Abe vows to beef up Japan-U.S. alliance

Import more cows, that'll work! With Abe busting his butt trying to make Japan an island fortress I wonder how he is going to explain the Japan-US security treaty? If Japan needs to purchase all these new weapons systems to make Japan "safer" why have the US bases here?

Because 'war' is a lucrative business-that's why...

But they do "tolerate repeated provocative acts by North Korea". If only Obama was around to keep drawing lines in the sand... for people to cross... repeatedly.

We have to be careful so  that Japan will not  get involved in the war of the  Korean Peninsula. We do not want Japan become a battle field of the war. U.S. Forces have engaged in countless wars in foreign lands. They like to fight in the gardens of others.

Abe vows to beef up Japan-U.S. alliance

Wasn't the exact same headline on the front page around a month ago? Why is this news? Everyone knows this.

We do not want Japan become a battle field of the war. U.S. Forces have engaged in countless wars in foreign lands. They like to fight in the gardens of others.

I would liken Japan to be more of a latrine than a garden.

If any of you think this is the USA pushing Japan you're sadly mistaken. As much as you all want to blame the big bad America for all the ills of the world I could probably safely say just around 30% would be more accurate. All.. or some kidding aside, Japan wants to project strength right now... it is not just N. Korea that Japan is worried about. There are other things to consider.

The Japan-U.S. alliance is not an alliance in a usual sense of the word. One party maintains excessive forces on the other party's soil that are carry-overs from the World War Two Occupation era and the other party must provide bases and areas free of charge that were also concurrently carried over from the Occupation era.

What does Abe's vows to beef up the alliance mean then? It means Japan will welcome the status quo as a U.S. military colony and therefore that U.S. bases in Okinawa will remain intact, even strengthened, forever. No wonder that Abe is intent on forging ahead with the Futenma relocation to Henoko. What a world!

This just reaffirms what the U.S. and Japan decided decades ago. The problem is that there has been too much peace in the region to make this a priority. The original plan drawn up by the U.S. dating back to the 1960s was to transform Camp Schwab to Henoko Naval Base with several ships/submarines permanently stationed there. Now it looks as though Abe, with lips firmly planted on Trump's back side will get his way and the U.S. side will finally get what it has always wanted.

Vows, urges, pledges...no change. No action sound bite only. Still can't find matching chairs I see.

The reality is that in order for Japan to beef up its defense, it has to look towards U.S or European companies. Its not like China is going to sell Japan its latest and greatest technology is it? So its smart play if they can maintain it. A strong U.S alliance and strong relationships with European countries allows them to at least get access to good equipment. In the meantime, pursue better economic relations with China in earn the money necessary for Japan to have a defense industry of its own.

This is not an unusual strategy at all. Some might say a country like Australia is following exactly the same path.