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© Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.U.S. says more active role for Japan's military no threat to China
By MATTHEW PENNINGTON WASHINGTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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chubbychub
Lying as usual from US government, US are the biggest threat to World Peace.
gokai_wo_maneku
Thank you Washington! This is a threat to Japan!!! A peaceful Japan!!!! Got back to destroying the mideast and leave Asia alone!!! WE ARE FINE WITHOUT YOU!!! We know this is all due to pressure from you!!!
CrazyJoe
For sure the US has been putting pressure on Japan to completely dump Article 9 for decades. Since about '50 and the beginning of the Korean War, wasn't it? And the the Obama administration has heartily welcomed Abe's unconstitutional actions in this and other areas, because the US is concerned with (its) security, not the freedom of Japanese nor the country's democracy. Anything for Uncle Sam's current idea of "security."
zones2surf
Of course not. This was really only ever about North Korea, right? Or Japan being able to send troops to the Middle East in the name of collective self defense, right?
I am sure that when the U.S. and Japan scheduled joint military exercises to simulate the defense of remote islands in the context of threats from "China", that didn't mean the PRC but, instead, the ROC. Right?
I just wish sometimes people and governments would say what they mean and mean what they say.
shonanbb
I am glad Japan has done this. It will make China really think before building runways in the Japan Sea.
SenseNotSoCommon
LDP aside, does anyone pay any heed to what the US says any more?
YuriOtani
The move by Abe is a threat to world peace.
warispeace
Apparently this news site.
Kabukilover
Ah ha, damage control from the U.S. China was one of Abe's excuses for the so-called security laws.
Moonraker
And the US reveals its duplicity once again. It should be horrified at the manner in which this was done, as an alleged democracy, but instead praises the outcome. Your credibility is shot, America.
Peace Out
Daniel Russel, that was one of that those statements that in one shot, blows your credibility forever. Congratulations.
Christopher Glen
Of course the U.S. would say that - they've been in bed with the LDP since the postwar occupation. All their fine talk of democracy and the rule of law.....empty words. Abe has acted no better than the CCP, and western leaders applaud him - while condemning China for behaving the same way. The hypocrisy of western leaders reeks
Henden Gayoma
Has anyone thought what if China was thinking the same thing?
"Let's build runways in there that's gonna make them think twice before they patrol the area!"
Illyas
Article 9 is as naive as the 1920s declaration of 'the end of war'. The only reason it's been allowed to exist unchanged for so long has been due to US largesse, which all of the anti-American commentators conveniently ignore. No other nation state on the planet has followed Japan's pacifist constitution.
Even neutral Switzerland maintains a robust military for its size.
As for people saying Japan will get involved in the Middle East - poppycock! Plenty of US allies have stayed out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Conveniently ignoring them doesn't make that fact go away.
jj1067
China is the thread,
Because of their activities around Senkaku, Japanese fishermen in Ishigaki, Okinawa can't to fishing in the area that is Japan's water. I wonder why people can ignore China thread. Reality has nothing to do with your ideology.
paulinusa
Are some comments Pro China, anti-US or anti-Japan?
Maybe all of the above.
gabrial888
U.S. assuring China not to worry about Japan taking up more active military role is as convincing as Russia assuring Japan not to worry about China getting more active militarily.
Christopher Glen
All the more reason to applaud Japan's pacifist stance
Wc626
If the Chinese respect japan's territorial waters (including Senkakus) and airspace then there is nothing for them to worry about.
Hopefully the japanese will be a lot more assertive now in their response when they scramble jets or encounter hostile ships in their waters. Want peace? This is how to defend it. Appeasing the aggressors only make them more aggressive.
sandhonour
Well what else is the US going to say?? Of course they welcome it - some more bodies to throw at THEIR problems. Thats the thing this collective defense might seem like a good idea but what happens if your partner starts the "bun fight"? Does this mean Japan is all in?
I do not want to see body bags filled with young Japanese. Japan already has enough of a problem with the lack of young people in the population.
As for China - I really don't think they want a war. It just doesn't suit their economic interests at this time or any time.
Christopher Glen
Likewise if Japan respects Russia's territorial waters around the Northern Territories - which interestingly Russia says there is no dispute about, then they have nothing to fear. Oh yes, the cookie cuts both ways
bjohnson23
Many have forgotten the secret meeting held between Abe and Obama awhile back before any of the recent changes in Japan had occurred by carefully leaked out. Well from speaking to many Americans in the US the sentiment of recent developments by Abe for Japan are not those of the American public, but rather just the Obama administration. Like the change Obama has brought on America so too has Abe done the same to the people of Japan.
Jimizo
'Are some comments Pro China, anti-US or anti-Japan?
Maybe all of the above.'
You could be right. There is also the possibility that some are just anti-war. You could entertain that idea along with those you stated.
Many Japanese people have stated this idea to me without giving pro-China, anti-US or anti-Japan ideas.
nigelboy
Puzzling comment. Since when did the Japanese government played cat and mouse game around that area?
Getting back to the article, if China has no motives to take Senkaku's, they have absolutely nothing to worry about. If their motives are to take Senkaku's, she's up against the two Naval powers with one just recently approved a law where she can assist her close ally.
China must be whining again for U.S. to make such comment.
If only China applauded this law, they would of given so much support for the Japanese who were against this legislation. It seem they got dumber as years went by and more so under Lil Emperor Xi at the helm.
ThePBot
That's kind of like saying "China's growing assertiveness is not threat to Japan". Two sides of the same coin.
nigelboy
Another puzzling comment. Since when did Japan assert claim and infringe upon territories which China administers and expand air zones?
Yoshitsune
While I agree that they don't want one right now, I can't agree that it isn't a future possibility. While living there I had a number of alarming conversations with ordinary Chinese who spoke of 'the coming war' and 'our war of revenge' (against Japan), while the screens on the Beijing subway regularly display footage of China and Japan's relative military strengths, maps of US bases in Japan, etc. The population of China has been primed to, and would easily be persuaded to support, a war with Japan; and if China's economy hits the skids and there is severe domestic unrest, what better way to get the population back behind the CCP than a pride-inducing, national humiliation-avenging retaking of the Diaouyu (Senkaku)? There is no rule of law in China, and the country is run by a handful of individuals with no checks on their power. Things could slide there very quickly, and the results could be disastrous.
Kabukilover
The unconstitutional militarization of Japan is a threat to everyone.
Thunderbird2
While this is clearly a bad idea... how is it a threat to China? In a war Japan could never defeat China... and the Chinese acting as some sort of underdog is a laugh. 3 million soldiers, lord knows how many bombers, tanks, rockets, missiles, nukes... all afraid of little Japan. Gimme a break!
change
Thunderbird2, Modern wars are not fought with numbers. So don't believe so much in the numbers of weapons China display. Japans military is one of the most technologically advanced in the world. They just don7t talk as loud as China
moilol
Yoshitsune
Your logic can also apply for Japan. A country with high debt, aging population low birth rate and stagnant economy , and let's not forget about earth quake and typhoon.
But the war between second and third world economic will be a disaster. Imagine the trade embargo and frozen asset between Japan and China. No country can afford this. So war will never happen unless China is powerful enough to challenge US.
Thunderbird2
@change... a technically advanced force nearly always finds it difficult to defeat a lesser advanced force. Germany WW2, far more advanced than the allies... defeated. US in Vietnam... defeated. Soviets in Afghanistan... ran away. Modern war is about blatting your opponent with missiles and bombs before you send in the ground forces... look at any modern war, that's how they grind down the morale of the people and soak up military resources.
China would blast Japan's major cities with ICBMs... and then a bombing campaign. However, this will never happen, since the US have forces to thwart any such attack (unless the Chinese go for them first)... as well as troops in SK. Also, as insanely anti-Japanese as the Chinese government may be I seriously doubt they would go to war with Japan. North Korea is the weird kid on the block, waving his flag and threatening everyone with a stick.
Jorge Gonzalez
Obama doesn't care about our own constitution... why would he care about Japan's?
misunderstood
Why should he care about Mexico constitution Jorge?
Olegek
Like clay duck target? or what ?
Yoshitsune
Hi moliol,
I don't think what I said can actually be applied to Japan. The Japanese people have not been primed by decades of propaganda to support or desire a war with China; the Japanese people are in fact clearly opposed to the idea; the Japanese government does not fear losing power so much that they would start an overseas war to preserve themselves, as they know they are part of a democratic system (yes, I know, a pretty dysfunctional one...) in which the people select the government; Japan has rule of law and an independent judiciary and (in theory) independent media; all of these things could still go wrong, but the sequence of steps to undo them and take Japan from where it is now to militarism is lengthy and it would take a series of major changes. I do agree that these reinterpretations are a step in the wrong direction, due to the way they've been done; but the sequence of steps from where China is at present to militarism is very short - basically a single step is all it would take if the wrong guy gets his hands on the reins, which could happen very quickly.
kazetsukai
China is not concerned with Japan's military. They just want more territory to control. They may not have a major navy but island based aircraft carrier (airports) in key waters can do just as well. Unlike a ship, an island cannot sink with a single torpedo and it is much more stable for all kinds for aircraft to land and to deploy. It also serves to "occupy" an ocean territory which can now be "defended" as their own.
Should China want to take over Japan, all they have to do is send 1/100 of heir population into Japan as refugees or as investors or workers (which Japan needs) and they would have taken over Japan without even fighting.
China could do that to any country in Asia and SE Asia. In fact they are already doing that by "buying" up Real Estate all over the world using the monies the rest of the world paid China for the cheap goods they produce. The real power is in "occupation" and not "ownership" rights. When you have the population to occupy and the military to back them up, like China has, Japan's military is not something to worry about for some time to come.
As good as Japanese technology and workmanship are, when the population in Japan cannot back its own government as shown by the protesters and the opposing political parties, it will take some time before Japan can become a major player. To being with Japanese Constitution does not allow "aggression" even with the current changes to it.
So USA knows that very well.
Also this statement is a political one to help Japan move forward in growing the military so that eventually, USA may even take advantage of Japan again. It is one way to keep any "conflict" away from the USA Mainland.
Black Sabbath
"U.S. says more active role for Japan's military no threat to China"
Of course it is. It means Japan will contribute to containing Chinese ambitions throughout South East Asia and further. While not a 'threat' is is a threat to China's ambitions.
Mike3113King
The US will use Japan like a sacrificial pawn when WWIII breaks out.