Abe treads warily around expanding SDF role after Algeria deaths

"that would break what they consider the shackles of a pacifist regime imposed on Japan by the United States after World War II"

While this statement is certainly true as of 1945 and Article 9 was pushed upon Japan to satisfy the other allied powers that wanted to prosecute Emperor Hirohito, what is left out is that by 1950 the United States regretted this and forced Japan to form a military, under the guise of the national police force, which has now become the JSDF. What is also not mentioned is that US policy has been since the 1970s to get Japan to re-militarize and it has been Japan that used Article 9 to resist our requests. In the 1980s President Ronald Reagan asked PM Zenko Suzuki to allow the JSDF to help protect Guam and he refused. It is actually China's current belligerent behavior that is accomplishing what several decades of effort by the United States failed to do.

@ OssanAmerica

" It is actually China's current belligerent behavior that is accomplishing what several decades of effort by the United States failed to do"

The real issue is not about China's current behavior is a product of what you have posted, it is really Japan inability to read USA intention over these past decades.

TIME MOVES ON = we the US did not impose the same restraints on Germany, it falls on this : 1947, U.S.-drafted pacifist constitution:

I cannot say in 2013 that the US will follow through in it's obligations, when the president is cutting back the military and makes statements that we will make friends of our current enemies.

if you look at how the US has tackled Korea, China and Iran you will see the direction- Korea is now nuclear - it will finish up and have a working bomb soon and now has a platform to deliver. Iran will follow using the same tech. China- supports Korea and wants the south china sea and the US out of the pacific.

the current US President will make some big noises but eventually just move out of the way. the 1947 US imposed constitution needs to be amended - especially article 9

Perhaps the JSDF might consider building a base in central park, New York, and operating Ospreys from there?

What JSDF needs is to establish an overseas Intelligence gathering and analysis section to determine the present threat level and provide the information to the private corporations that are risking their lives to secure Japan's national interest. This does not violate JSDF main directive written within the constitution.

Yes, Japanese should start protecting themselves because there will be a time when the US will realize it is not worthy to defend this country.

avigator-san,

there will be a time when the US will realize it is not worthy to defend this country.

I agree with you that the US is not worthy* of defending Japan, but in fact, it is NOT here to defend this country. The US military is here for its own, not our defense.

*You might check the dictionary for the definition of this word.

First of all, Japan would need an actual intelligence gathering capability, while at the moment it has few government personnel who can communicate in English and almost none in Arabic. Japan's lack of anything approaching an immigration policy means that there are no Japanese who can blend into the background of any North African or Middle Eastern society, quite unlike Great Britain, the U.S., or France. If Great Britain and America were incapable of inserting a response team, well, keep your PlayStation on, mates, because that's as close as you're going to get. "For troops who must make life or death decisions in a tenth of a second to be forced to act within the limits of the law or risk violating..." S'il vous plaît! The Coast Guard briefly faced one hostile North Korean vessel and two police officers were tragically murdered in Cambodia, but when since 1945 have Japanese military personnel experienced such a situation? In Iraq they hunkered down in the safest quadrant of the country and provided drinking water to civilians. I've met the colonel, now a Member of Parliament, who led them and he said the scariest situation was being kissed on the lips when meeting local Iraqi potentates. A mortar round landed within a few klicks of their perimeter and it was national news.

"I agree with you that the US is not worthy* of defending Japan, but in fact, it is NOT here to defend this country. The US military is here for its own, not our defense.

*You might check the dictionary for the definition of this word."

@BertieWooster:

I respectfully disagree with your assessment. While it is true that the U.S. has interests in the region, it is still there for the defense of Japan as well. That hasn't really been tested as of yet, but I fear that it may be sometime in the not so distant future.

toguro-san,

It's perfectly fine to disagree.

Actually, I became unsure myself as to exactly why there are bases over here. Googling around brings up a lot of opinions, but you would think that there would be an exact statement of purpose, wouldn't you?

I assumed, like you, that since Japan is paying such an astronomical sum of money to host them, that they were here to defend this country. I stated this on JT and got a barrage of rather impolite replies. The consensus was that the bases are here to defend US interests.

If you know of any clear statement of purpose, I would be grateful if you would post it here for us.

"It's perfectly fine to disagree.

Actually, I became unsure myself as to exactly why there are bases over here. Googling around brings up a lot of opinions, but you would think that there would be an exact statement of purpose, wouldn't you?

I assumed, like you, that since Japan is paying such an astronomical sum of money to host them, that they were here to defend this country. I stated this on JT and got a barrage of rather impolite replies. The consensus was that the bases are here to defend US interests.

If you know of any clear statement of purpose, I would be grateful if you would post it here for us."

@BertieWooster:

I'm quite sure that you may have already seen this, but on the slim chance that you haven't, I will post this link from Wikipedia that explains the current security alliance between Japan and the U.S. You will also find a brief breakdown and explanation on the money spent by Japan to host the bases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Forces_Japan

IMHO and I'm sure that everyone can agree with this, no country is going to commit the number of trrops, and materiel to base in any country without at least a small bit of ulterior motives at play.