New defense minister upbeat on SDF strike ability

Japan most certainly should have that ability both physically and legally. That does NOT mean it is guaranteed to be used. But having it alone will act as a deterrent.

Just out of academic interest--why do they still wear tophats and tails...it's not the 1800's anymore.

Where these his words, or , was he speaking from an Abe prepared script.

why do they still wear tophats and tails...it's not the 1800's anymore.

Because they're stuck in the 1930's?

'Strike Ability' means the ability to start an offense?

A war?

Well, that is bad news......

Even with all JSDF fancy toys,every country out there will draw circles on japan in case of war.but every one is free to thump there little chest on name of politics.(hey Japan ask US hows its going for all those STRIKE ABILITIES!!)

Onodera is a much better choice than Inada. He has a proven track record as well.

Inada made Japan look weak.

Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine seen overseas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

And by a large section of the Japanese people as well. Why does Kyodo imply that only foreigners see Yasukuni that way?

Nippori NickToday 07:44 am JSTJust out of academic interest--why do they still wear tophats and tails...it's not the 1800's anymore.

Honor Guards in various are ceremonial and have a tendency to look ridiculous sometimes.

Croatia:

http://crnemambe.hr/images/ART/straza2017/s_straze_27052017_23.jpg

Mongolia:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dd/eb/6c/ddeb6c4b3d759287d6b54a97db18472d.jpg

Venezuela;

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/63/03/73/6303734c0d0b257a448dda1cbb5a712a.jpg

Alfie NoakesToday 08:55 am JSTYasukuni Shrine, a Shinto shrine seen overseas as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

And by a large section of the Japanese people as well. Why does Kyodo imply that only foreigners see Yasukuni that way?

Because it is. And only by a small portion of foreigners at that, mostly from China and South Korea. Most Japanese as well as westerners tend to see it for what it is, a shrine that honors all those who have died in wars going back to the mid-late 1800s and a place to pray for peace.

Educator60

You're right my mistake. The tails and top hat come from the mid-late 1800s when Japan emulated Europe in becoming a "modern" country. You see it in the official "Cabinet" photo and a few official ceremonial functions.

The political issues and questions surrounding legality, most importantly the full content of these  daily activity logs of Japanese troops serving as U.N. peacekeepers in South Sudan be published fully, so the electorate can be briefed into the human cost of the actions, duties and measures that Japan soldiers faced carrying out so called peacekeeping in South Sudan.

It has been reported that full publication could have direct effect on the electorates decision, if Abe san administration, or any future administration  presented changes to Japan war renouncing constitution in a national public referendum.

The people of Japan must also be fully aware of/to the implications that Japan's Self- Defense Forces acquiring state-of-the-art first strike weaponry and the capability to target overseas perceived threats. Next generation munitions are extremity costly, and mean long term budgetary commitments over and above the already high costs of providing a responsibility/liability to contribute to US forward bases in Japan.

New Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera seems remarkably reticent in fully stating policy areas with regard to a commitment of obtaining UN SC resolutions before any form of military to target missile launch sites in North Korea.

New Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera sounded a positive tone Friday about the possibility of Japan's Self-Defense Forces acquiring the ability to strike overseas targets to defend Japan.

First thought that popped up was "Welcome to the Machine" by Pink Floyd. The fact that Dems and Reps in the US still get support from the people is pathetic. So now Japan wants to join in on the attack part of the deep state global war?

south sudan has been in civil war since its start. japanese law says it is illegal to send soldiers to wars. the logs either contain info of japanese soldiers dieting in warfare, or the killing of civilians. we will probably find out later. abe should quit, because if he didn't know there was a civil war and sent japanese citizens into the face of death, then he has no right to be our dear leader.

i have seen JP army in drills, they a very capable for self defence and disaster relief. we don't need to attack americas enemies. just live a nice safe life.

sf2k

Because they're stuck in the 1930's?

And because the British monarch on special occasions wears the mantle it means the UK is struck in the Middle Ages, right?

kurisupisu

Strike Ability' means the ability to start an offense? A war?

No, it means the ability to defend itself more effectively. Every normal developed country has a strike capability of its own, and it does not mean all these countries want to start a war.

Maybe this is why Japan fairs so poorly in soccer -- they don't know the difference between "defender" and "striker". Japan can't even legally have an army, and yet they do, under the guise of "self defense". Now they're pulling a GWB and suggesting that attack = defense and they should change the Constitution to just throw all terms out the window and return Japan back to it's pre-destruction glory, forgetting that's what got it destroyed. No surprise Abe chose this guy in the musical-chairs shuffle.

It's like seeing an out-of-place comedy to see Mr. Itsunori Onodera attired in 19th century frock coat with a silk hat in hand. The custom of wearing frock coat and silk hat was borrowed from 19-century England by Meiji Japan, that was intent on imitating everything European. The fashion must have gone out of fashion in originator England but is barely surviving in far-off, outmoded Japan.

As for the Henoko relocation issue, Onodera said he will work toward its realization. That means he doesn't care about the destruction of nature in waters off Henoko. But that attitude is the same as that of former Tohoku Reconstruction Minister Masahiro Imamura, who said, "It was fortunate the disasters occurred in the Tohoku region, not here." 

Onodera is from Kisennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, which was severely hit by tsunamis on March 11, 2011. So it's astounding that he should say the construction of the new U.S. base, aka destruction of Okinawa's pristine nature, must forge ahead whatsoever, nimby.

OMG!! This is definitely what we don't need in the tense situation of Asia right now!:( Who will pull the trigger to unleash the third world war? China? Japan? North Korea? USA? Or the joker, Russia?

voiceofokinawaToday 04:51 pm JSTIt's like seeing an out-of-place comedy to see Mr. Itsunori Onodera attired in 19th century frock coat with a silk hat in hand. The custom of wearing frock coat and silk hat was borrowed from 19-century England by Meiji Japan, that was intent on imitating everything European. The fashion must have gone out of fashion in originator England but is barely surviving in far-off, outmoded Japan.

Are you aware that judges in British Courts still wear white wigs?

Are you aware that judges in British Courts still wear white wigs?

I'm glad judges in Japanese courts didn't borrow that queer custom. Even the leaders of Meiji Restoration must have thought that was too weird a fashion to borrow.

Are you aware that judges in British Courts still wear white wigs?

I'm glad judges in Japanese courts didn't borrow that queer custom. Even the leaders of Meiji Restoration must have thought that was too weird a fashion to borrow.

The difference is that the wearing of the tails and top hat was an international norm for all the advanced countries at the time Japan adopted it. That norm has changed but Japan has not moved with the times but retained a now outmoded borrowed fashion.

The judges wigs can be seen as weird, but they are an integral part of a tradition native to the country in which they are worn. Japanese wear Kimonos on certain occasions, though archaic it is still appropriate and integral to the culture, or do you think they are a "queer custom" too?

voiceofokinawaAug. 5  10:37 pm JST

Are you aware that judges in British Courts still wear white wigs?

I'm glad judges in Japanese courts didn't borrow that queer custom. Even the leaders of Meiji Restoration must have thought that was too weird a fashion to borrow.

It's not "queer" it's just an old traditional custom. We didn't follow that custom since 1776. The Meiji Restoration leaders didn't follow the wig tradition because they emulated Germanic Law. Plus Japan was never a British colony, some of which inherited the wig tradition.

As for coat tails in ceremonial situations:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/First_family_and_Elizabeth_II2007%28outside%29.jpg

Unless the United States is being given some grand benefits to essentially being the protector of Japan - such as Japan becomes a state/territory of the US - then we should leave here and let them fend for themselves. You could compare South Korea, as well, but while we do have a substantial force in place on South Korean soil, South Korea has compulsory military service, not this "I don't like being a soldier anymore, I quit" like in Japan.

OssanAmerica,

Thank you for referring me to the blog.. But the photo seems to have been taken either before or after a royal dinner, and I don’t see anything strange here. Do they wear frock coats and silk hats at an outdoor ceremony like a review of troops in the UK?

We’re discussing a cultural matter here. Japanese culture is characterized as very generous in adopting foreign cultures. Borrowing of foreign cultures, sometimes erratically, has been done throughout Japan’s history. Japanese culture is an amalgam of Chinese, Korean and Western cultures built upon indigenous culture. That’s the merits and demerits of Japanese culture, I think.

Still, Onodera’s attire appears to me out of place.

You must be only one on this planet who cares what a Japanese Minister wears at a ceremony. As you correctly point out, Japanese culture is an amalgam of Oriental cultures until the mid 1800s, then Western cultures. What he is wearing dates back to the Meiji period. I'm sorry that GHQ didn't deem such Ministerial attire improper when we had the chance.

OssanAmerica,

You must be only one on this planet who cares what a Japanese Minister wears at a ceremony.

No, there're several posters on this thread who say were struck by Onodera's old-fashioned attire. 

Appearance often tells what the person thinks at heart. Onodera is a very conservative politician agreeing with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as to almost all policy issues from constitutional amendment and nuclear armament down to a permanent U.S. military presence in Japan, especially in Okinawa, hence considering the Henoko relocation to be the only choice for the Futenma issue.

voiceofokinawaAug. 6 11:10 am JSTOssanAmerica,

You must be only one on this planet who cares what a Japanese Minister wears at a ceremony.

No, there're several posters on this thread who say were struck by Onodera's old-fashioned attire. 

Best of luck to the Need to get a Life Club. So you're now dissecting the Defense Minister's thoughts from his attire at a ceremony? Ever hear the term "overthinking"?

OssanAmerica,

No, I'm not "dissecting" Onodera's thoughts on the basis of his attire. He was in the defense post under the second Abe cabinet. His home page on the Internet tells abundantly about his political stance. He often appears on a TV talk show, also. 

He says he is a scuba diving fad and scuba-dived once in Oura Bay which he found is rich with beautiful corals and tropical fish. And yet he is for the construction and reclamation work there even if it destroyed the area's pristine environment.

Why? Because the U.S. demands Futenma's replacement be built there. There's no scrutiny about why the U.S. Marines must constantly maintain the same level of attack capacity as ever in Okinawa but a servile knee-jerk response to a U.S. demand just like other LDP politicians.

voiceofokinawaToday 11:18 am JSTOssanAmerica,

No, I'm not "dissecting" Onodera's thoughts on the basis of his attire

voiceofokinawaAug. 6 11:10 am JSTOssanAmerica,

Appearance often tells what the person thinks at heart

This is obviously contradictory. Please put it to rest.

OssanAmerica,

No, there's no contradiction here. But rather than just taking issue with Onodera's attire, you should discuss and, if need be, refute what I say about the Henoko relocation which Onodera and his mentor Abe are so intent on carrying out.

OssanAmerica,

I asked you to stick to what I say about the real issue that is behind all this: his conservative thinking and sycophantic attitude toward what the U.S. dictates about the Henoko relocation.