Tokyo ready to examine offensive military system
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Thursday March 27, 4:50 PM
Tokyo ready to examine offensive military system
Japan's hawkish defence chief has said the government was ready to examine whether Tokyo should possess an offensive military capability to counter future missile attacks.
Asked if the government planned to consider the introduction of an offensive military capability, Shigeru Ishiba told the parliamentary defence committee: "It is worth considering it."
"It is necessary to examine (the issue) from various points of view. If we stop considering it, we will be unable to take responsibility for the peace and independence of our country."
The remarks are likely to spark further consternation and anger in neighbouring Asian countries such as China and North Korea, which continue to demand Japan apologizes for its military aggression before and during World War II.
Japan has one of the most powerful military forces in the region, but its troops have no guided missile systems capable of attacking another country as the post-war Constitution denies Japan's "right of belligerency of the state."
During the committee session, Ishiba also repeated his support for the introduction of the US-made Patriot anti-missile system.
"It is in line with an exclusively defensive posture and the only means we are able to consider right now," Ishiba said, referring to the possibility of introducing a missile defence system.
"There is no reason to deny it," he said. "We have to consider its cost performance and understanding of neighbouring countries, but it is desirable to solve these problems and realise it."
Discussions are under way between Japan and the United States over their bilateral missile defence initiative amid concerns about a potential missile attack from North Korea.
Japan is stepping up its vigilance concerning North Korea following news reports that Pyongyang may test fire a ballistic missile in the near future. North Korea test fired short-range anti-ship missiles on February 24 and March 10.
In February Ishiba suggested in an interview with a foreign news agency that Japan would launch a military strike if it had firm evidence Pyongyang was ready to launch ballistic missiles against it.
The previous month, in an interview with The Times of London, Ishiba said the adequacy of Japan's purely defensive capability should be a matter of debate.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/030327/1/39gqw.html -
"On Thursday, Japanese Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that Tokyo would consider developing offensive capabilities, something that would go against Japan's pacifist constitution.
But on Friday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi denied that was a possibility.
"I am aware that there has been talk about the question of acquiring offensive weaponry capable of striking an enemy whose intent to attack is clear, but this government has no such intention," he told lawmakers.
Mr Ishiba also told the South Korean paper, Chungang Ilbo, that Japan would not respond to North Korea's threats by joining it in a nuclear arms race.
He said that as the victim of nuclear attacks in 1945, "we are not even thinking about having nuclear weapons". " -
lol, they dare to bring up the fact that they were victim of nuke attacks without stating why??!!!
anyway, about them acquring offensive weapons. . what about the Osumi class LST???
http://www.hazegray.org/mysteries/oldmyst/ans105.htm
" This new ship, although bearing a tank landing ship designation (LST) and presenting the appearance of a helicopter assault ship (LPH), is actually an amphibious transport dock (LPD). She features a docking well for two LCACs at the stern, with a two-spot helicopter deck above. The remainder of the apparent "flight deck" is actually intended as a parking area for vehicles (or aircraft). Some authors have suggested that this clear deck is intended to allow VSTOL aircraft operations in the future, but the wide island superstructure effectively prevents this. These is no hangar deck for aircraft. "
14700 tons full load
Carrier-like in appearance
http://www.jcs.go.kr/data/weapon/weap2/wp2-2/nav1-8/osumi.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/osumi.htm
somehow the last pic makes me think of the RN's Invincible-class. .. -
omg...
Will history repeats itself?
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Military sgboy2004 -
By aqquiring new offensive military weapon in terms of SSMs might led to drastic chain reaction especially to their hostile region. If US do not want to stop Japan , North Korea will start to openly declare further threats onto the peninsula and japan. Taiwan might take the chance to declare her project on building SSMs and might request to be armed with the Aegis system without expecting a turn down from US. Then China will add up her SSM asernal and expand her sovermmeny cruiser fleet and of course with alot of critical statement to make. Worst comes to worst is that India is suck into the situation that she openly declare to speeds up her nuclear capability which will be able to strike China , maybe up to Canton while Pakistan will also expand her nuclear capability to counter the threat from India.
Can u see the chain?? -
http://www.itv.com/news/1155252.html
N Korea warns of Asian arms race
9.29AM GMT, 28 Mar 2003
North Korea's Foreign Ministry has said Japan's launch of a spy satellite was a "hostile act" and warned of a new arms race in northeast Asia.
"The satellite launch deprived Japan of any justification and qualification to talk about the DPRK'S (North Korea's) satellite launch," said a foreign ministry statement.
"Japan will be held wholly responsible for sparking a new arms race in northeast Asia," it added.
A rocket carrying Japan's first two spy satellites was launched last week in an intelligence-gathering effort that some feared could prompt neighbouring North Korea to test-fire a ballistic missile.
The satellite deployment, which will give Japan its first independent chance to scrutinise North Korea from space, was planned after Pyongyang's 1998 firing of a Taepodong ballistic missile, which passed over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean.
In another statement, North Korea said that the United States was getting ready to attack it next after the war in Iraq.
"It is becoming certain that, in case the US imperialists' invasion of Iraq is 'successful', they will wage a new war of aggression on the Korean peninsula at the same time or move the stage of 'anti-terrorist war' to the Korean peninsula in high spirits to invade the DPRK after occupying Iraq," North Korea's ruling party newspaper said.
In a spate of commentaries that attacked the United States, the Rodong Sinmun daily took aim at the annual US-South Korean war games, which wind up on April 2.
"We cannot but take a serious view of the large-scale frantic test nuclear war, a preliminary war against the DPRK staged by the US on the sidelines of the Iraqi war," the daily said.
President George W. Bush has said Iraq, Iran and North Korea are part of the same "axis of evil".
The Rodong Sinmun said after the first two acts of US military strategy under the Bush government, in Afghanistan and Iraq, "there is no doubt that they will open its third act on the Korean peninsula".
"But they should clearly understand it. The DPRK is not Afghanistan nor Iraq," the daily said.
North Korea denies having a nuclear weapons programme, although it defends its right to build such weapons.
Mar 22: North Korea postpones talks
Mar 10: N Korea fires cruise missile -
japan 2 spy satellites launch liao......wonder wad will happen next.....
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nah.......China will growl in N.Korea's general direction and things will quieten down for a while again
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politics is not as simple as u think that the problem is solved just by growling at each other.....
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wat's their reason for developing the satellites?Originally posted by duotiga83:japan 2 spy satellites launch liao......wonder wad will happen next.....
IMO, they are behavin very strangly lately. -
China is or rather was n korea's sugar daddy, if there was anybody who nkorea will listen to it's china. there is no way Japan or s.korea of even the US would dare to do anything if China remains on the fence. Politics, my good friend is very simple, although it can get a little complicated at times. And about the present fracas between US and 'old' europe and also wat is happening with n.korea you might want to read up on Internation relations particularly the parts that deal with balnce of power.Originally posted by duotiga83:politics is not as simple as u think that the problem is solved just by growling at each other.....
i forgot to add a smiley face with my last post, for that i apologise. If my statements are an overreaction. please forgive me. -
China has been rather quiet on the world stage recently. I think they're trying to push their economy, and not stick their hands in the mud too much. . . Japan is trying to jump into bed with the US, always have been. . . and they are quietly expanding their role on the world stage already, its pretty amazing, considering all of Japan's bad debts, go read econs. . . all the land in japan was once valued at a few times the price of all the land in the entire US, it screwed the japs real bad. . . so now they try to keep the yen low, earn foreign cash easier. . .
N Korea is rather stuck up, dun want to deal with anyone short of the US, but basically we keep hearing their voice on the world stage recently. . . but I agree with redrooster, if china bares its fangs abit, NK will shut the f up and go back to lick its wounds. . . probably build itself a couple more nukes along the way also
I dun see the point in the japs sending up the sats. . .dammit, they already so damn powerful liao, still build what shit. . ., look at their air force, can beat any airforce in asia, and only the US air force can be assured of victory over jap air force, even then with super heavy losses. . .
http://www.rand.org/publications/CF/CF152/CF152.chap1.pdf
read the chapter on Japanese militarism.. .
note the first para, japan's actions
-Scrapping of one percent budget ceiling on defence
-Undermine arms exports ban by high tech good exports
-Allow US nuclear-armed ships to transit
-Blur defnition of offensive and defensive weapons
-Widen scope of threats to Japan so defence force got more stuff to 'defend against; and widened roles
I'm actually wondering how hard it is for japan to go nuclear armed instead of nuclear powered nowadays. . .
Remember that those japs still have NOT apologised for any war crimes, and they got off pretty lightly as far as war crimes trials against top japanese leaders were concerned during WWII as well. . .
anyone read Tom Clancy's 'Debt of Honour'? yep, thats d jap industrialists vs. US one. . .i'm still reading half way. . .
anyway, poltics is a dog eat dog environment, Japan's prob is that is at its peak already, there is little space upwards that it can go, China still has alot of potential for expansion, so by the time Japan has finally undermined all the funky rules to stop it, China will most likely control a substantial part of the world economy already, hopefully anyway, they should be able to at least show some fangs at the japs too. . . -
China had been distancing themselves from DPRK since the collapse of USSR. Before that dispite their differences the two communist powers account for most of DPKR's GNP. After the collapse of USSR, DPKR's GNP fell by huge amounts and after which they have been dependent on aid from china and illicit weapon sales.
The mistake was made during the Clinton administration when they offered aid in order to stop DPKR's production of WMD and to stop the funtioning of its nuclear reactors. Thus DPKR could be wondering whether they could weasel more out of the US. Thus IMO they only wish to speak directly to the US. China's stance with regards to DPKR remains a little unclear, although they had refuse to get involve in this current spate, they had on occasion blocked the security council from discussing resolutions concerning DPRK.
Back to the matter at hand, one of the reason for the escalation of Japan's arms buildup is that it has recognized that it can no longer rely on Uncle Sam's goodwill forever. China not only had been pressing forward with economic reforms and spending on its economy like theres no tomorrow, it has also been making itself more acceptable to the world community. Thus it is possible that in the near future US might not be on Japan's side if their was to be any tensions. Also with the establishment of the EU, japan took steps to secure for itself a large common market thus it tried to initiate the establishment of an asian free trade zone. this is where it stepped into the forefront of regional politics. Oh and about the bad loan situation, it has been playing itself out over the last few years, but the situation with the bad debt involve domestic economic policies such as financial and banking regulation, extra government loans to banks, stuff like that. Re establishing itself in the region is related but not encumbered by its current financial sector woes. Anyway the build up of japan is worth noting but until it starts building for itself a credible land force then regional eyebrows will be raised. Anyway its defensive policy is self-imposed, if it see in its interest to build for it self a more powerful arm forces, western diplomates would be flooding japanese diplomates not with protest of the buildup but rrather with arms and weapons contract.
Also the japanese had been rather acting dubiously when it comes to apologising for its part in the war but that posture differs from premier to premier. Also Japan's ruling elite did not get away scot free, there was a war crimes tribunal held in tokyo, Four former premiers(including tojo), Four former war ministers ( Araki the guy that tried to org a coup against he emperor, Hata, Itagaki, Minami ), foreign ministers generals, all in all 28 of them was tried and none got away with at least a life sentence. The tiger of Malaya was tried and hanged in the Phillipines.
Ok i have been ranting for a bit
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test
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http://www.sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.china28mar28,0,6270959.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines
china growls, so to speak. This new leadership seems to be more aggressive and vocal then the last leadership