaking to his LDP cronies, the real intention of the change comes out. Anyone who thinks Abe is not a wolf in sheep's clothing is foolish.

It is a major shift: or will be as public money is shifted to arms producing corporations as part of ongoing class warfare.

Comparing it to the Meiji Restoration is off base, if anything he should compare this move to ones pre-WWII, so it is part of a rebirth of the militaristic nation that ended up killing millions in Asia. Only people such as Abe would celebrate this.

“The Japanese government is eager to break through the postwar system,

Translation, the Chinese government is eager to break through the postwar system.

China, home to the world’s largest military, far outnumbers rival Japan in manpower, ships, aircraft and defense spending.

And oddly, Japan grants ODA to China nonetheless.

Time to give China ZERO ODA. If China wants to talk, Japan should walk that talk for them.

What an awful analogy. Kind of hints at the same aggressive policy to close neighbours that followed the Meiji Restoration.

Time to give China ZERO ODA.

Yes.

I think this whole thing has been on-going on the down low ever since after those bombs where dropped. They never really surrendered. They pretended to. They just waited for the guard to go down...or for other nations to slip up and become corrupt or contaminated. If we look around and see all the people who protest to this, they are mostly old people on their way out. Where are the young people? Nowhere to be found, because they never read about it in the history books. They don't really care. The media has them blind. And nobody else really gave a damn from outside countries. Eveyone is too busy caught up with other things such as anime, robots, maid cafe's, and one-piece comics. So in a way, they reset time. Food for thought. Damn, it I should be a national advisor for the United nations. I think their next move is to fire up china (intentionally) to make her attack, and then be able to react the way they want. Then the crap will hit the fan and it would be an all out war. I doubt America would be able to drop another bomb if they had to again.

Yes, a really significant shift. It is done without debate in and approval by the Diet. This is nothing short of a micro-coup d'etat. Now the Constitution can be "reinterpreted" (violated without consequence) by anyone with enough power. Shame on Abe. Shame on the LDP. Shame on Komeito. The whole lot has got to go before these people "suspend" the Constitution like the military low-life in Thailand.

I've been told by some Japanese friends that senior highschool boys have been sent letters asking if they would like to join the SDF... how many parents are now worried that there could be a policy of national service and their sons could be sent to fight?

What an awful analogy. Kind of hints at the same aggressive policy to close neighbors that followed the Meiji Restoration.

Japan wanted to be seen as an equal to the Western nations it interacted with, all of which had world-spanning empires. Could the really be faulted for playing the same game?

In no way, however, could this be equivalent to the Meiji restoration, which was the biggest shift in political power Japan had ever seen, the emperors being hostages of "their" governments for centuries before the Tokugawa shogunate ever came to be. And how quickly it was lost, for the Emperor is now a hostage of his palace yet again.

This is only an undoing of the foolish error the American military government made once the Cold War became a reality, and they had neutered the only nation to ever defeat Russia (excepting Finland, of course, but their situation was more nuanced).

Japan’s prime minister has likened the relaxation of strict rules on the country’s military to the seismic shift of the Meiji Restoration ---- How ignorant and arrogant for ABE to make a remark like this? We all know this period only brought destruction and chaos by Imperial Japan. Abe making comparsion to the worst destructive period is exactly why he is out of touch with reality.

Japan’s prime minister has likened the relaxation of strict rules on the country’s military to the seismic shift of the Meiji Restoration—a moment widely understood as the birth of the modern nation—a report said.

Wow. When such a "seismic shift" is due to one party's interpretation of a constitution in effect for nearly seven decades you know that serious trouble will soon follow.

The Meiji Restoration was an elitist movement with no input from the population at large. So in that sense he is correct. Another revolution from the top down that doesn't even take popular opinion into consideration.

Abe says military shift of historic significance

This shift isn't a ripple in the history of Japan, it's a tidal wave. Japan is about to wake up from the fantasy dream it has been in for almost 70 years. Prime Minister Abe is correct this is a significant moment in Japanese history. If folks can't see how significant it is then you are blinded by your hatred.

Well, I see that the infamous Taro Yamamoto is hanging around as usual, but where are the millions of protesters he promised to raise? Megalomaniacs are so funny.

boweevilJul. 04, 2014 - 07:15AM JST The Meiji Restoration was an elitist movement with no input from the population at large. So in that sense he is correct. Another revolution from the top down that doesn't even take popular opinion into consideration.

The population at large would have gone with whatever they were told. The Tokugawa shogunate had kept Japan in living in the dark ages and when it finally collapsed a better Japan rose. Read up a bit more on it and you will have a better understanding. There are some great books out there that will help you to see what happened and what changed.