Japan's quiet successor vows to restore army

Scotland on Sunday ^ | September 24, 2006 | NORIMITSU ONISHI

[MadIvan]

I have mixed feelings about this. Australian and British POWs suffered terribly in the hands of the Japanese during World War II. However, having another dagger pointed at China's throat is useful.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Ping!

[Crazieman]

Well... so did American.

If Japan can't reform to the point of having a superior military for their economy, be a part of the world community, and be trusted after 60 years, what hope is there for the other despots?

[Zhang Fei]

But Shusei Tanaka, a professor at Fukuyama University and a former Liberal Democratic lawmaker, worries that Abe's greatest influence is from his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, a wartime cabinet member imprisoned as a Class A war crimes suspect but never tried, who became prime minister in 1957.

My view is that the Class A war criminal thing is a crock. A Class A war criminal was convicted for being part of a national that launched an aggressive war. By those standards, a lot of American presidents are Class A war criminals. There were real Japanese war criminals - these were convicted as Class C war criminals who ordered the deliberate killing or mistreatment of civilians and POW's. But the Class A thing doesn't make a lot of sense to me - it's always struck me as victor's justice. (Note that I don't have any problems with victor's justice - you lose, you die - it was what Churchill wanted for the Axis high command. But spare me the sanctimony, the humbug).

[Miss Marple]

I understand your concern. However, Japan is now a democracy whose emperor is no longer revered as a god, the military is no longer viewed as THE most important part of their society, and Japan is no longer an isolated nation with little experience of the west.

I think, given their peaceful transitions of power for the last 60 years, and given the fact that China is now a much larger threat to us, this can be accomplished without Japan running amok.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Americans should also have mixed opinions about this. Pearl Harbor was attacked, and that was what officially got the US into the war. However, since then Japan has been a fairly staunch ally in Asia, even when other supposed allies have sort of turned from the United States (see Korea). Also, the US has lots of troops over there, and China is becoming more and more powerful, so a stronger military could help, too. But then there are also reports of increasing nationalism (extreme nationalism) and even emperor worship. Hopefully, they are not returning to their preWorld War 2 past, and remain an ally of the US (and Britain, too).

[MAD-AS-HELL]

From one Mad to another, let me type that this is a good thing. We need the Japanese to be part of the war on islamo torture because the Japanese will know how to adequately torture the islamo goons. One way I know they will is by having the terrorist buy the used panties of japanese female teens and forcing them to place those used panties on their head. That will surely get the terrorists to spill their secrets! And this is no joke. The Japanese have some very twisted fetishes.

[lentulusgracchus]

One of Abe's most pressing problems will be to restore normal relations with China, which has refused to hold high-level talks because of Koizumi's annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, the Shinto memorial where 14 Class A war criminals are enshrined. The shrine, also a memorial to Japan's 2.5 million war dead, is considered a symbol of Japanese militarism in the rest of Asia.

The Chinese will wish for Koizumi back, if Abe begins to rebuild the Imperial Navy and starts laying down aircraft carriers.

Of course, if he does that, some rather senior gentlemen in white uniforms will begin to shift uneasily in their chairs, in their offices in Pearl Harbor.

[NZerFromHK]

But Shusei Tanaka, a professor at Fukuyama University and a former Liberal Democratic lawmaker, worries that Abe's greatest influence is from his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, a wartime cabinet member imprisoned as a Class A war crimes suspect but never tried, who became prime minister in 1957. Recently, Abe has avoided commenting on Japan's wartime past.

This is contestable. Nobusuke was a very good friend of the Republic of China (you can call it Taiwan if you like) and in particular, President Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo. Chiang Ching-kuo had no Japanese ties (in fact he studied in the Soviet Union), his birth mother died in Japanese airades in Nanchang in 1938 (and which he wrote "This must be revenged in blood!"), and he did not reserve his concerns when real issues of Japanese militarism surfaced when he was alive. And even he had no real problems with Nobusuke.

[MaDeuce]

So, Japan's "Honest" Abe will rebuild the military. Well, I guess they can be trusted these days.
A new navy would be a good thing for the south Pacific as an ally of the US ... plus Japan's new navy will be needed to keep close eye on Monster Island!

[dc27]

You can buy just about anything out of a vending machine in Japan. You never know when you might need some emergency underwear due to a shart.

[Caipirabob]

OMG...I did not need to know about this - LOL!

[GAB-1955]

However, Japan treated Russian POWs very well during the Russo-Japanese War and what German POWs they got in the First World War. Thus, it can be shown there is no immediate connection between a strong Japanese military and abuses of POWs. The connection was the introduction of Bushido. However, that's been slapped away from the Japanese by force and the Nintendo generation isn't going to accept it.

Japan needs to carry more weight militarily. In the long run, our interests aren't going to clash as they did in the past. Japan has its economic role; the U.S. has its economic role; and China needs a counterweight for its own good in Asia.

[Walkingfeather]

I dont know if Japan has the birthrate to have a large army.

[BobL]

The real bottom-line is that Japan senses a power vacuum opening up out there. China gets stronger and stronger, and our navy gets smaller and smaller. Japan knows that they will be a sitting duck if we get one whacked-out US president (i.e., like Gore or Kerry), that will essentially make us powerless in Asia. They can watch American politics just as well as us, and they also see who's controlling the Democratic Party these days.

So, you can't blame them. As to whether they'll be aggressive again - I also doubt it. It's kinda tough to field an army when your society simply stops have kids - maybe try buying some mercenaries, but their loyalty is always questionable. So they need some serious social changes first, and then the new kids will have to grow up - so figure at least 20 years before they'll be able to fight again, and only if they want to fight.

[MARKUSPRIME]

This is good news.

[Non-Sequitur]

Abe may want to do all that but does the Japanese electorate?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The Yasukuni Shrine is as close to a National Cemetery as the Japanese can get. Its not just where war criminals are honored. The PRC brings this up whenever they want to bash Japan for some imagined slight.

[MARKUSPRIME]

Actually, our fleet is growing.Its still smaller than it was in the mid-80's at the height of the cold war,but its larger than it was in the 90's under Clinton and the early 2000's. One reason Communist China. I saw today on Fox news where another new AB destroyer was christened.

[Captain Rhino]

... plus Japan's new navy will be needed to keep close eye on Monster Island!

Damn right! I'm glad to see there is at least one other Freeper that's concerned about another Godzilla outbreak!