Posted on 11/25/2013 8:54:46 AM PST by mojito
TOKYO — Matching China’s stern rhetoric with warnings of his own, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan vowed on Monday to defend his nation’s airspace after China declared an air defense zone over a disputed group of islands in the East China Sea.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr. Abe called China’s move an unacceptable effort to change the status quo with threats of force. He described it as a dangerous ratcheting up of tensions in the standoff over the uninhabited islands, which are administered by Japan but also claimed by China.
“We are determined to defend our country’s air and sea space,” Mr. Abe said. “The measures by the Chinese side have no validity whatsoever for Japan.”
China and Japan have been locked in an escalating war of words and nerves over the islands for more than a year. China’s declaration on Saturday that it would identify and possibly take military action against aircraft flying near the islands follows a long period of frequent dispatches of Chinese coast guard ships and aircraft to the area to challenge Japan’s control.
Mr. Abe’s effort to draw a line in the sand reflects his promises to lead his nation in standing up to China....
Japan has repeatedly signaled to China since Saturday that it has no intention of yielding control of airspace over the islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. On Monday, the Japanese vice foreign minister, Akitaka Saiki, summoned China’s ambassador to Japan, Cheng Yonghua, to demand that China repeal the air defense zone, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Japan wants our troops off but our protective cover on.
Can’t have it both ways, unless we station at Guam.
Japan likes our troops. Okinwawans do not.
The American footprint on the main islands has been reduced by more than half in the past 20-30 years.
I was there in the 50s and early 60s...
Well I think that Japan has just realized that Uncle Sam will not be there to protect then. Now, like Israel, Japan is on its own.
In the previous Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese had no combat aircraft to speak of except for the Flying Tigers.
This time it will be different.
True. But in the intervening years Japan has taken up their own defense and they’ve got a blue water navy again to make sure they can protect their interests in the SCS. Still, they need us just as a counterweight to China. And China’s increasing aggression signals that Beijing recognizes that Obama is not the least bit committed to the security of America’s allies.
The dumbest thing we’ve done in Asia was to insist that Japan stay an militarily impotent nation far too long after it made sense.
Japan isn’t exactly an unarmed country.
141 ship navy and an air force with at least 350 fighter planes
Every cent of the cost of our “umbrella” is paid for by the Japanese government. Now they also pay for their own...
They almost destroyed china once... we will not stop them if there is another chance.
An unleashed Japan would make mince meat out of China. I assume the free Republic China trade and leardership rino appologists will side with China.
Japan’s Abe needs to tell China one word.
Nanking.
Actually that would be twice in modern history. Japan defeated China in the 1894 war, but the western powers intervened on China's behalf and kept Japan from swallowing up China. There have been at least a dozen wars or skirmishes between the two going back hundreds of years. Japan could probably beat China for the time being, but probably not in another 15 years or so.
China has nukes. One mushrooming fireball and ballgame over.
If the Japanese and National Chinese on Taiwan, ROC are smart (Taiwan president, Mark, are you reading this?), they should form a joint air defense system over this air space and the islands (which each also claim.
In case you didn’t know, Taiwan president Mark Ma (his English name), was a leader of the student protests against Japanese claims on the Taiu Tao Islands (the Chinese name for them). He was also a classmate of mine.
The Red Chinese Air Force is much larger than that of Japan and Taiwan, but together they could form a formidable force. Time to call Red China’s bluff before they obtain absolute air superiority, as well as ocean superiority (including anti-aircraft missiles on ships).
The US Navy is led by a coward, Secy of Navy Mabus (should change his name to “Maybe”) so Japan and Taiwan shouldn’t count on us to do anything other then surrender. Remember who our President and Secy of State are (The Neville Chamberlain twins of 2013).
Time for both countries to go “Nuclear” esp. in anti-aircraft/anti-missile systems, both ship and land-based. Red China is only a spit away from Quemoy Island so fast nuclear-armed missiles launched from there would hit the mainland in seconds, or a minute or two at the most. Now that is a deterrent, not sending out Lurch to say surrender.
If Japan and Taiwan get the Philippines to join them in a mutual air defense system, and open seas naval force, Red China will be facing opponents in three different places at the same time. Not a good option to have to deal with.
Add in Indonesia, Malaysia, and perhaps Australia, in a new SW Pacific alliance, and you have more balancing forces to offset those of Red China.
If we get a new administration in 2016, or even just a Republican Senate in 2014, then we will have a game-changer in Asia, and Red China knows it.
The problem is, Obama and Kerry just sold out the people of Iran and that region by putting forth an Neville Chamberlain appeasement policy in spades. Hezbullah loves it. Hamas loves it. The Moslem Brotherhood loves it. What is not to “love” if you’re an enemy of America?
Time for our one-time allies to do some shopping at “Nukes R Us”. Buy or develop two, get one free.
To #7> The Republic of China DID have an air force during WW2. While it was small in comparison to that of the US and Japan, it was still a worthy fighting force.
They had the P-40’s of the Flying Tigers (which were largely flown by Americans), P-38 Lightnings (I knew a National General who flew them in combat), medium bombers (believe it was the B-25), cargo planes, etc.
I see references to them in WW2 documents at the National Archives all the time. Many of their pilots were trained in the US.
If anyone knows of a book on this topic, please post it here. Our allies fought bravely with what little they had, and the Chinese armies did well against a much superior Japanese military.
Also, Chinese civilians, at great risk to their lives, acted bravely to save downed American fliers and get them back to our lines, acted as plane spotters for oncoming Japanese air raids, and as target intelligence gatherers.
We should never forget the sacrifices that the Chinese people (and the Philippine civilians) made in the fight against Japanese imperialism (to the tune of several million deaths). I know that they have never forgotten the sacrifices that Americans and British/ANZAC troops made for them.
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