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INTEREST: Ghibli's Suzuki Opposes Repealing Japan's Anti-War Clause

That base is being closed down anyway and a new one is being built on one of the smaller islands, and if it weren't for North Korea throwing his toys out of his pram like he has that wouldn't have happened either as the base was to be closed anyway without replacement.

Mohawk52 wrote:

That base is being closed down anyway and a new one is being built on one of the smaller islands, and if it weren't for North Korea throwing his toys out of his pram like he has that wouldn't have happened either as the base was to be closed anyway without replacement.

Yes, but it is going to take several years...

ScumbagYoshi wrote:

You make it sound like Japan wants America to be fully involved in East Asian affairs.

That's actually the preferred outcome as far as Japan is concerned. Unlike many other countries, Japan is not as keen to exert its influence to the rest of the world. They're quite happy to be their own prosperous, inconspicuous selves.

The US presence is a good deterrent vis-a-vis Japan's neighbours. The sort of discontent in relation to US bases stationed there is mainly societal and the Japanese government values the alliance just as much as the US needs the stop-gap to East Asia. Moreover, why waste further money on an already inflated defence budget when you already have a powerful ally who does most of the work "maintaining peace and security" in the region?

As enurtsol said China is a major world trader so neither Japan nor the US wants to antagonise the Chinese and Japan would be in a better bargaining position with the backing of the Americans than they would be on their own. The status quo would also be in their favour which is why China has been trying so hard to isolate the various disputes in the region without US involvment lest the whole East/South East Asia encroaches on them.

guildmaster wrote:

Mohawk52 wrote: That base is being closed down anyway and a new one is being built on one of the smaller islands, and if it weren't for North Korea throwing his toys out of his pram like he has that wouldn't have happened either as the base was to be closed anyway without replacement. Yes, but it is going to take several years...

As these things normally do.

Your argument is based on the assumption that Japan thinks America has the capabilities and the want to protect Japan. Japan might be a political ally and a good trading partner, but there's little strategic value beyond not wanting China to extend its sphere of influence over the region.

It also assumes that Japan thinks America has shown its willingness to protect Japan, as has not been the case as the US has shown lack of teeth in the island dispute recently and North Korea's increased aggression without any real American response is probably enough evidence for Japan to bring up the idea that America might not be willing or fast enough to react to a crisis if it should occur.

America is also involved in numerous political crisis domestically, as well as an anemic economy that's shown real impacts on the country. Let's not also forget that the possibility of a change in presidency in 2016 is relatively likely, and factoring all of these different problems together and Japan is among the least of our worries.

In any decision, you have to factor in the risk involved, and I think the political risk that America is not willing to help Japan as strongly as before is potent. I'm not saying war is possible. I'm saying Japan can't leverage US military power as strongly as it used to, and since China is such a world power that's diversifying its investment portfolio to get rid of American dollars, there's less reasons to think that America can wield a big influence on the country.

Greenwolf, please study the international banking system a little more before you spout off. While we have a trade imbalance with China in that we import more from them than we export to them, we don't "owe " them.

[Comment removed due to political trolling and attempts at starting an off-topic political flamewar.]

It's all what if situations. I think the US has plenty of reason to support Japan. Japan and South Korea are easily America's biggest allies in the region, and they're not about to just let those major footholds for a strategic attack just go away if aggression just happened against one.

If North Korea were to attack Japan, America WOULD react. This wouldn't be a terrorist attack, this would be an actual war, and something the largest military in the world knows how to deal with. It's not in China's interest to see a war of any sort. The US however could easily benefit from one, where as a war on China's side would find China suddenly without their biggest income sources. And as far as I know, some Americans aware of article 9, and the surrender of Japan, take their commitment to protecting Japan seriously, and Obama has claimed full support for Japan over the years.

There is still some anti-Japan hate going on here with the older generation here (who is steadily dying out), but I guarantee you the anti-China sentiment is much larger. If China took North Korea's side, then we'd probably be sent into a new cold war, or worse. Either way America would probably even see it as a way to cancel out their Chinese debt, and a way of resetting the US/World economy. Faced with an actual war I have no doubt Americans could easily turn to an internal North American/European/South American trade, something which would easily cripple China, suddenly finding itself on the outside of the World's Biggest economies, with maybe only Russian to help support it. Russia would side with whatever benefits it the most.

Edit: Also, I don't understand why a country would want to be dependent on another country's military.

ScumbagYoshi you have pretty much stated everything I didn't have the energy to type ha.

I personally believe that NK has too much bark as the more than likely do not have the military capabilities to follow up on a Nuclear Attack or an Invasion as most west countries will not sit back and watch, I do not think Kim Jong Un is stupid, he's very unnecessary but not stupid.

Well...Article 9, why else lol.

Suppose the Japanese do have the cojones to repeal Art. 9, it's an absolute certainty, even if the Japanese leadership explicitly state otherwise, that tensions in the region will escalate through the roof and gives N. Korea and China the perfect excuse to ram up the arms race and then everybody loses.

So militarily Japan does need the US, whether sincerely or not is irrelevant 'cos the alternative is simply not an alternative.

Greenwolf, please study the international banking system a little more before you spout off. While we have a trade imbalance with China in that we import more from them than we export to them, we don't "owe " them.