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Hatoyama unlikely to change U.S.-Japan alliance

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For the life of me, during the entire runup to the election, I don't think I heard a single Japanese politician mouth the word "America" even once. Guess it would have caused too much of an embarrassment...

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Japan has been infiltrated democracy of America enough for decades. Mr. Hatoyama used to be a member of LDP. To me, LDP and DPJ are basically same, but the ways they are doing are different. DPJ thinks Asian countries especially China are more important than America. That seems to be different from the point of LDP's view.

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Hatoyama was at my train station on Saturday and he bowed to me.

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It would be nice to see the US troops leave Japan. Well actually, it would be nice to see US troops leave everywhere and go back home where they belong.

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hatoyama has no power to change the alliance

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It would be good for US troops to leave everywhere and then have every country be blackmailed by Russia, North Korea, China & Iran. Seriously, Europe and Japan wont spend a dime on defense. So I would not be coy as to throw around the well-worn statement of Yankess go home. We just might and wont hear you when you start crying "Uncle" to these countries

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On some of my comments, I said, that Japan needs the US than the US needs Japan. Without the US, North Korea could have invaded Japan a long time ago. While China is waiting in the sideline, if and when the americans leaves Japan, China will only find ways for Japan commit a smallest mistake for China to invade Japan. In the present situation, a mutual defense pact between Japan and the US is a "quid pro quo" but with the US get the lesser take, it is Japan who has the bigger take of that defense pact. For China, it had accepted an apology from Japan a wrong doing of the latter during WWII, but it had not forgotten what had happened. Japan do not understand the feelings of the Chinese, I do not say China will invade Japan, but growing hatred of Japanese in China is not therefore far to happen. China is like a monster who likes to occupy other countries, Tibet, East Turkistan, and long hungry of Taiwan. Whatever Japan says, the US just much eager to leave that country, it is only of the existing "defense pact" that the US cannot leave that country. If Japan will attempt to develop nuclear bombs, China will not let it happen, and that is the mistake that China is waiting.

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I don't think countries appreciate what the US is doing for them. Long live the US-Japan friendship...

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It would be nice to see the US troops leave Japan. Well actually, it would be nice to see US troops leave everywhere and go back home where they belong.

You really don't know why "we(US troops)" are here do you? Look in your history books.

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The presence of US troops in Japan is becoming increasingly irrelevant. In a conventional conflict, China could easily shut the US out of the Far East. In a nuclear conflict, Russia now has the upper hand with it's newly modernized delivery systems and deployment platforms that will soon far outclass anything the US has. In a conflict with NKorea--especially given the US record in Iraq and Afghanistan--it would be perhaps foolish for Japan to expect much effective protection from US troops. . . . In short, it is time for the US to redeploy its troops elsewhere and for Japan to go its own way, militarily and diplomatically. While a sense of honor has perhaps kept Japan in a "junior partner" position relative to the US since WWII, such a status quo is no longer viable. The US has more to gain by developing a more mature and substantive relationship with a self-motivated Japan. . . . US troop presence is doing little except making Japan more of a target for NKorean aggression.

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If Japan will attempt to develop nuclear bombs, China will not let it >happen, and that is the mistake that China is waiting.

That's a strong statement. Would you care to explain just exactly HOW China could prevent Japan from going nuclear? BY attacking Japan and starting a war wih the United States? I think not.

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At this time, Japan needs to develop a better diplomatic channels and create better relations with neighboring countries. Japan depends emmensely on trade with China, which is a leading trade partner, and will continue in the future. Hatoyama indicated that he is not going to Yasukuni which is a big political news in China and this is a positive sign. In a future, U.S. will not have the same economic growth and impact as in the past and they have to focus more on China and Southeast Asia for future growth of Japan. This is not a question that Japan can build a nuclear weapon anytime, but do they want to create additional tension and instablity in this area when their economy is at lowest level and facing a difficut future?

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Europe and Japan wont spend a dime on defense.

After the United States, the combined EU countries spend the second highest amount on the military. Next comes China, followed by Japan and then Russia.

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The presence of US troops in Japan is becoming increasingly irrelevant. In a conventional conflict, China could easily shut the US out of the Far East. In a nuclear conflict, Russia now has the upper hand with it's newly modernized delivery systems and deployment platforms that will soon far outclass anything the US has. In a conflict with NKorea--especially given the US record in Iraq and Afghanistan--it would be perhaps foolish for Japan to expect much effective protection from US troops. . . . In short, it is time for the US to redeploy its troops elsewhere and for Japan to go its own way, militarily and diplomatically. While a sense of honor has perhaps kept Japan in a "junior partner" position relative to the US since WWII, such a status quo is no longer viable. The US has more to gain by developing a more mature and substantive relationship with a self-motivated Japan. . . . US troop presence is doing little except making Japan more of a target for NKorean aggression.

What news tabloid are you getting your information from? Most of the russian (and chinese for that matter) armerment is decades old, neither have a navy worth mentioning in the same breath as the U.S or U.K, and neither country is in any position to risk MAD just to prove how many nuclear weapons they have.

On top of that only a handful of countries spend anywhere near the U.S in terms of individual troop training and equipment and your stance that the current alliance is doing anything to weaken the Japanese world stance is laughable. If anything it injects a little bit of authority into a country that has been waning in power for years. So unless Japan is willing to completely overhaul its military and expand it innumerable times over the current defense plan will stay in effect.

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I find it amusing how many people think that China could actually stand a chance against Japan in a conventional war. The Chinese can't even take Matsu and Quemoy from the Taiwanese. The Japanese MSDF is way stronger than the Taiwanese navy. The Chinese could as soon invade the moon as they could Japan. The only real threat the Chinese represent is the nuclear one, but if they won't use it against Taiwan, there's little reason for Japan to fear that they would use it against them.

Japan needs the US alliance for one reason and one reason only: It's politicians haven't got the guts to use the power they have. Japan doesn't lack arms. It lacks guts.

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