Abe Regime Dismisses Democratic Verdict in Okinawa
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on October 7, 2018.
Tag Archives: Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF)
Japanese Destroyers Head to the South China Sea
Japan has launched three military ships into the South China Sea, a move which could potentially stoke tensions with its giant Asian neighbor.
The Case Against Aegis Ashore
While the Abe administration presents Aegis Ashore as an essential and relatively uncontroversial contribution to the defense of Japan from the North Korean threat, in reality the deployment of this missile defense system risks further destabilizing the security situation in Northeast Asia, especially with regard to Russia.
Obama Deal Bad; Trump Deal Good
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on February 25, 2018.
Japan Deepens Military Ties with the Philippines
The Republic of the Philippines is seeks and receives military aid from Japan amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.
Uniformed Officers Gaining Control of Defense Ministry
Uniformed Self-Defense Forces officers are currently demanding a larger role in setting military policies, which will for the first time utilize the security legislation forced through the Diet by the ruling coalition last September. Civilian defense bureaucrats have so far rejected the demands of the uniformed officers, fearing that acquiescing will decisively tilt the power balance between the two sides within the ministry.
Trump, Cruz, and Shinzo Abe’s Constitutionalism
Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been making waves with radical policy notions from the day he announced his run for his party’s nomination. He took this to a whole new level on August 16 when he released a five-page report entitled, “Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again.” Briefly noted within a subsection called—ironically enough—“Defend The Laws And Constitution Of The United States,” Trump called for “ending birthright citizenship.”
Japan and the Century Since World War I
Almost seventy years after the guns fell silent, the Pacific War still haunts Japan in many ways. While the country’s reconstruction took place successfully, and Tokyo found a place in the Pax Americana underpinning economic growth in the Pacific for decades, historical disputes often make headlines and act as an obstacle to deeper relationships with countries such as South Korea.
Shinzo Abe and the “Rule of Law”
Faced with a complex and increasingly dangerous regional scenario, under growing demands for naval hardware and diplomatic support from countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, in the midst of complex domestic negotiations concerning the evolving interpretation of constitutional provisions on security and defense, and faced with the need for Japan to redefine its international image, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to have decided to emphasize the “rule of law” as a central tenet of Japanese foreign policy.
Japan Prepares for an Island War
Japan is taking a major step in its military strategy, conducting a large-scale amphibious drill designed to put on display its ability to conquer an island. This follows Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s repeated references to the Falklands in his speeches, a polite and indirect, yet unequivocal way, of warning China that an “invasion” of the Senkaku-Diaoyu Islands would be met with an amphibious counterstrike.
