Posted on 10/11/2006 7:11:54 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
Story in Japanese at the link above.
And here:
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20061012-00000101-yom-pol
By the Government of Japan, in response to North Korea's threat earlier today to treat 'severe sanctions' as a defacto 'declaration of war'.
American in Tokyo
is a beloved FREEPER . . . He's virtually always quite accurate and well informed re his facts. He tends to be more gracious than not. He has a big heart. He is tirelessly responsible.
It appears that it might be a stretch to measure up to his standard for a number of folks.
I, for one, hope that respect and charity are extended to him for his many services to FR by way of his astute and informed perspective on that region of the world for the rest of FR.
Others: "This is about Mini-Me, not what happened during WW2 or earlier." "This is 2006, you seem to reside in a parallel universe trapped in a time warp."
No. Ladyjane and muawiyah are talking about an Asian perspective. We look at it from a very American "short-term" historical perspective.
Asia has grudges that go way further back than Islamists ever thought of. WW2 was a blip on the timeline to them.
It doesn't make any sense to us, but that's the way it is. The hatred over borders over there is tremendous, like it was in the US in 1861. At times, the Japanese were the damnyankees, and now they're civilization's best buddies. When we look at the way these people react, we had better put our Asia perspective caps on!
"which will bring down the wrath of Bushbots on me,"
I think military action was always a last-ditch option with DPRK for bush, for obvious reasons (bloodbath potential, chinese/russian issues), but Iraq is probably the one country the US could most easily invade and occupy after afghanistan from an international politics view and from a military view, compared to iran and dprk. I also believe the outcome 3 1/2 years later is iraq is something the administration would not have believed likely or desirable in march 03.
You seem to be well versed in the language of Japan.
There are multiple dialects, I'm curious can you name them?
We'll correspond in Japanese if you wish.
It would seem that way...
PINGING FR Godzilla there is user named Godzilla on FR
I suggest, before you include me in your reply that you read his response to my post.
Thank you so much, AmericanInTokyo, for posting this! BTTT!
By the way, here are some photos of stuff seized by the Japanese from North Korean agents who had infiltrated Japan in the past, including the actual transport vessel they sunk after a ferocious gun battle .
Note the spy equipment (coding sheets):
Anyone with a decent AM radio tuner in downtown Tokyo can turn on 657khz at night and hear Radio Pyongyang broadcasting the instructions into Japan right in the open...reading the code for the agents in place.
Some of the agents are no doubt trained in the placement of WMD, such as sarin or VX gas, or other forms of sabotage and confusion.
You said -- "How sweet it would be if Japan took out Lil' Kimmie."
I didn't know that they had that kind of military capability...
Regards,
Star Traveler
P.S. -- I thought that was what China was trying to prevent, that is, having Japan build up their military strength. If Japan already is at that kind of capability and means for defense against North Korea (already), what is China trying to prevent (in regards to Japan's military capabilities)?
They are different ~ really different when it comes to their digestive systems ~
Gojira.
I'm tired but I clicked all the way back in sequence to post #1.
It appeared to me that AmericanIn Tokyo was a bit more charitable and moderate in tone.
It may be that I'm more familiar with him. I'm certainly thankful for his many tireless reports to FR in a long list of situations seeking info from that region. And, when I was in Taipei, I greatly appreciated his perspective on our region.
I really hate to see folks get testy with one another from either side. I particularly hate to see it toward a closer respected friend.
Yes, AITokyo can be quite strong in tone. I haven't noticed any brittleness of any significance on his part yet in this thread.
AIT, you don't have to bring the wrath of the Bushbots if you've got a valid point. =D
But I get tired of hearing this "stretched too thin by Iraq" mantra. That's total BS.
There's almost zero Air-Force assets being used in Iraq right now. B-2s are bored. There's no subs needed in Iraq to patrol the Sea of Japan. And finally, we have at least two real allies in Asia, if you count South Korea!
You need boots on the ground to occupy Iraq. Occupying North Korea would be a ridiculous idea (we been there, couldn't do that).
Whatever US troops are in SK now are not going to stop the NK artillery bombardment of Seoul, anyway.
well, those are darn good points you've brought up. nobody here I think had predicted or even dreamed that Iraq would have turned out as rotten for us as it has and currently is, after three years, coming up on four, there. hindsight 20/20 I guess. me, and you, and many others were watching N.K. all the while, never taking our eyes off the considerably larger world threat
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
damyo too! (Bunny, pancake!)
Maybe I'm blind to your flaws on this thread. But I sure appreciate your tireless contributions to FR from that region. And I'll always have a warm spot in my heart for you as we shared that region,somethwat together, for so long.
Maybe the Tiger is sleeping right now. I've pinged him just in case.
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