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Japan eyes doubling ground troops on islands close to China, Taiwan

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As early as 2014???

by then the Japanese economy will be fully sunk and the Chinese will control Okinawa!

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Wow, as early as 2014? Wow, thats like, tomorrow...

Heh, seriously, 4 years from now, they'll send troops down there? Why even bother to announce it, if they're going to do something so pathetic. They could easily send troops down there today, and have a full time station up and running within a month. Putting it off for 4 years, says one thing loud and clear. This is a non issue. They're saying they'll get tough for the benefit of the people paying attention here in Japan, while simultaneously signaling to China, they won't.

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Imagine what would happen if Japan would double their ground troops on said islands let's say next week or next month. Just try to imagine what could happen.

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Political theatre.

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"Chinese will control Okinawa!"

why would that be?

Your not speaking very well of China if thats the case. Must remember that when here complaints of shrines to solders.

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You know WHAT's pathetic?

Putting ground troop on an island with no way to get them off to do any good.

Does anyone really think China will attack Okinawa? What would be the point?

The fight is what's under or surrounding the islands and the international boundaries.

You can comment, but what about the Marines in the island? Well the US has a way to send these boys into the fight with hours if needed, but don't let that stop you from posting your rebuttal.

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Give pain in the ass Okinawa back to America!

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I think the previous posters are missing the issue. Take a look at Japan's age demographics. Where are these young, healthy and fierce soldiers going to come from? Unless they consider the U.S. model (service for citizenship) then they have no hope of mustering enough troops to fulfill their promise.

This is also political suicide considering that the last time that the Japanese army was in Okinawa they made friends with the locals by distributing gifts... of grenades so they could kill themselves and their families rather than be captured and tortured by the evil Americans. Yeah, the Okinawans are going to LOVE having an increase Japanese military presence, because they have SUCH a great history with militaries in general.

Its also economic suicide. The ratio of working people to retirees is rapidly approaching 2 working: 1 retiree... taking more people from the workforce and into government service (which is paid for in taxes) will mean that taxes have to be raised even further to fund the salaries for these new troops, and will make Japan even less attractive financially.

Finally, and most importantly, the Chinese military is 10 times larger than Japan's. Assigning more ground troops is not a solution. A better solution would simply be to cement trade ties and make Japan too valuable as a trading partner to risk disrupting trade by invading.

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Frungy at 08:29 AM JST - 22nd November This is also political suicide considering that the last time that the >Japanese army was in Okinawa they made friends with the locals by >distributing gifts... of grenades so they could kill themselves and >their families rather than be captured and tortured by the evil >Americans. Yeah, the Okinawans are going to LOVE having an increase >Japanese military presence, because they have SUCH a great history with >militaries in general.

You're out in left field with this one. The Okinawans are Japanese and while there exists a historoical issue with the old Imperial Japanese forces, today's JSDF is a completely different kettle of fish. I find it rather annoying but you're going to find that most Okinawans will put up with a JSDF base before they put up with a US one.

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And by that time there will be a "china town" on the islands.

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OssanAmerica at 08:42 AM JST - 22nd November You're out in left field with this one. The Okinawans are Japanese and while there exists a historoical issue with the old Imperial Japanese forces, today's JSDF is a completely different kettle of fish. I find it rather annoying but you're going to find that most Okinawans will put up with a JSDF base before they put up with a US one.

I agree they will be happier with an SDF base than a US one, but I think you're "out in left field" if you think any army presence won't cause problems. Firstly I think that an increased Japanese military presence will almost certainly be compared to the imperial army presence and will spark protests.

Secondly any infantry presence if fundamentally problematic. To get someone into the right mindset to actually raise a weapon and kill another human being requires a lot of training and at least a certain degree of disdain for human life. If you think there won't be discipline problems then you've never lived near a military base. The simple fact is that most of the incidents are brushed over, and they probably will be for a while in Japan too until something serious happens.

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Now here's a statement for you: -The Defense Ministry has already revised downward its planned GSDF personnel by more than 10,000 from 168,000 in the face of criticism that there is no reason for an expansion when other countries are unlikely to invade Japan-

Did any one tell them that it only takes ONE(1)country to invade you?

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I guess this is probably to counter any possible Chinese amphibian invasion, which military drill is held every year in a specific part of the southern Hainan Island, to simulate amphibian troops invading Taiwan. If China were to attack any Japanese island, she would have to successfully taken Taiwan and other Taiwanese islands first. Now casting away economical and financial concerns, it is better to defend oneself at any price than to be invaded, right?

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Perhaps this has to do with a less visible US force in Okinawa?

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Even more expanding bases on Okinawa?

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The new troops will be deployed in the islands as part of Japanese efforts to step up vigilance against China, which has been increasing naval activities in areas around the Nansei Islands, a chain of islands stretching from southern Kagoshima to Okinawa prefectures near Taiwan.

This is I guess a start of a new era on militarization and naval spending for the Japanese people. The region should cautiously welcome GoJ's commitment in bolstering its basic nat'l defense program.

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Just a couple of comments here;

Japan has for the past decade undertaken a major realignment of its military forces from the North to the Southwest. This admission is just the latest, and perhaps the most public.

My best guess is that these forces would be based on the lower Ryuku chain; Miyako-jima and perhaps as south as Yonaguni, the southernmost island (only 60 miles from Taiwan).

The rationale is mainly political; while it does position JGSDF forces closer to the Senkakus, they are not yet capable of any amphibious landing or paradropping into the islands, and they have no logistical support capability to keep them provisioned even if they could get there.

This appears to be just another minor move in the overall larger East China Sea geopolitical chess game.

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4000 oooh scary. I bet they even have guns.

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The threat of invasion is secondary. There are lots of countries that aren't under threat of invasion, but they all have armies. Because if you don't and have anything worth taking, then other countries will soon want to invade them. Duh.

The fact is, Japan needs an army more to prevent bullying than an invasion. As it stands, countries like China can do whatever they want and Japan can't complain. Kind of ironic, like how Japan annexed Korea and Manchuria and there was nothing China could do about it. The invasion came much later than that.

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Okinawa in now part of Japan, not the USA, not China, so if Japan wants to put more Japanese troops there, it it will have to get the OK from the OKINAWANS.

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Yonaguni's total population is 1600 and falling. And Tokyo wants to put a military base staffed by several hundred non-Okinawan soldiers there?

And these people complain about how much land the US bases take up!

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Interesting points, Japan knows that they have to increase foreign citizenship and foreign workers due to their aging society, so if they can lax the immigration and citizenship laws and in return make it that they have to do for a certain amount of time okinawian board control then I think everything will be fine. Japan has to stop being such a homogenous society and realize the old mantra applies "everybody needs somebody sometimes"

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Japan haS the pot boiling and frankly speaking "I have just read 22 blogs and none of you make sense - none of you know of what you write and absolutely none of you understand what it is to be a Ryukyuan (You would have to walk in their shoes for the past 100 years!) Everything skirts on the edge of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and I can assure you the older Japanese have enjoyed the past 65 years of PEACE. It is obvious Japan's present leadership knows not of what is War.--Take on China and you will lose the Japan of yesteryear.

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