Posted on 04/07/2018 9:08:38 AM PDT by Simon Green
Japan on Saturday activated its first marine unit since World War Two trained to counter invaders occupying Japanese islands along the edge of the East China Sea that Tokyo fears are vulnerable to attack by China.
In a ceremony held at a military base near Sasebo on the southwest island of Kyushu, about 1,500 members of the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) wearing camouflage lined up outside amid cold, windy weather.
"Given the increasingly difficult defense and security situation surrounding Japan, defense of our islands has become a critical mandate," Tomohiro Yamamoto, vice defense minister, said in a speech.
The troops conducted a 20-minute mock public exercise recapturing a remote island from invaders.
The formation of the Japanese marine brigade is controversial because amphibious units can project military force and could, critics warn, be used to threaten Japan's neighbors. In its post World War Two constitution Japan renounced the right to wage war.
The brigade is the latest component of a growing marine force that includes helicopter carriers, amphibious ships, Osprey tilt-rotor troop carriers and amphibious assault vehicles, meant to deter China as it pushes for easier access to the Western Pacific.
China, which dominates the South China Sea, is outpacing Japan in defense spending. In 2018, Beijing which claims a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea controlled by Tokyo, will spend 1.11 trillion yuan ($176.56 billion) on its armed forces, more than three times as much as Japan.
The activation of the 2,100 strong ARDB takes Japan a step closer to creating a force similar to a U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) able to plan and execute operations at sea far from its home base.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
I’m sure China will be thrilled.
They could activate the entire island, women and children also, and still be over run if China wanted to. Ain’t got enough bullets.
rwood
“The formation of the Japanese marine brigade is controversial because amphibious units can project military force and could, critics warn, be used to threaten Japan’s neighbors.”
Another glorious day in the history of Marines. A group of 2000 is formed, and all of Asia feels threatened. LOL
Unless the Chinese can walk on water, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles should do the job.
Perhaps a Divine Wind would swamp the Chinese invasion fleet like the last two times China tried it.
Fortunately there’s nukes
That means all the classic battle stuff is just for show
That’s a good thing
Of course when battling 7th century morons then you need conventional forces
Even there with savages however. It’s all drones and Air Force now mostly
Then you come in and clean up
Oorah!
Oorah!
tsune ni chuusei wo!
They may have some military grade Pu out of the 50 metric ton inventory extracted recycling reactor fuel.
Japan has a 1000 year history of invading the mainland. The last time the Japanese stood up Marines, we got the precursors to WW2 in the Pacific Theater. May have a little more to do with it than just “Marines are awesome.”
I had some interaction with some ROK marines. I'm guessing they don't feel threatened.
Time for him to get into character, playing Sessue Hayakawa, playing Admiral Yamamoto...
I always loved that bit, from when, 1973 or so? Just all in good fun, mind you.
Plus, they have a defense minister named Yamamoto?! Don’t think this is going to turn out too well...;)
“Unless the Chinese can walk on water...”
They’ve got enough people to build a human bridge out to Japan from the mainland.
rwood
“reactor fuel”
But it may be harder to recruit some of their people to fly their aircraft directly into the Chinese like the kamikazes did in the 40’s.
rwood
You have it backwards. Japan has more than a 1400 year history or so of being invaded by mainlanders attacking Japan. Centuries ago, Chinese would kidnap Japanese women and tie them to the sides of attacking ships to taunt the Japanese. This warfare has gone back and forth for centuries. It is only recent history where Japan took the battles to the mainland, but were rebuffed by the western powers. These skirmishes are only postponed until some future date because of tensions over islands and rights to ocean mineral claims, and it won't be pretty for either side.
Didn’t say the mainland hadn’t tried to invade Japan. Just pointing out that Japan has a history of invading the neighbors and of late has been fairly successful at doing that at least in the short term.
Well okay, but you said "Japan has a 1000 year history of invading the mainland." putting the hit on Japan, when in fact it was the mainland repeatedly invading Japan for many centuries. Japan historically was only trying to defend itself from attacks from mainland forces. It's only in the last 130 years or so that Japan was able to do a major invasion of the mainland, spurred on by USA intervention by Commodore Perry in the 1850s, afterwards seeking to build their military to fend off future invasions. Only because of western intervention were they not in control now (that includes winning the war against Russia but the western powers forcing Japan to retreat, which indirectly led to WWII conflict with allied forces). Now they are part of the western allied forces, and may do battle against China which is aligned against the west. Ironic.
You’re forgetting the two invasions of Korea by Japan in the 1500s, which were not provoked by anything substantial. In the long run they didn’t work out, but the initial invasions were successful in the short term.
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