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Biden: We wrote Japan’s Constitution
Yomiuri Shimbun ^ | August 16, 2016 | Jiji Press

Posted on 08/17/2016 1:16:55 PM PDT by chajin

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposal to allow Japan to obtain nuclear weapons, stressing that Japan’s pacifist Constitution was written by the United States.

“Does he not understand we wrote Japan’s constitution to say they could not be a nuclear power?” Biden said in a speech he delivered in Scranton, Pa., for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“Where was he when in school?” Biden asked. “Someone who lacks this judgment cannot be trusted,” he said. “He’s not qualified to know the [nuclear] codes,” the U.S. vice president said.

Trump has suggested that Japan and South Korea be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons to protect themselves without relying on the United States.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Japan; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 201608; biden; constitution; douglasmacarthur; japan; macarthur; mcarthur; nuclear; nuclearweapons; proliferation; skorea; southkorea; thebomb; trump; wwii
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To: chajin

When you actually do write somebody’s constitution for them, you never, never, never say you did.

“...neither he [MacArthur] nor his superiors in Washington intended to impose a new political system on Japan unilaterally. Instead, they wished to encourage Japan’s new leaders to initiate democratic reforms on their own. But by early 1946, MacArthur’s staff and Japanese officials were at odds…”

“Much of the drafting was done by two senior army officers…”

“The MacArthur draft, which proposed a unicameral legislature, was changed at the insistence of the Japanese to allow a bicameral one, with both houses being elected. In most other important respects, the government adopted the ideas embodied in the 13 February document in its own draft proposal of 6 March. These included the constitution’s most distinctive features: the symbolic role of the Emperor, the prominence of guarantees of civil and human rights, and the renunciation of war.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Japan

>OUR goal was a liberal, democratic form of government, with the Emperor reduced to a Constitutional monarch, and with the guarantee of certain rights such as equal rights of women.

THEY introduced the renunciation of war (as we in the west have read it, but which they now say means only the renunciation of offensive war), which we included in the draft.

SO, BOTTOM LINE, yes we did write, in the sense of draft their constitution, THEY amended the draft in several important ways. IN PARTICULAR, the renunciation of war was THEIR idea, not something we originated, when we wrote the draft.

Biden was wrong on most accounts.


21 posted on 08/17/2016 1:35:06 PM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: chajin

Nuclear Power? Japan has plenty of Nuclear Power Plants.

Wouldn’t their Constitution prevent them from developing those, especially after the Godzilla incident?


22 posted on 08/17/2016 1:35:37 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Hillary Clinton has killed FIVE* more People than Three Mile Island. *revised...)
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To: Lurking Libertarian

Yes but he did not rub their noses in it as if they were puppies who had just soiled the carpet.


23 posted on 08/17/2016 1:36:23 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: DuncanWaring
Japan needs us as a counterweight to the billion-and-a-half people across the Sea of Japan who hate them with the intensity of a million suns over what they quaintly called the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”.

Admittedly, the Chinese people have historical reasons for antipathy toward Japan. Not excusing Chinese aggression now, but there's a lot of hate over there to go around.

24 posted on 08/17/2016 1:36:54 PM PDT by FateAmenableToChange
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To: chajin

The last thing you want to do is insult your allies.

Except if you’re 0bama and his regime.

5.56mm


25 posted on 08/17/2016 1:37:59 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: chajin

http://www.voanews.com/a/rising-voices-in-south-korea-japan-advocate-nuclear-weapons/1604309.html


26 posted on 08/17/2016 1:39:05 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Redmen4ever
SO, BOTTOM LINE, yes we did write, in the sense of draft their constitution, THEY amended the draft in several important ways. IN PARTICULAR, the renunciation of war was THEIR idea, not something we originated, when we wrote the draft.
Biden was wrong on most accounts.

Good analysis; thanks for bringing it up.

The stupidity of it all is that Biden didn't have to say anything. He was there in his capacity as Vice President to support Hillary for President, not talk about Japan's connection to its postwar Constitution. He should have been talking about how wonderful her achievements are...except we all know she hasn't achieved anything, so he had to think of something else to talk about.

Moreover, you, me, and everyone else here knows that he's madder than hell on the inside that is isn't BIDEN who is the candidate and Hillary giving the "I support him" speech, and that will occasionally spill over into what he says.

27 posted on 08/17/2016 1:40:50 PM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: chajin

Is joe running for prez? He’s been high viz lately


28 posted on 08/17/2016 1:43:53 PM PDT by stanne
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To: Kickass Conservative
Nuclear Power? Japan has plenty of Nuclear Power Plants.

And they're slowly going back online, which is a good thing for their lifestyle and their economy; "Fukushima" is not going to happen again for a long time, maybe centuries.

Wouldn’t their Constitution prevent them from developing those, especially after the Godzilla incident?

The Godzilla Incident was indeed bad for Tokyo (though it helped Raymond Burr's career, but I digress), but any difficulties concerning the use of nuclear power were soon afterward dispelled by the Gamera Campaign, where the spinning turtle overcame the destructive force of the anachronistic dinosaur.

29 posted on 08/17/2016 1:46:55 PM PDT by chajin ("There is no other name under heaven given among people by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12)
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To: chajin

Hey, Shotgun Joe:

A Democrat president outlawed Japan’s state RELIGION on Dec. 15, 1945.


30 posted on 08/17/2016 1:48:44 PM PDT by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: stanne

“Is joe running for prez? He’s been high viz lately”

Big Media’s been ramping up their concern for Herself’s health....

#hillarystools


31 posted on 08/17/2016 1:49:50 PM PDT by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: All

Well, under a ‘Rat president, anyway.


32 posted on 08/17/2016 1:50:37 PM PDT by treetopsandroofs (Had FDR been GOP, there would have been no World Wars, just "The Great War" and "Roosevelt's Wars".)
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To: chajin

“...He’s not qualified to know the [nuclear] codes,” the U.S. vice president said. ...”

This, from the f*cking IDIOT who pointed out the Secret Service guy WITH the codes, behind him.

Nice. Real nice. No wonder the world is laughing at us, between this “Special Kind of Moron” and the Golf Champ.


33 posted on 08/17/2016 1:53:35 PM PDT by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

McArthur’s first diplomatic officer during the Japanese occupation was Max Waldo Schmidt Bishop. Fluent in Japanese from earlier years there with Amb. Grew, he was also instrumental in sparing the Japanese Emperor as he was a symbol of the Japanese people.

Knowing Max in light of Obama’s surrender policy, he would urge Japan to arm themselves in the face of current truly adversarial neighbors. He also send current PC Amb. Caroline Kennedy Slosh & burger fries packing home to Hyannis Port.

Like England Obama insults the Japanese.

PS Bishop earned US Medal Of Freedom & Order of The Sacred Treasure from the Japanese for his leadership in restoring order in Japan under McArthur 1945-7. He married his cipher Officer!


34 posted on 08/17/2016 1:54:33 PM PDT by Broker (Not all Muslims are terrorists, but virtually all terrorists are Muslims)
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To: chajin
This guy is like Wolf Blitzer playing Jeopardy.
35 posted on 08/17/2016 1:56:25 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: FateAmenableToChange

And ‘historically’ the Japanese have reason for antipathy for the Chinese given two invasions of the islands previously. Anywhere there is a border between linguistic, social, or political groups in the world there is a history of some level of conflict....always has been....always will be.


36 posted on 08/17/2016 2:04:25 PM PDT by reed13k
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To: chajin
“Someone who lacks this judgment cannot be trusted,” he said. “He’s not qualified to know the [nuclear] codes,” the U.S. vice president said. "Unlike me, who always keeps the codes safe nearby ... see that fellow over there, he's the one who keeps them safe for me."

What a complete idiot. Point out the man holding the football ... Biden is not qualified to know the nuclear codes. (You don't "know" them anyway, you think Joe could memorize something more than a three digit code?)

37 posted on 08/17/2016 2:06:58 PM PDT by ThePatriotsFlag ( Anything FREELY-GIVEN by the government was TAKEN from someone else.)
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To: chajin

” (I know those are the Japanese names, I’m too busy in sneaking off of work for two minutes to try to get the Sino/Korean equivalents). “


Work? No excuse !!! :-)

.


38 posted on 08/17/2016 2:09:43 PM PDT by Mears
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To: treetopsandroofs
Her speeches are la dee da....she says nothing new. She might as well used canned clapping while she's at it.

Biden brings new words and kisses her .......

It's a personal touch telling the world how wonderful Hillary is.

39 posted on 08/17/2016 2:15:26 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Sacajaweau

Hillary thinks she can run out the clock.


40 posted on 08/17/2016 2:15:59 PM PDT by dfwgator
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