Posted on 12/23/2021 9:43:03 PM PST by blam
Coming days after the US and Japan reached an agreement on a new cost-sharing deal for Tokyo to continue hosting around 50,000 US troops, for which Japan will pay $9.2 billion over the next five years, which is a significant cost increase compared to what Tokyo was previously paying, a joint draft plan has been revealed for an emergency response contingency in the event China threatens to invade Taiwan.
First reported in Japan’s Kyodo news agency on Thursday, unnamed Japanese officials detailed the plan was struck between the US and Japanese militaries, and arranges for a forward operating base to be establish on southwest islands, where the US Marine Corps would rapidly deploy troops.
Kyodo details that “Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. military have drawn up a draft joint operation plan that would enable the setup of an attack base along the Nansei island chain in the country’s southwest in the event of a Taiwan contingency, according to Japanese government sources.”
Via Reuters
Japan’s armed forces would primarily be responsible for providing logistical support, especially setting up vital ammunition and supply lines. This comes as the past year has seen Tokyo go from a much more neutral stance on the Taiwan issue to firmly and vocally being in Washington’s corner, which has resulted in Beijing lashing out with warnings and threats on multiple occasions.
Beijing is certain to react fiercely to the Kyodo news report, which additionally notes that “Such a deployment, however, would make the islands the target of attack by China’s military, putting the lives of residents there at risk. Legal changes would be needed in Japan to realize the plan, the sources said.”
The US side has yet to confirm the agreement for the emergency plans, which appears part of longtime Washington efforts which began in earnest under the Trump administration to shore up regional allies to “stand up” to China, which has included plans for US missile bases – though so far there’s no regional ally willing to make itself target #1 for China’s formidable counter-measures by agreeing to host coastal missiles.
According to The Hill, “Washington and Tokyo would likely reach an agreement to start creating an official version of such a plan at the 2+2 dialogue, a high-level security meeting between diplomatic and defense officials in January.”
That the US and Japanese militaries were in talks to put in place plans for intervention in the event of a PLA offensive on Taiwan was first reported in Chinese state-linked media in November. For example The South China Morning Post at the time wrote, “China has been warned to stay alert to the possibility Japan will intervene militarily in the event of an attack on Taiwan.”
Merely advancing a pawn or positioning a knight to set up a fork?
China is willing to wage all out warfare.
They don’t particularly care if they can simply fool folks
like the Solomon Islands, or take Taiwan and other places
by brute force.
They’ll do whatever it takes.
I fear we’ll use half-assed efforts and screw our allies in
the process.
We better be set to wage all out war from the onset, or we’ll
come off looking like another Afghanistan by the end of it,
only the stakes here will be much much higher.
Keep poking the Chinese tiger and he is going to bite you someday . Already too many bases surrounding China ! More provocation from the USA & Japan !
I think it will be much different. We might have to leave, under mushroom clouds.
I know this sounds awful, but with the current administration lacking sufficient logistical ability to put together a Sunday School picnic it would be wise to allow Tiawan to fall.
Russia and China have been playing footsie with each other lately which is laughable to some extent because Communist’s live up to agreements like the Taliban, or worse.
I believe China and Russia have agreed to take what might be a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to STRIKE (over Taiwan and the Ukraine) at the same time because they are calculating that Joe Dementia Biden will not respond, particularly on 2 fronts on opposite ends of the world.
With Biden as President, he screwed up Afghanistan which has emboldened China’s takeover of Taiwan.
Taiwan produces the majority of the planet’s microprocessors and chips.
Now China will hold all nations hostage to this technology and manufacturing.
Good job Biden.
Suicide for the US to allow Taiwan to fall.
I wonder if the Chinese really understand what they are doing?
Pawn, I’m afraid. Given the way modern technology works, any “base” will be hit in a Pearl Harbor type attack as the announcement that, “Hey, we’re goin’ to war.” The only assets likely to survive an all-out attack at the beginning of the conflict are submarines.
Winning this war is an absolute must. For the CCP it’s not about the war. It’s about the way the populace sees the CCP.
Also, an article by a CCP general in the CCP’s mouthpiece, the “Global Times” he said that their strategy would be a “decapitation strike.” I don’t think there’s anyone in the present Biden administration who is focused on anything except domestic politics...the feminization and indoctrination of the military, etc.
“Keep poking the Chinese tiger and he is going to bite you someday . Already too many bases surrounding China ! More provocation from the USA & Japan !”
You may be right that we’re on a collision course there, but China is doing a lot of ‘poking’ in that part of the world (and elsewhere too), FAR MORE than Russia, by the way.
China will act quickly—and unexpectedly. They will not let the world have a chance to send troops in any number. Japan will not take another nuke nor will Biden. If China moves—so will North Korea and Iran, and others. They will act if Russia invades Ukraine—Bulgaria has backed Russia in this. Turkey will move on Greece. etc.—this thing could devolve into WW III really quick. We are not ready to act. The Modern world will dramatically change overnight. In some ways better and a lot of ways not so much. My bet—it will happen soon as long as Biden is President.
When the next war starts, it’ll be quick and decisive. Two weeks of heavy fighting, a month tops, and it will be all out, no holds barred, millions will perish and the new world order will be installed.
China knows WWII history better than most considering the Japanese occupied about half their country. They have long standing grudges against Japan independent of current issues with the US and Taiwan. It is ahistorical to think that Japan has not been on the CCP’s short list all along.
I liked the part where the US DSRV mini-sub skipper hears a Russian torpedo zip by, and yells through the open hatch, “Hey! I think somebody’s shootin’ at us!”
Scott Glenn says, “No sh*t, Sherlock...” or words to that effect.
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