Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

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  USNinJapan2 at 11:10 PM JST - 13th September

  Why should Japan do it?

  Simple. Because it's the only thing that Japan can do in contributing to the multi-national GWOT while staying as far away from actual combat as possible.

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  lipscombe at 12:01 AM JST - 14th September

  the usual naysayers will come out of the woodwork

  wahahahahaha, you live for these moments! Just curious, what do you do when noone bites? read your Japan guide books?

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  OssanULTRA at 02:19 AM JST - 14th September

  "The US, with its express intent to remove North Korea from its list of terror sponsoring states"

  Express intent? If you follow the news we haven't removed NKorea from the list and we're not going to until they agree to a verification.

  "while it still poses as a real threat to Japan asks Japan to show token support in the fight against the remnants of a threat that is directed most exclusively against US interests."

  Really? London is in the US? And Madrid? And India? And Indonesia?

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  mushroomcloud at 05:34 AM JST - 14th September

  Japan: Get off your lazy, timid asses, trash Article 9, and fight alongside the United States!

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  OssanULTRA at 11:45 AM JST - 14th September

  They aren't being timid or lazy. They're being very very smart and using the circumstances to their best advantage. Hopefully Japan will come to realize that continuing this policy ultimately will hurt them in the long run.

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  rjd_jr at 12:07 PM JST - 14th September

  Ossan, I wouldn't take take seriously anything mushroomcloud or whatever other alias he uses states, this individual contradicts quite often, one minute criticizing all things Japanese, next thing saying that Japan military should not be trusted to rearm, things of that sort.

  Mushroomcloud's definition of 'fighting alongside the U.S.' is rather hazy. Who exactly has been fighting alongside the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan all these years, that merits his "standards of excellence?" Considering that the non U.S. coalition forces casualty numbers COMBINED for both theaters is but a small percentage of that suffered by U.S. forces, sure looks like the U.S. has been doing the brunt of the work. Mushroom would have us believe that a nation like South Korea has been bravely dodging insurgent bullets and bombs and doing security raids in Iraq, though it has been repeatedly stated that all S.K. troops in Iraq were of non combat type and in a secure area of northern Iraq. Yet mushroom would insult and denigrate the contributions of what Japan has done so far in Iraq with hearsay from some British message board about having to protect Japanese troops.

  The only ones that should be complaining about the toll of protecting another nation's forces should be American coalition forces. After 5 years of babysitting the Iraqi "military," and thousands of lives lost and more maimed horribly, American troops are the ones that earned the right to criticize how inept and corrupt the Iraqi military is.

  So, take what some posters write with a very big grain of salt.

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  Thenewfront at 12:13 PM JST - 14th September

  Japanese troops were babysat in Iraq. This is not just words from a message board, but from troops who were present.

  Japans lack of work and poor rebuilding is fact notb hearsay, taht is why Japan does not brag about its successes, because they do not exist.

  America is liberating Iraq and Afghanistan , and any decent country would help, like the British do, with honour.

  Japan and its military is a sham. Japan, do as America tells you, you know it amkes sense.

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  apecNetworks at 04:34 PM JST - 14th September

  Actually, this is a political issue, and not a military issue. I'm pretty sure there are a slew of analysts in the State Dept., as well as other places that know quite well the dynamics occurring around this issue. I personally think it would be harder for the LDP to get around Article 9 than for the Bush Administration getting around the US Constitution. The LDP has limited support.

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  OssanULTRA at 09:52 PM JST - 14th September

  "I personally think it would be harder for the LDP to get around Article 9 than for the Bush Administration getting around the US Constitution. The LDP has limited support."

  Apec;

  Are you sure about that? The boldest actions ever taken by Japan militarily since WWII, namely Iraq deployment and Indian Oceahn refueling were all put into effect during the Koizumi administration.

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  mushroomcloud at 12:01 AM JST - 15th September

  "Mushroom would have us believe that a nation like South Korea has been bravely dodging insurgent bullets and bombs and doing security raids in Iraq, though it has been repeatedly stated that all S.K. troops in Iraq were of non combat type and in a secure area of northern Iraq. Yet mushroom would insult and denigrate the contributions of what Japan has done so far in Iraq with hearsay from some British message board about having to protect Japanese troops."

  In response to rjd jr, while I appreciate the critique, I find it laughable that I somehow would have anyone believe that ROK troops were conducting the sort of missions that the US is doing. That said, numbers speak for itself. South Korea had at it's peak 3,600 troops in Iraq. Japan had 600. In addition, it was reported in many news channels that the Japanese SDF was in fact protected by Australian troops. Are you saying that I am lieing?

  http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/japanese-troops-leave-iraq/2006/07/07/1152240491904.html

  Lastly, I am not aware of any ROK troops being protected by armed forces of another nation while in Iraq. Perhaps you can enlighten me if otherwise. My suggestion, get your facts straight before you reduce yourself to name calling.

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  OssanULTRA at 12:28 AM JST - 15th September

  Neither ROK troops nor JSDF troops being sent to Iraq are relevant to this article which is about JMSDF ships refueling coalition ships in the Indian Ocean.

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  teaabe at 06:54 AM JST - 15th September

  my country Japan is merely a gas station attendant filling the tank up... is this what we have become?

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  meanmutha at 04:14 PM JST - 15th September

  yep.

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  OssanULTRA at 11:39 PM JST - 15th September

  "my country Japan is merely a gas station attendant filling the tank >up... is this what we have become?"

  Yes. Make the necessary changes in the constitution so that your country can become a "normal" one again.

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  teaabe at 05:35 AM JST - 18th September

  burp. pork.

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