Posted on 10/19/2006 9:27:34 PM PDT by AmericanExceptionalist
The first stop on Condoleezza Rice's post-detonation, nuclear reassurance tour was Tokyo. There she dutifully unfurled the American nuclear umbrella, pledging in person that the United States would meet any North Korean attack on Japan with massive American retaliation, nuclear if necessary.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Without them, they may not even be a country
Because perception is everything and reality is nothing. Japan's neighbors will fear a nuclear Japan, regardless of whether they have reason to.
And the tiger shows his true stripes.
Huh?
Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's hard to see how you could be more wrong. S. Korea is a vital regional political bulwark, not to mention a trillion dollar economy and an important military ally. If you surrender influence over S. Korea, then China, not the US, would clearly be the major power in the region. Do you want that?
We have wasted a lot of blood and treasure to prop up an "ally" that goes against our interests at every turn.
I take it you work for the DPRK Ministry of Propaganda? S. Korea clearly has forces within it that want to take it into the orbit of China. You're saying that because those forces exist, the US should abadnon S. Korea, when in reality it needs to recognize the threat and win it back.
Their fear of an expansionist China greatly outweighs any traces of animosity towards WWII Japan, who BTW has a modern history of nothing but peaceful relations with its neighbors.
That's simply not true. We might want that to be the case, but in reality, Japan, not China, is seen as the less predictable, potentially more dangerous power. That may not be fair, but it's how things are perceived.
America would end up with only one possible ally in Asia.
A nuclear armed Japan is a stupid idea and will be viewed by our enemy as no better ideals than their own attempted proliferation of the same weapons.
If America can sell nuclear weapons, so can ____________ ......(fill in the blank)
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Stupid.
In 1985 maybe. Russia isn't a regional power these days. Japan is declining. S. Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan are regional powers.
I am not really much interested in geopolitical gamesmanship. What really concerns me is that we confront our mortal enemies (in Pyonyang, Tehran, or anywhere else), rather than either (a) ignoring them, and hoping for the best; (b) offering them a bribe to act more responsibly; or (c) talking tough, and carrying a wet noodle.
A nuclear-armed Japan should at least get Beijing's (which is to say, Dear Leader's sponsor's) attention. And that is a good first step.
Boy, you really head your head stuck somewhere. I wrote that they are glossing over their history, not building up their military.
Their "conservatives" ae rewriting their history books and not teaching the children the truth about Japan's aggression during the first half of the 20th century. The rape of Nanking is a footnote. The wars were to liberate Asia from colonialism. The atomic blasts - at least according to the museum in Hiroshima - appears to be the result of unprovoked American aggression.
Japan may now be one of the most peaceful and staunch allies the US has, but its history shows it can behave otherwise. Its failure to come to terms with that behaviour is a very good reason to be glad they don't have nuclear weapons.
Can you imagine how you would feel if German students were taught a sanitized version of WWII holocaust included? That is, essentially the path along which Japan is headed.
Your myopia is shocking.
Reality is reality, and fact is reality. To say that perception is reality is to admit that you are unburdened by facts, or even by rational thought itself.
Japan's neighbors are: China, Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, N. and S. Korea, and Vietnam.
1) China, North Korea, and Vietnam are all Communist states. All are in direct military and trade competition with Japan. Of course they will be uncomfortable with a nuclear Japan; they would all be allied against her in any regional conflict. If the point you're attempting to make is that a country's defense policy should revolve around not upsetting your enemies...
Ditto Russia. While a trading partner with Japan, the Russians have never been exactly close with the Japanese. The Kurile islands (Japanese territory) are still occupied by Russia, as they have been since their invasion in WWII.
2)Malaysia has historically been a monarchy, but control has recently been placed in the hands of pro-capitalism Islamists. They are anti-Communist, and they have good relations with the Japanese.
3) Indonesia is also a Muslim country. They have very good trade relations with Japan and cooperate on a number of military, humanitarian and anti-terrorism fronts. They are anti-Communist, and have good relations and defense/weapons agreements with the US.
4) Taiwan has excellent relations with both the US and Japan, and has signed defense agreements with both countries. Are you honestly suggesting that Taiwan would side with China on the Japan nuclear issue?
5) The Philippines also enjoy excellent relations with Japan. They are trading partners, and cooperate in anti-terrorism activity. The Philippines have free elections, are staunchly anti-Communist, and have trade and security agreements with both Japan and the US.
6) S. Korea is a major trade partner with both the US and Japan, and has arms and security agreements with both countries. Although generally hand-wringers when it comes to the presence of US troops on the SK peninsula, they have (to date) loudly protested at plans to remove American forces. There are certainly many in the citizenry and government who fall for the media-savvy Chinese party line of "American oppression of the South Korean people", but when push comes to shove, who do think they will side with... the country that sent half a million troops to aid the North Koreans in crushing them during the 1950's, or the country that kept them from under the bootheel of Communism?
Additionally, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines are all allied against Chinese claims to the Spratly islands.
Japan's neighbors, the ones that count, will side with Japan.
A nuclear armed Japan & Taiwan would expose China for the true Paper Tiger it really is. It would be the best thing to happen to the region in 50 years.
I loved the Japanese response that if Japan wanted nuclear weapons they could develop them in just a couple of months.
"We don't need more countries having nuclear weapons, period.
Ally today, enemy tomorrow."
Bears repeating.
IOW, I agree 100%!
No way I just say we station a Nuclear Sub near Japan on stand by.
Study some history. Do you know what the Cold War was? How old are you?
yeah, but would Japan trust a (hypothetical) President Hillary or Kerry to fire them?
You presume that the US will live up to its committment - lots of examples in the past demonstrate that she hasn't.
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