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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Japan to Bolster Military |
| 2006-08-01 |
| TOKYO — Japan's military is undergoing a major transformation to give it more government clout and a bigger role in international peacekeeping while aligning it more closely with U.S. forces, a government report said Tuesday. The annual report by Japan's Defense Agency also stressed that Tokyo is under increasing pressure to defend itself from possible attack by North Korean ballistic missiles, and — while careful not to call China a threat — urged Beijing to provide more information of its military expenditures to ease tensions in the region. This year's report devotes a full chapter to the realignment of the roughly 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan and efforts to meld the Japanese and U.S. forces into a more effective, more closely coordinated force. The realignment, the result of years of negotiations, involves a streamlining of the U.S. military in Japan — including the transfer of some 8,000 U.S. Marines off the southern island of Okinawa to the U.S. territory of Guam. It also entails closer coordination on intelligence-gathering and in ballistic missile defense, a major concern for Japan. The report repeatedly cites North Korea's development of long-range missiles and nuclear weapons as a destabilizing factor in the region, and strongly condemned its test-firing of seven missiles into the Sea of Japan on July 4. It also criticized Pyongyang for pouring money into military expenditures "while it is suffering severe economic difficulties and must rely on international aid for food." "These activities of North Korea escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula and are a serious source of concern not only for our nation but for all of east Asia," the report said. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #11 Thinking more in line of MechaGodzilla |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-08-01 15:28 |
| #10 "Japan to Bolster Military" Works for me. :-D How can we help with that bolstering? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-08-01 15:12 |
| #9 Banzai! Banzai! Banzai! Mobil Suits Gundam are on the way! |
| Posted by: borgboy 2006-08-01 14:25 |
| #8 Oldcat, will you settle for an 18 foot high 'mecha' - from Alaska !? |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2006-08-01 12:00 |
| #7 I'm holding out for the giant mobile battle suits 50 feet tall carrying a big sword. |
| Posted by: Oldcat 2006-08-01 10:46 |
| #6 To see a Japanese flag over a Nimitz class carrier or three in the sea of Japan wouldn't be a bad thing... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-08-01 10:26 |
| #5 Let the Norks fire a few more No-dongs over mainland Japan and watch the REAL escalation. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-08-01 10:07 |
| #4 Just happy they're on our side. Japanese are major kick-ass warriors. |
| Posted by: BrerRabbit 2006-08-01 09:55 |
| #3 China is going to deeply regret not curbing the rabid Kim Jong-il. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-08-01 09:52 |
| #2 Sign a defense treat with Taiwan. Watch China reach almost Islamic levels of seething. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2006-08-01 09:43 |
| #1 I have to say, the Japanese spirit really impresses me. Take a warrior culture, thousands of years old and overnight turn it into a pacifist nation and expect it to work seems impossible (and much press during 1946-1948 stressed this). But yet, they accepted their fate, turned their economy around and have become a major power in the pacific. Most other nations would have collapsed into civil war. And now, the Japanese people are once again ready to turn their thinking in a very short time to again become a modern, democratic military power. I am proud to have them as allies. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-08-01 09:32 |