Should Japan be Allowed to Rearm?

There does seem to be some resentment towards us in Japan still, and i'm not sure we could trust them to be the same sort of ally (read loyal follower) that Britain and Australia have been at times. That being said, there's a radio-active monster which may or may not some day wade ashore and ravage Tokyo, and it aint godzilla. We can leave Japan tied up if we want, but I don't think the sacrifice is going to pacify anything.

It may be a little bit of a hard sale to rearm them, but I honestly think it's easier than some would expect. Who wants to trust America for their defense? Who wants to trust NATO, when there was hesitation about aiding Turkey in the event that Iraq should mount a pre-emptive strike on Incirlik? And what sort of country is happy about foreign occupation by a country that makes them send a token force to Iraq by holding Alaskan oil over their head? If we let Japan rearm and control their own defense, they will do it impressively.

An independently strong Japan would be a deterrent to China. America can be threatened and bought off because thats not our back yard and we've got plenty to lose. Japan is another story- and they've got a long history of beating up on China.

As a matter of fact, I'm not so sure America played WWII the right way. If we had allied with Japan we could have unified and modernized the pacific, put serious pressure on the Soviet Union with a strong ally to their East, and lived without much conflicting interest or threat from eachother since there is a huge ocean between us. Prying Japan away from the Axis seems like it would have been very doable, and very advantageous.

I said that Japan is threat to NK, not most of the world , as NK is. Which, Japan is in both cases.

First of all, I work with numerous Japanese people on a daily basis.

Personally, I say let 'em rearm.

Japan is indeed a great ally to the US. Granted, the post WWII "brainwashing" has made the masses most wary of anything remotely warlike. However, as the military expenditures indicate, Japan is far from helpless. Their "defense force" rivals the entire military establishment of most countries. This isn't all just "tanks and planes" either--Japan of course contributes heavily in the tech area. If you'll recall, they've also placed numerous spy satelites in orbit (keeping a watchful eye on N. Korea). With NK across the strait as a constant threat, I think Japan should have the right to be able to throw the smack talk right back at Kim Jong Il.

As any WWII vet will tell you, the Japanese are a most tenacious enemy. Honestly, I'm pretty much with The Vagabond on this one--I think Japan just chose the wrong side to back in WWII. Better to have as your friend than your enemy, for certain!

[Edited on 25-5-2004 by Q]

i think japan has learned their lesson, and have come to realize the US is a greater ally then enemy. if the US and Japan aided each other technolicaly we could do things lighting fast. i think all the geezers who disliked us in ww-2 are probably dead now. so its time to start a new chapter and embrace each others attributes. i think if they want to they should be able to rearm, given we oversee every aspect of their military. they would not dare pull a fast one on us. and if there is still some bad blood we could settle it in a nice game of tekken!

I agree...besides, what would happen to all those cool electronics we've grown to love from technologies motherland, the great Japan? I say let Japan re-up...regardless of the history of war between us and them, they let bygones be bygones...we should too...I don't even think of Japanese ppl in any cross manner...in fact, there was this japanese girl in High School...I think her name was Yukio or Yurkio or something to that effect...but you see the name isn't the point, the point is I was absolutely in love with her. She had the softest skin and beautiful wavy hair...a slight tan and believe it or not had the cutest freckles you ever saw...I mention her with relevance to this thread because in many ways, as far as sheer beauty was concerned, I saw her as the very best Japan had to offer...and here she is in an american high school learning about how her motherland, that evil "tojo sob nation" bombed pearl harbor...she got the eyes on her that day in history class and they werent of the welcoming sort. The moral of the story is, to me, that here was this beautiful young lady...smart, funny, approachable and able to make anyone feel...relevant in life, truly representative of the very best her homeland had to offer...and she was here. That day in school, the girl whose name I couldn't remember knew she wasn't among the best the US had to offer...but she was here because she knew that eventually she would be among our best and brightest and indeed she is our best and brightest as well. let Japan re-up if they like. I don't mind trusting them the way they trust us to look out for their own who come over here to live.

[Edited on 25-5-2004 by Hard Red]

japanese women are beutiful...

Have you ever been to Japan??? They freakin' worship us over there.

ive never been, i would go but i only have 6 bucks....

I personally oppose to this idea. There're lots of right-winged nationalists in Japan nowadays who dream about rebuilding the Empire, eliminating U.S. influence and ruling east Asia again. The major of Tokyo (I don't know how to spell his name) is just among them. If Japan is re-armed, and its economy goes into trouble someday, and a fundamental nationalist like Hitlor rises in its politics...

clone there are as many people there as there r here (western countries)
i can understand ur worry
we all worry about something like that hapenig but i doubt it would happen

Somethings not going right in the tactital sense. I mean, even accounting for being kind to civilians and all, just wow...

Being kind to civilians... Like hitting a wedding ceremony on a bombing run, that sort of "being kind"?

And what is with this arms proliferation thing anyway? Having the biggest army and the most sophisticated weaponry doesn't guarantee you security or victory. Just look at Vietnam, the US couldn't defeat the actual soldiers so they torched the whole country. Another example of being kind to civilians I take it? In a conflict which should never have taken place.

war is never kind
the coalition is trying its best but it frankly its hard to fight insurgents they hide like cowards,they hide in crowds and in high civie places

Ofcourse they should be able to rearm. The US should not hold any country back from doing whatever it wants, unless it hurts us. Japan can rearm, but it is in their constitution to only have a defensive military, even though they are getting ready to break that.

BTW, hi everyone!

Originally posted by RedDragon
Some military budgets from arround 1998:
FACT SHEET
Prepared by the Center for Defense Information
Ph: (202) 332-0600/Fax: (202) 462-4559




Last of the Big Time Spenders:
U.S. Military Budget Still the World's Largest, and Growing
Selected Countries Military Budget
United States $288.8 Billion
Russia* $55.0
Japan $41.1
China* $37.5
.........................................................

This is a little outdated, current US military budget is over 380 billion.

Japanesse military power:
army (self defense)
- 160 000 people (8 regionaly deployed divisions and 6 brigades, 1 armored div, 1 airborne brigade, 1 helicopter brigade, 8 anti-aircraft groups)

900 TANKS :
type 74 MBT (105 mm gun),
type 90 MBT (50t, 70 km/h, 120 mm gun)

900 artilery

AIR FORCE (air self defense force)
-46 000 people
154 F4 Phantoms
199 F-15 Eagle
+some older Mitsubishi F1 and F2
mostly US helicopters (Blackhawk, Huey, Cobras, Chinooks)
also their own helicopter Oh-1 is under development -


NAVY
-50 destroyers (4 with helicopter, 9 with guided missiles) , 18 submarines, 170 aircraft)
-some amphibious ships

and a small note about the Japan military budget :
"According to some estimates, the unit costs of Japanese vehicles are three to ten times as expensive as those of the US vehicles. Similar price gaps exist between Japan and England, France, Germany and other European nations. It is believed that Russian equipment cost 30% less than equivalent US equipment. Given such huge discrepancies, Japan�s defense spending in reality is at about the same level with those of South Korea and Taiwan."

I suspect that Japan will want to build up a more capable military defense in the long run if China becomes a more significant threat. China's long term goals include conquering "the first and second island group." The first is Taiwan. The second is Japan.

some facts:

1: japan government says it had show its regret and sorry to those countries who suffered in wwll but they just feel "regret" and "sorry", why don't they apologise? like the Gernmany did in poland.

2: japanese army killed 300000+ people in nanjing, China. those prople are surrended soilders and civilians. nowadays they have erased this fact from their history text book in school.

3: japan prime-minister went to the temple in which several A-class WWII prioners' soul(as hitler in Genman) are severed . this temple is used to serve soilders who died in war and show the respect to their soul. remember those who fought for their country is right but why include those people who killed thounsands during wwll?? why not just remove these people's places?? well they just don't do it.

4: japan has the second largest military fee in the world( not the third!!)
why do they need to?? have u forgot how Genmany rised from wwl??.........
i think i don't have to say anymore on this.

5. japan government refuse to pay those who were captured and forced to work in japan and declare their government is not guilty in the court they set. this happened just a few days ago. those Chinese are old now, nobody knows how long they can hold against it. japan government did things like this for not only once!!! the chinese government give up the payment from japan after ww2 in order to make friend with japan but it didn't say people can not ask for payment in the name of their own and this is a common law worldwide. why didn't the japan government take the responsibility??

6. the japan government also refuse to addmit guilty for this crime in ww2:
the japan force korea ( include south korea and north korea) and chinese women to serve the army during the war . can you imangine how they treat other countries in Asian?........

Japan has good things like te electronic, comic....if someday their prim-minister admit guilty and apologise openly, if they remove the soul of those A-class prioner of wwll, if their government decide to be responsible for the victims from wwll.......well, it ok for it to develop its army and np at all! Americans and europeans just can't understand this because u are not the direct victims in Asia in wwll, if Genmany sever Hitler's soul in temple and their prime-minister go to see it every year, if Genmany changed its history book and teach their next generation there is no massacre to jaws in wwll, if Genmany government refused to pay those who suffered in wwll...........i really want to see what's your reaction then. should you let Genmany to develop its army ???

those things i listed here are all real, i also noticed there may have japanese reply to this thread, if you don't know those things, i will have the proof to make you know it.



[Edited on 27-5-2004 by taobo33]

I think Japan is rearming, and bulding up it's military. Every country has a military exept Puerto Rico....I think...

I think the Japanese military certainly should be rebuilt especially in naval terms(I'm sorry but that's like depriving the U.K. of a fleet, cruel and unusual punishment). I think it would also be productive if the looked back to the Samauri for techniques to aid dicipline and mental conditioning. I'm sorry but given how seeped in history Japanese military is, ignoring the past would be nothing short of an insult.