Abe to push security agenda next year with fresh urgency

As the first poster here i have to say that Japan has the right to have offensive weapons. Like all the rest of the world.

The United States has been pushing for Japan to accept Collective Defense for 63 years without success. Along comes China and it gets done in a jiffy. Xie Xie!

Indeed, when push comes to shove, a nation and its people can only take so much.

The nationalists and anti Japan crowd can demonize Japan all they want and scream about Japan militarizing again, but they only need look at themselves in the mirror.

Any nation and its people would push back if they were harassed and attacked as much as Japan has been these past few years.

Japan doesn't need an aggressive military to keep itself afloat. There is no problem with any country in Japan's immediate environment that couldn't be solved with a bit of bright thinking and diplomacy.

If we had a prime minister who could actually communicate with people and who could think for himself instead of just obeying his American "advisors" and who actually wanted to build up good relations with its neighbours, peace and good trade in this area is a real possibility.

For sure, it won't be done by force.

That never solves anything.

@ overchan

Concerning your analogy about Japan being the Israel of Asia, you do know that Israel is technically also a part of Asia, right? Makes the statement slightly redundant.

China is a reasonable threat, and through their actions they have provided enough reasons for this to be justified. Japan needs to re-militarize, albeit hopefully not too much, to counter the growing threat from an increasingly assertive China.

I agree with what Japan is doing. The Japanese people of today are not the ones who were responsible for what Japan did in the 30s and 40s. Even the Japanese culture now has improved. Just be careful of rising nationalism. It is the refuge of the vicious. And it's rising fast in China. Why can't the Chinese remember the 45 to 70 million of their own people they killed after WW2? The question Japan must ask itself. If the Chinese Government is willing to do that to their own people, what are they willing to do to the people of Japan? A strong defence force maintains the status quo.

With 'fresh urgency', eh? As opposed to 'stale urgency'?

Do none of you really understand where nationalism and aggressive conservatism lead?

REALLY???

My way if seeing it is that this change must be approved. Japanese military lacks combat and international experience. JSDF must go abroad and fight together with allied forces to get this experience and to increase international sovereignty.

Japan could be either one of leaders in Asia civilization or a follower to join Crusade type of religion war fighting for whatever he doesn’t really understand, and that is a fresh urgency? I don’t get it. JP doesn’t violate any ban if he only want to defend the ocean or isles which he think belong to himself, does he?

I'm for Japan bolstering its defences. It should at least be able to fight and push any forces threatening it back. History is history, people shouldn't be so damn paranoid about Japan having a military. I'm sure most civilians don't even want to have a war but hey, politicians are idiots. Just enough of a military defence to drive off the enemy is fine. I'm sure there won't be a war though since whoever fires first is just begging to be attacked by other countries who "fight in the name of assisting a fellow ally".

'Shoulder to shoulder with its allies abroad.' BS.

This is going to end badly for Japan. They aren't much liked or trusted anywhere in East Asia. Wake up Japan are really going to allow the US to trick you into starting a shooting war with China?

At what point is ramping up rhetoric benificial? At what point does increasing debt for face saving benificial? People talk about war, do they know how disgusting an enterprise that is? Having the internal organs of a human splattered, screams of a friend in their death throws, for what? Be smart Japan take the high road, regain the trust of Asia. I would be devastated to learn my grandchild was killed fighting over uninhabitable Islands in the middle of nowhere. There are smarter ways to resolve this, not war.

As long the economy permits, military spendings are no problem but take note China's economy is bigger and growing faster than Japan thus if we were to think of such solution, it is obviously counterproductive as the other in return would increase its budget as well leaving Japan behind even further as China's economy continues to grow each year.

China is also Japan's largest export market from consumer products to high tech components but as time goes by, China would eventually develop or improve their own stuffs which makes their economy less reliant on Japan thus lessen the impact if a conflict occurs but most not likely for Japan unless they can find another similar market.

I understand military is very important but as we all know especially working adults like me, stable economic growth has always been a priority and I believe as someone like me born and working in Malaysia, my sentiments are shared by many others throughout the world including China and Japan as the last thing that anyone would endure is an economic collapse on their country shattering happiness and dreams which previous generation has work so dang hard for us.

Japan has been tricked into this by Abe, a stooge of the highest calibre

This is all just political hype to keep the LDP in power. Give the sheeple something to rally around, and you've got their votes. Nothing more.

Something to rally around.....true enough. Except its only the elderly who bother to vote, the young people are engrossed in their anime and just dont care. So, the elderly keep on voting for the LDP, the one party that promises not to change anything (except article 9)

After 9/11 and what Maj Gen Stubblebine remarked about the attack on the Pentagon, along with MC Maj Gen Smedley D Butler's speech " War is a Racket", I have no reason to doubt that governments around the World submit their populations to psychological anesthesia so they can agree with their cause. Yes, Japan could solve their alleged problem, or at least could have not escalated it. For me, those rocks were left in an uncertain status for use as pawns in the future. And surely that is what is happening now.

We should not forget to look at the past... in order to see where this may go in the future.

There's a lot of Abe's Far Right Wing Supporters out there who'd probably enjoy seeing the Foreigners here in Japan, being "cleansed", nothing's been done about them though, in-fact, I've heard that their groups actually fund the local Police as a sort of symbiotic relationship.. [very disturbing if that's true, maybe they'll start changing their black uniforms to brown - though I doubt that, since Japan, although being an Axis pact allay had it's own agenda - black will probably stay]

The U.S is relatively far away, and a lot in their Nation don't really care about Foreign Politics, let alone know where Tokyo, Japan is... so really, no one cares.

China, as a youngster upon the present International Political Stage, needs to be wary/careful too here, since this is a very Dangerous path that they're treading. However, Japan, under Abe, does appear to be presently "bullying" them using the U.S. as their own personal backup... and that too, is really Dangerous, it's not very Smart, infact very Childish.... "My father will beat your father up if you do that..." type of thing...

Bilateral resource disputes can be resolved easily through a local populace choice.

Multi-National Resource disputes such as the one underlying the present situation, simply need to be dealt with collectively under the "United Nations" umbrella organisation... and failing that, then the United Nations becomes simply another "League of Nations" and , we all know, where that led. So perhaps History, should provide some pressure upon the United Nations to sort this situation out, and prevent another terrible event that would otherwise be preventable .... interestingly too, after a time of Global Financial instability.

Japan was pressured to self impose a law restricting them to engage in war outside Japan because they were too violent and brutal in past War and their crimes were too grave. Neighbors today are fearful of un-repenting and apathetic Abe from strengthening Japans military powers equivalent to past Imperial State. Abe began his term by anouncing retraction of past official apologies made to victimized countries. Abe then denied historical events and blamed the victims for their demise. Abe proposed abolishing Article 9 to make Japan a military powerhouse once again. Abe's unapologetic policies inflames relations with China and Korea then calls to buy more super weapons. Japan is under Abe is heading in completely opposite direction from where Pacifist Japan used to be heading. Abe wants to make Japan strong again in wrong way and his plans are being realized rapidly as neighbors grows to distrust him.

tokyodoumoDec. 19, 2013 - 04:14AM JST Neighbors today are fearful of un-repenting and apathetic Abe from strengthening Japans military powers equivalent >to past Imperial State..

Well no, that's not true. Chinas certainly is as they've been and continue to whine about Japan's 70 year old past as they stomp over other countries' territories. South Korea despite their issues have started slowly moving towards accepting Japan's remilitarization, conducting a joint exercise with Japan within China's new ADIZ. Neither country bothered to comply with China's ADIZ regulations. As for the rest of Asia they are welcoming Japan's actions as part of the US lead counter balance to Chinese expansionism. So that leads China being "fearful" which I also question.

neobios

" China's economy is bigger and growing faster than Japan thus if we were to think of such solution, it is obviously counterproductive as the other in return would increase its budget as well leaving Japan behind even further as China's economy continues to grow each year.

China is also Japan's largest export market from consumer products to high tech components but as time goes by, China would eventually develop or improve their own stuffs which makes their economy less reliant on Japan thus lessen the impact if a conflict occurs but most not likely for Japan unless they can find another similar market."

Oh really? Is that how economics work?

If that's the case then take Japan out of the equation and see HOW FAST China's economy would continue to grow.

Who would replace current Japanese FDI and PRODUCTION into China? Are you aware of how much tech and Japanese CAPITAL INVESTMENT flows into China? Where's the replacement MARKET for China's cheap stuff, which is about 70% produced by foreign investment, a greater part of which is.....?

You guessed just right; most foreign manufacturers in China are Japanese.

African countries? Good luck with that!

China's economy is bigger but, how much bigger?

A little clue: just slightly, only with over a BILLION PEOPLE, who will not attain Japanese level of GDP per head EVER (economics tell us that).

"Bigger" China has a GDP per capita of about $6,000 and a bit; Japan's about $45,000.

Japan owes over 95% or her debt and also is the world's LARGEST CREDITOR NATION.

Yet, according to many people here China OWS Japan!

"Bigger" China has a GDP per capita of about $6,000 and a bit; Japan's about $45,000.

Japan owes over 95% or her debt and also is the world's LARGEST CREDITOR NATION.

Common remarks designed to distract peoples` attention from the real issue, the future of the Diaoyu/ Senkaku islands

I am reading many post that oppose Japan's goals of resurrecting its military and even one that says there is no one around Japan posing any threats to it.. Is that a joke? That is a joke. China has been threatening every country in the region with its aggressive stance against every smaller Asian nation in the region, forcing its way upon others including Japan. Japan being a respective, active member of the international community, and of an open society, has every right to provide its people a military to protect its people and its territories and also to fight along with its allies and friends. many posts here are hypocritical and posted by people that themselves are backing their own war minded leaders, such as in CHina.