Posted on 12/31/2005 5:27:06 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME
TOKYO — In efforts to strengthen defenses against potential Chinese intrusion into Okinawa Prefecture's outlying islands, the Self-Defense Forces are taking such steps as conducting joint exercises with the U.S. Marine Corps and developing a short-range torpedo tailored for this purpose, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Saturday.
The Defense Agency and the SDF envision a scenario in which China — faced with domestic discontent stemming from such factors as economic disparities within the country — intrudes into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea to relieve internal pressure, the report said.
(Excerpt) Read more at crisscross.com ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051231/ap_on_re_as/japan_china;_ylt=Asdf6Mm92OXzN6GlRcKM8sIBxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
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I think the Japanese would mop the floor with the Chinese, but then I'm no expert in this field. From what I've read all Japanese planes and ships are really new, and most Chinese stuff is old junk, new purchases notwithstanding. And of course, we all know the historical track record between these two. Japan would have exterminated China, if not for the US. For that matter, Germany would have exterminated China, if not for the US.
Expect some justification from China for this
behavior. I predict that the rape of
Nanking will be offered a reason for payback.
Is there a word missing in the headline?
Probably I was typing fast at work. :)
You have a good basis, but Japan has a few problems if it comes to a fight with China, at least in the short term.
1. They lack offensive weapons. Of course its hard to purely define defensive vs. offensive, but they lack particular weapons such as cruise missiles and SRBMs and that would put them at a disadvantage.
2. No nukes. Now they can make nukes, but future capability won't mean much if the Chinese threaten a massive strike. The Japanese would have to be at least a bit worried about whether the threat of U.S. nuclear retaliation would be enough. Also China has ICBMs and SRBMs that can hit Japan. Japan again has the capability to build them, but none on hand.
In any sort of conventional air/sea battle the Japanese would indeed annihilate the Chinese, even with no US help.
Only thing the Chinese have going for them is having nukes and the Japanese not having them (though I've seen credible speculation that the Japanese could have functioning nukes within 6 months of a decision to build them.
China isn't going to nuke Japan over a few rocks off Okinawa, however.
I'm for reinstituting the Lend-Lease program.
The Chinese have a very limited ability (nonnuclear) to take the fight to the Japanese homeland, and the Japanese defenses are good. The Chinese could make some use of their SRBMs, after relocating them, without any threat of similar retaliation. But these SRBMs would be less than decisive.
In a fight close to the Chinese shores, the Japanese would probably suffer some significant naval losses. A realistic clash would be naval and in waters distant from Japan, and closer to China, perhaps within the range of land based aircraft. This would be a tough fight for Japan. China's SS-N-22's and high number of C802s give them an ASCM advantage over Japan.
We shoot a Trident over Japan on the way to China. At apex, the Japanese take possession until impact, at which time they give up possession.
Is that what you had in mind?
Something like that. Loaning them some B-52s in a similar manner loaded with nukes would also suffice.
bump
You have no chance to survive...make your time!
Don't be too sure. In January of 2003, Japan issued a statement that they seemed to be missing a few hundred kilograms of Plutonium (weapons-grade) by-product from their waste disposal program, enough for about 25 bombs. Then a week or two later said the discrepancy was just due to "book-keeping" errors. Right.
In my estimation, if they don't have the assembled weapons, they have the parts ready to put together. And those devices will have been engineered to fit their delivery systems.
If Japan does have a secret nuclear program, the New York Times Tokyo office is probably busily working to expose it.
China is experiencing astonishing economic growth. That sort of growth, historically, often leads to very serious internal disturbances. China does a good job of controlling our knowledge of what is really going on, particularly in rural and isolated areas.
I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Chinese try to quell internal dissent through foreign policy adventurism. That is what Argentina attempted in 1982 and any Chinese effort would be much more dangerous.
Although the Japanese are safe for now they needs to seriously consider full rearmament.
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