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© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.UK, Japan reach new defense deal
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Samit Basu
Japan doesn't have a military, military is illegal under Japan's constitution.
What Japan has is Self Defense Force, which is kinda like an armed police with 100% civilian members.
Somebody needs to educate Johnson on what he's getting into.
Kobe White Bar Owner
@uToday 07:49 am JST
Japan doesn't have a military, military is illegal under Japan's constitution.
What Japan has is Self Defense Force, which is kinda like an armed police with 100% civilian members.
Japan does love a euphemism though.
Toshihiro
I wouldn't be surprised nor alarmed with these kind of things, the UK has been looking to widen its foothold in the Western Pacific, with Japan and other US allies in mind. On a sidenote though, those Royal guards look absolutely dashing.
Cricky
Dashing! Have to work that one into a conversation today.
My you are looking very Dashing today, in your Aoiki suit.
Dukeleto
Not a single mask in sight!
diagonalslip
photo #4 K-san just about to get in a car.... looks like a refugee from the original thunderbirds TV show: unarticulated hand, prominent forehead, spray-on hair... maybe he's a 'Brains' wannabe.... (I'll perhaps go in the sinbin for this.... off topic no doubt) (^_-)
funkymofo
*What Japan has is Self Defense Force, which is kinda like an armed police with 100% civilian members.*
Japan's military is called a self defense force, but is ranked 5th globally in military power.
Pukey2
The smug Liz Thatcher Truss now wants to initiate a war with China. Someone should tell her we're not in the 1980's with a weak Argentina. But go ahead, Liz, you first.
kohakuebisu
I don't know which idea I believe less, that the UK could be a force in the West Pacific, or that Japan has taken a “strong stance against the Russian aggression in Ukraine".
Samit Basu
@funkymofo
You can safely ignore Global Firepower site as a complete non-sense.
The GFP ranking measures a country's overall national power including land mass, natural resources, finances, and population, and only a small portion of it is actual measurable ability to fight combat and win wars, and I can prove it.
According to GFP, this is the ranking. https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.php
Among the above, which country can beat Israel in an all out war? Pakistan? Brazil? Turkey? Indonesia? The answer is NONE. Heck, even Russia would probably lose to Israel looking at how they are doing in Ukraine right now.
This is why Japan's a lunch meat to its neighbors, even North Korea could bombard Japan to submission with thousands of ballistic missiles assuming the US didn't intervene.
funkymofo
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-military-worlds-strongest-build-81576818
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/10/editorial-japan-becomes-the-worlds-fourth-most-pow/
https://armedforces.eu/compare/country_Japan_vs_Israel
funkymofo
Samit Basu
You may be right, but the articles I could find seem to paint a different picture. I don't believe there's really a scenario whereby the US wouldn't intervene, but of course, this is a separate issue. It's extremely important to create mutually beneficial economic and military ties amongst like-minded democracies to provide pushback to the expansionist aims of China IMO.
Pukey2
funkymofo:
like-minded democracies???!! Do me a favor!
UK, France, USA, Australia, Japan - all these so-called democracies offer no choice of politicians - either useless or the same. So sad when you choose candidate A just because candidate B would be too evil and not because you think A is any good. Ironic that China has been able to tackle poverty and build infrastructure in the form of mega-projects like HSR whereas the so-called democracies are hell-bent on spending all their money on wars abroad and fattening their elites' wallets while their own citizens struggle to make ends meet.
Sven Asai
No, the answer is everyone, alone or in a coalition. Of course, similarly very theoretical. Think of a scenario, when a big part of the population of Egypt and Turkey, or Pakistan and Iran, doesn’t play a role, marches there barefoot and only with a kitchen knife in their hands to solve or end whatever disputes or religious agendas. Israel of course would be history in a few hours or days. You simply couldn’t stop all those masses with an Iron dome, conventional artillery, you also cannot use nuclear weapons because own territory would be affected and contaminated for centuries and you can’t win in the direct fight, because they outnumber the population by quite a factor. You see, in theory you only need an outnumbering mass , some kitchen knives and to bring them all to the target. Replace it by Chinese landing on Taiwan, that’s an example probably even easier to convince.
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Samit its definitely a military
funkymofo
Unlike China, obviously.
I really don't care about your political and/or ideological problems with the west. I was addressing a different issue.
PTownsend
Especially autocratic regimes that militarily invade sovereign nations and purposely slaughter innocent civilian women and children. Then threaten to use nukes when things do not go well for the invaders.
Samit Basu
@Pukey2
France, USA, Australia do offer a periodic shift of power between left and right.
@Sven Asai
Absolutely not, untrained civilians run back and crush themselves to death in panic when the foremost ones start falling to incoming fire. This is how a few hundred Spanish conquistadors defeated 100K Aztec troops.
You clearly don't understand how warfare works.
buchailldana
Japan should be careful as Johnson's government have been pretty open about signing deals the have no intention of honoring.
venze
UK, Japan reach new defense deal:
Is there such a need to conclude a new deal when UK is a strong member of AUKUS and Japan has been a faithful US ally?
They are already in the same family, looking up to US for their national defense..
Ego Sum Lux Mundi
That's cool. Perhaps Japan and Britain can help out when Australia (under American orders) invades the Solomon Islands for having the temerity to sign a deal with China.
wtfjapan
Not a single mask in sight!
well with the vast majority of British vaccinated and the fatality rate way down with an end to the pandemic insight, going mask less would logical wouldnt it.
wtfjapan
What Japan has is Self Defense Force, which is kinda like an armed police with 100% civilian members.
and fully armed with military weapons.
as the saying goes, if it looks like dog, smells like a dog, barks like a dog very good chance its a dog
Wakarimasen
Japan's tough stance against Russia? How exactly? And UK is anyway a busted flush in Asia. Pointless posturing by them both.
Alan Harrison
What exactly does this deal entail, by working closer together. Closer together on what? Japanese PM's seem do do a lot of running around the world these days making security "deals" and affirming support.
Alan Harrison
Quasi-Alliance. That's a new one.
OKuniyoshi
Over to you America and its western allies, and only non Western ally, Japan. You have plenty to say/shout/condemn when The Soloman Island signed a security deal with China. Nothing to say/shout/condemn this military deal???? Aren't them the same thing?? Now, you can see the hypocrisy and resulted lost of credibility??
dan
Kishida and Johnson- two awful priminsters and what a waste time they are.
socrateos
It helped Japan to win Russo-Japanese war, a few years later.
Alan Harrison
It helped Japan to win Russo-Japanese war, a few years later.
Correct. That has always spoke volumes to me regarding the Japanese cultural mentality. Make a friend, use the friend, then later discard the friend (if it does not suit the Japanese agenda). I hope that the Japanese are not just using friends to use, to try to regain the Kuriles.
Yrral
How can British defend Japanese,when they cannot defend, themselves,with the clown leading them
Yrral
The US is the decider on every issue, that is military
englisc aspyrgend
plus ca change!
Alan Harrison
Kishida's first official visit to the UK as prime minister was marked with an overflight of London by three Royal Air Force planes.
Fuel is expensive at the moment, was this necessary?
Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
Its a quasi alliance and that says it all right there.
They didn't really make a deal that's official.
More like a discussion.
Desert Tortoise
A fifth generation stealth fighter, the Tempest, for one including co-developing the engine. Japan and UK are co-developing the Joint New Air to Air Missile (JNAAM).. Japan is a signatory to another MoU with UK, Italy and Sweden to develop future combat air systems and technologies. Japan could look to both UK and Italy for advice building and operating future larger VSTOL aircraft carriers.
Desert Tortoise
There are several signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) as described immediately above. Japan is also co-developing and testing SM-3 Block II with the US, sharing costs and technical/scientific manpower on the project. The missiles will be carried by Japanese warships and possibly on some sort of Aegis Ashore system.