Posted on 09/17/2018 3:53:05 PM PDT by SleeperCatcher
Strictly speaking, some experts believe that Japan has been in violation of Article 9 ever since it created a ‘self-defense’ force, and in a very technical sense there is an argument to be made there.
But practically speaking, Japan lives in a neighborhood that has become increasingly hostile over the past 20 years. Between China’s rise, Russia’s revisionist tendencies, and North Korea, it has become clear to Abe that his country’s ‘military’ has to take a different stance moving forward if Tokyo has any hope of fending off the sophisticated forces of Russia and China.
That will require constitutional changes. Right now, it appears as though Abe is headed for reelection later this week (20 Sept.) because he is seen as having enough support in Japan’s Diet to remain as the country’s prime minister for another three-year term (making him the country’s longest-serving PM).
Abe’s desire to change the constitution in order to make the Japanese military more muscular and even capable of offensive actions (in support of an ally, such as the United States) could then become a reality if he and his party get a little help from political rivals.
But getting the Japanese people to go along will be harder.
(Excerpt) Read more at greatpowerwar.com ...
China has the power to be what Japan was through the 1930s. Turnabout might be fair play, but it doesn’t make for very nice international conditions.
Let me summarize this for you:
BANZAI!! BANZAI!!
Japan was with the Allies in WWI. The Japanese navy escorted Australian troops in the Pacific.
Japan was rated as giving the best treatment to prisoners of war during the Siberia Incursion (after the Russian revolution). The US came in second.
During the 1930s, Japan ran a high fever and went fanatic.
But that was not always the case; nor need it be the case again.
The Japanese are smart people. They see rising threats in their region, and they also see Trump pushing NATO to pull their own weight in theirs. The handwriting is on the wall, they need to do the same, and Abe is stepping up.
Even the discussion of this puts the Chinese on notice.
When are they going to start making Zeros again according to the original blueprints? I want one.
“Even the discussion of this puts the Chinese on notice.”
No matter how strong China is they are scared shitless of the Japanese.
Surely Mitsubishi has all that stuff somewhere.
“Surely Mitsubishi has all that stuff somewhere.”
I hope somebody does.
I thought Trump’s second overseas travel where he stopped at Japan first before going to China was well played.
They should be. The Japanese are perfectionists and believe in high quality. The Chinese, not so much. If given a chance, the Japanese can build high quality military hardware that can destroy anything the Chinese throw at them. Chinese may have some smart people, but the Japanese are smarter and better at building high quality machines.
Taiwan used to be a Japanese territory for half a century until they lost it at the end of WWII. During that time, they greatly improved quality of life for the Taiwanese, bringing them from third-world conditions into 20th-century living. When the Chinese took over Taiwan after WWII, the infrastructure was not maintained under Chinese rule and Taiwanese missed having the Japanese in charge. Even to this day, Taiwan is the most pro-Japanese nation in Asia. The Chinese know the Japanese are a force to contend with.
They would have to turn their whole culture around first.
And is the technological gap really that great, considering that China has ten times the population, an army ten times as big and more martial spirit than modern Japan?
https://www.thoughtco.com/world-war-ii-mitsubishi-a6m-zero-2361071
“The design of the A6M Zero began in May 1937, shortly after the introduction of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter. The Imperial Japanese Army had commissioned Mitsubishi and Nakajima both to build the planes...”
“... For performance, the Imperial Japanese Navy required that the new design be capable of 310 mph at 13,000 ft. and possess an endurance of two hours at normal power and six to eight hours at cruising speed (with drop tanks). As the aircraft was to be carrier-based, its wingspan was limited to 39 ft. (12m). Stunned by the navy’s requirements, Nakajima pulled out of the project, believing that such an aircraft could not be designed. At Mitsubishi, the company’s chief designer, Jiro Horikoshi, began toying with potential designs.”
“... , the new A6M was one of the most modern fighters in the world when it completed testing. “
“Entering service in 1940, the A6M became known as the Zero based on its official designation of Type 0 Carrier Fighter. A quick and nimble aircraft, it was a few inches under 30 feet in length, with a wingspan of 39.5 feet, and a height of 10 feet. Other than its armaments, it held only one crew member, the pilot, who was the sole operator of the 2 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 machine gun. It was outfitted with two 66-lb. and one 132-lb. combat-style bombs, and two fixed 550-lb. Kamikaze-style bombs. It had a range of 1,929 miles, a maximum speed of 331 mph, and could fly as high as 33,000 feet.”
Quality, not quantity. Consider Japan's Self Defense Forces. Far more powerful and modern than China's navy. Plus Japan is considered to be a nuclear power, with the ability to field several hundred nukes (even though they aren't supposed to have that capability).
Quantity has a quality all its own.
If there is one thing China has is quantity.
A lot of quantity that is going to grow even larger.
And hubris. Russia thought the same. Far bigger than Japan, with more resources and people. Bigger military, etc. Then the Japanese whipped their butts in a war in 1904-1905. Shocked the world.
A problem here is that as Japanese military capability grows, there will be increased pressure here in the US to “let them (Japan) take care of it” (whatever “it” is), and as we draw down our forces, that in turn forces Japan to attain even more capability. At some point, if Japan thinks the US is not a reliable ally (such as whenever some leftist gets into power here), they will have no choice but to go nuclear.
Now, something to keep in mind is that despite present business ties, there are deep hatreds and suspicions in this region. If the US bows out of the region, IMO you get a major nuclear war. It might not happen for a few to several decades, but I think in the long run it is almost guaranteed. Maybe some fools think this would not also be a disaster for the US — they are horribly wrong, even if we are not drawn into the exchange...
The above also neglects another likely factor: A militarily strong Japan might well over time drift away from being a US ally. I will just leave it at that...
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