mareo2 comments

smithinjapan at 09:56 AM JST - 25th November

Good idea, Ossan! Anger the only nation that has historically stood behind NK, and the only nation who can potentially calm this storm. You clearly haven't thought about this very much. China WILL step in and help, particularly if things look like they're going to get worse; but HOW they help will depend on how countries like Japan, the US, and SK deal with CHINA. 'Demanding' for example, that they 'must' restrain NKorea may not start off on the best footing. Likewise what Ossan suggests is one of the worst possible moves you could do; indirectly threatening them by holding drills they ask you not to, etc

Will China Get Tough on Kim?

...When I spoke with Korea analyst Gordon Flake this week following the North Korean shelling of the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, he made the reasonable point that China’s failure to come down harder on Pyongyang following the sinking of the South Korean ship the Cheonan earlier this year may actually have encouraged this latest act of aggression... ...More immediately, the United States and South Korea have also announced their intention to conduct a joint military exercise in the Yellow Sea in response to the North Korean shelling, a drill that looks set to include the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. China has today said it’s concerned by the move, although in more measured terms than it used in August when the PLA warned of long-term damage to US-China ties if another drill went ahead... ...There’s an ongoing debate about how much leverage China really has, a discussion complicated by the fact that Kim Jong-il is far from rational and so unlikely to respond to traditional forms of pressure in predictable ways. Still, the fact that he went calling not once, but twice to China this year—presumably in part to discuss the succession issue—suggests that Beijing does at least have his ear. Even if he doesn’t want to listen to what’s being said…...

Source: The Diplomat

Obama send a Carrier because many people think that China defense of North Korea encouraged Kim to attack again, that's why China can't complain like the last time. I am not the only one that have doubts that China can stop North Korea if they try, many diplomats and analyst prefer not make any prediction. And no offense to your but I already lost my faith in the PRC's commitment with peace in Asia.

The only peaceful solution I can imagine is if:

a) the US, China and Japan provide funds to SK for pay the cost of the reunification

b) we offer guarantees to China that united Korea is not going to host any US troops and remain neutral from US and China

But we have huge debts problems and China don't trust the US, so these is very unlikely to happen. Then we must to expend more money in ballistic missile defense because the lack of reaction give to Kim idea that he can kill with absolute impunity thanks to China's protection, so next the attack can be even bigger and target japanese civilians with missiles for demand more oil and food.

This is what happen after South Korea dropped their demand that North Korea apologize for killing 46 sailors in the Cheonan incident. The Kim monarchy just get more cocky with the protection of China.

Sounds just like when the GoJ say that they see signals of recovery in the economy for the last 20 years. So the majority of the population take their words with a pinch of salt.

Before the PRC started to escalate their territorial claims the GoJ deemed improve defense unnecessary, their heavy-handed tactics reversed the trend of downgrade defense. It seems to be a message, it imply that the GoJ is planing to defend the islands if the PRC try to take them by force.

GW at 10:17 AM JST - 11th November

And to the fools who think farmers are lazy(haha they are easily the fittest people in Jpn

My brother is a buddhist monk, he told me these:

Why you are working in a factory? After a religious ceremony farmers invited me to eat, they expended most of the rest of the day chatting and drinking beer. To think that there is such a relaxed life in Japan.

The busiest seasons for farmers are sowing and harvest. The rest of the year they take care of animals and watch the grass grow.

Maehara

‘(By not joining the TPP) aren’t we sacrificing much of the 98.5 percent (of the economy that isn’t primary industry) for the 1.5 percent that is?

The man say what the majority think.

“At least 15,000 refugees have crossed from eastern Myanmar into northern Thailand since this morning,” said Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the U.N.‘s refugee agency, which was providing tents and other materials to shelter the refugees. Non-governmental groups also were offering aid, he said from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva. Refugees continued to arrive into the evening, and some independent estimates put their number closer to 20,000.

Do you think that Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the U.N.‘s refugee agency is lying?

some14some at 08:05 AM JST - 9th November

Refugee count too high to be true or too accurate to be true - AP may re-try to get better attention !

If you can't believe news from free press try to find another source and back your accusation with some evidence.

The US is going to stay for keep China in check or we need to rearm and build nukes like India?

stevecpfc at 08:09 AM JST - 7th November

mareo2; best thing is to nip racism in the bud rather than deflect the issue.

Yeah, even if it is a small minority I am ashamed of see my compatriots behave like that. They make our country look no better than the people they protest against it. Madness is contagious.

Let's see... 3k in a country of 127 millions is like a drop in the ocean. I guess that the PRC's media is going to exaggerate it for reinforce the "siege mentality" of their society with their scare tactics.

bicultural at 02:42 PM JST - 4th November

Agree with Mareo, but then what does whiny China get?

The Xisha Islands (AKA Paracel islands).

Holy cow... How Carlos Ghosn managed to do that?

Russia keep the Kurile, Japan Keep the Senkaku, South Korea keep Dokdo. Is called "status quo", people just need to get over and stop rocking the boat.

Sadly we can't put links, but there is a cool video in YouTube of the test. Just google "Japan Aegis BMD (JFTM-4)".

Ironic mode on: "topics that no one have to talk with others except in secret with the leaders of PRC: Senkaku, Spratly, Arunachal Pradesh, Tibet, rare earths, nobel prize, military build up, authorizing anti-japanese protests, try to block a UN report about chinese bullets in Darfur, defend North Korea regime, some chinese firms helping Iran to improve its missile technology and develop nuclear weapons, building dams in China that reduce the level of rivers in countries like India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, affecting millions of Asians. Talk about any of this in public is "an attack on China" and PRC is going to retaliate by cancel any talk. We can't let that happen because China is our trade partner and we want China to help us to keep world peace and control WMD, even if some people think that they are doing the opposite." Ironic mode off.

I suspect that the leaders of the PRC are flabbergasted that many ASEAN countries are resisting their "divide and conquer" tactics with the support of the US. So for don't "look weak" in the eyes of the chinese people they bash the US and Japan in the media for "look strong". North Korea to do that a lot is in it?

I agree with mushroomcloud, a saturation attack is unstoppable and not even the US can save Japan if that happen. North Korea have hundreds of ballistic missiles and can arm them with chemical weapons, obviously a missile attack from China can be more devastating because they can fire nukes. The only thing that stop them from make demands is the US nuclear umbrella and even so they keep threatening us.

Now about the idea that "they can't expend all their missiles in Japan because that open them to an US/Russia/India attack". We don't say something similar about China don't risk conflict with Japan because it hurt business before? Do the leaders of North Korea look rational to you? They call the south koreans their brothers and they killed 46 of them in the Cheonan incident. Do the leaders of China look like their "peaceful rise" can be trusted? Because lately they look enough "extremely hysterical" to start to make me think that the only way we can have "real peace" is if we japanese stop being so naive about the "good will and self-control of repressive governments" and build our own nukes like India.

Bholder at 07:38 PM JST - 29th October

160 km above the pacific? that's outer space, above 100 km. is this article accurate? can they shoot something that high?

Ballistic missile

A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target.

Source: Wikipedia

Gurukun at 03:40 PM JST - 29th October

Good going! Now let's see if they all can do it without being warned that a test missle is going to be fired....then I'll be impressed.

bobcatfish at 04:12 PM JST - 29th October

wow, that's great. as long as the bad guys also tell us exactly where and when they are going to fire a missile we should be able to shoot it down.

Four Kongo Class destroyers means that there is a at least 1 in the sea ready 24/7. We have spy satellites for warn us if North Korea try something dangerous and the US have a much better warning system for protect the US bases in Japan.

some14some at 12:29 PM JST - 26th October

Unfortunately Japanese Businesses have lost their base and moving like a Caravan...China -> India -> Russia -> Vietnam ....faithful to none !

Is not the chinese people making protests saying that they don't want japanese products and business in their country? Loyalty cannot be bought, it must to be earned.

jruaustralia at 11:48 AM JST - 26th October

No one is implying otherwise.

My apologies then, I misunderstood your words.

@jruaustralia

With all due respect sir, to my understanding the trade pact that as just being signed by both countries is separated from the current negotiations on the civilian nuclear cooperation pact. There is no strings attached to the trade pact and so far it only need to be ratified by the lawmakers in both countries.

I wonder why some people talk like this is a competition. Both countries embrace each other for growth and a friendly relation is based in mutual respect by see each other as an equal partner. I understand the reasons of India and I take the words of India's PM like an expression of respect to the feelings of the people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think that if both sides can made some compromises a deal can be reached on the civilian nuclear cooperation. Is a delicate matter so there is no rush.

jruaustralia at 07:36 AM JST - 26th October

And should they, the Japanese should not be obligated any further. So why are the Indians refusing to agree on that clause? LoL

I am not sure because I am not familiar with India defense, but I can assume that it can be related to Pakistan. India and Pakistan are not signatory of the NPT, so perhaps India see it as a handicap against Pakistan nuclear threat.

Capitals move to where they make more profit, is called "business".

Japan-India FTA may help Japan boost exports, reduce 'China risk'

"With China's labor costs rising, India is becoming attractive not only as a market but as a production center," Nishihama added.

Source: Mainichi Shimbun

Let's see if it don't end with the fall of the communist party or a blood bath in the streets. In the mean time, if they don't really want japanese products, let's explore less risky alternatives for investments. The world is big and wide, full of business opportunities.

India, Japan PMs to confirm trade pact by Miwa Suzuki (AFP) – 4 hours ago

...Hideaki Kase, a historian and commentator on diplomatic issues, said the timing of the Indian leader's visit, amid the Japan-China spat, would allow him to stress the shared democratic values of their countries. "It is a very timely visit as it is during times of an anti-Japanese movement in China and as India's presence is becoming bigger in Japan," he said. "It's almost a divine gift."...

We can't really change that war flag? The imperial memories are incredible negative.

Gandhi

I try to imagine to achieve independence for a country through no-violence and I don't think that many people have such moral strength. Thinking on people like him restore my faith in humanity.