Posted on 05/10/2002 1:00:30 PM PDT by tlrugit
The samurai are still there. It's not their day, true, for the time being. The day may come again.
If a war between Japan and China were to break out which is very unlikely I think which side do you think we'd support? I'd say the Japanese would have to do something pretty outrageous for us not to support them pronto.
This is a very respected magazine, both in a hard copy and online, for news about Christians being persecuted all over the world. I believe that the founder of this organization was also stuck in a Nazi Concentration camp because he was a member of the clergy who actually spoke out against Hitler. Anyway, it makes for an interesting perspective on global events and reminds me to at least never take religious freedom for granted.
"Chairman Mao Zedong declared the Peoples Republic of China in 1949 and quickly sought to purge society of anything religious, causing China’s people to endure great hardship ever since. Mao’s Great Leap Forward in the late ‘50s and the Cultural Revolution in the ‘60s and ‘70s left millions of his countrymen dead or victimized. Today, with its policies of forced abortion and sterilization, China’s human rights record is one of the worst in the world. Authorities reportedly sell the organs of executed prisoners to meet the demand for transplants. Its system of “re-education through labor” detains hundreds of thousands each year in work camps without even a court hearing. China’s “strike-hard” policy, presented as a crackdown on criminals, is hardest on Christians, putting more believers in prison or under detention than in any other country. The confiscation of church property and Bibles continues—even Bibles officially printed by the government. Yet the Church grows: an estimated 3,000 Chinese come to Christ each day. China’s house church movement, which comprises approximately 90 percent of China’s Christians, endures unimaginable persecution, yet stands on its commitment to preach the gospel no matter the cost. In 1998, house church leaders for the first time publicly called on the Communist government to officially recognize house churches. Pray for continued faithfulness of Chinese believers."
The Japanese will do nothing because they make billions from cheap Chinese labor. And so do we in the US. Ever see who makes most things we buy at Wal-Mart and any other store?
Check out the waters off Florida facing Cuba. How about the Mexican-American border.
This serves to confirm in Japanese minds that, notwithstanding anxieties about North Korea's ballistic missile capability, China represents its primary security threat. But self-defence is not confined to home waters. Japan also has an interest in preserving its trade routes through the Malacca Straits to the Gulf. For this reason the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), while still constrained by the Japanese post-war constitution, continues to explore the limits of what is allowed and accepted.
A highly significant development was the announcement that a new class of 13,000 ton destroyers would be aviation-capable and possibly of `through-deck' design.
The `Oosumi' class amphibious ships already have some aircraft carrier characteristics.
Underwater, the quality of a force of 17 active submarines is being improved by the commissioning of the `Oyashio' class diesel submarines which may form the testbed for the fitting of air-independent propulsion in a future class.
Improvements to the substantial surface fleet are being achieved by the introduction of the capable `Improved Murasame' class destroyers while the acquisition of air-to air refuelling aircraft opens up the possibility of land-based air defence aircraft operating in its support. The principal air defence platforms, the `Kongou' class, are based on the USN `Arleigh Burke' class and may also form the basis for the next step in the development of the rapidly expanding and increasingly sophisticated South Korean Navy.
The KDX-3 project is for up to six destroyers of about 10,000 tons to be commissioned in about 2009. Required capabilities may include phased-array radar and helicopter facilities. There are likely to be six KDX-2 ships, of which three are currently under construction, to add to the existing three KDX-1 (`Okpo') class.
Acquisition of a highly capable submarine force is also being progressed. The current force is based on the German `Type 209' class but three `Type 214' class with air-independent propulsion are to enter service from 2007. Larger 3,000 ton submarines may follow.
Even bolder are the plans to procure a 12,000 ton amphibious ship between 2005 and 2010 and, looking even further ahead, aspirations to acquire a small aircraft carrier. Such capabilities are complex and expensive to procure and the unification of Korea, if and when it happens, could well affect the scale of these plans. However, it is clear that, whereas the North Korean Navy is concerned largely with territorial integrity, a more expansive role is envisaged by those south of the 38th parallel.
Japan, while they have a depressing record of not owning up to their atrocities committed in the 20th century, does remember and feels shame. I work with a number of Japanese folks (Japanese citizens here for a few years at a time) and I can assure you admitting error is something that culture just doesn't do easily. I don't necessarily mean that in a negative way even though it can be quite frustrating to work with, but it's just their way. Sort of the flipside of Canadians who apologize when you step on their foot (I mean that literally). China endlessly hammers Japan for their war record and the Japanese just hate hearing about it. They will generally avoid doing anything that reminds them of ugly truths.
I'm hoping this time will be different. I can't recall Japan being quite this forceful with China over anything like this before. Good on them and I hope they keep it up. China defaults to the behavior of a bully far too often. My bet is they back off quickly (albeit noisily) if Japan keeps the pressure on.
No matter how great or small in terms of power, organized crime is always a threat to the established government present. The existence of organized crime is always a dangerous sign that the local government around it is corrupt, because without a corrupt local government, organized crime would never be allowed to flourish.
And by the way, the Mafia is Sicilian and not Italian. Italian organized crime is called the Camorra.
Although Traditional Sicilian and Italian Organized Crime's influence is declining in North America, meaning that it has mainly moved out to the suburbs of big cities, and is not nearly as powerful in either Italy or Sicily, does not mean at all that Non-Traditional Organized Crime is not influential, especially in Asian and Eastern European countries--attempting to compare Italian and Sicilian Organized Crime to Asian Organized Crime is illogical. Chinese Triads and the Japanese Yakuza are very powerful influences in both of these Asian societies. In fact, the Japanese Yakuza tradition dates all the way back to the days of the Samuri warriors and Chinese Triads date all the way back to the Chi'ing Dynasty which started in 1644. I assume that you guys still remember the Chinagate Scandal, did you know that James Raidy, Johnny Chung, and Charlie Trie were all Triads? Are you also aware that Chiang Kai-Check was also a Triad? Triad influence has so pervaded Chinese society that it is practically part of it, the same goes for the Japanese Yakuza.
Why is no one reporting this here, or am I not paying attention?
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