# Japan to expand military after nationalistic PM Shinzo Abe wins 2013 election



## CougarKing (22 Jul 2013)

Once Constitutional changes are made, will this mean a return to the pre-WW2 Imperial military? (Japan still has an emperor even though MacArthur made Hirohito and his heirs renounce their divinity after WW2, if I can recall correctly, so this would mean a return to the "Imperial" nomenclature, I take it?)

National Post link



> *Japan’s ‘nationalistic’ prime minister expected to try to expand nation’s military after big election win*
> 
> *Japanese voters handed a landslide victory to the governing Liberal Democratic Party in parliamentary elections Sunday, opening the possibility of accelerated changes to Japan’s economy and a shift away from its postwar pacifism.*
> 
> ...


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## GR66 (22 Jul 2013)

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Once Constitutional changes are made, will this mean a return to the pre-WW2 Imperial military? (Japan still has an emperor even though MacArthur made Hirohito and his heirs renounce their divinity after WW2, if I can recall correctly, so this would mean a return to the "Imperial" nomenclature, I take it?)
> 
> National Post link



Would it also mean a return to the old Imperial rank insignia...stars and bars instead of the post-war chevrons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_ranks_of_the_Japanese_Empire_during_World_War_II


 :stirpot:


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## cavalryman (22 Jul 2013)

GR66 said:
			
		

> Would it also mean a return to the old Imperial rank insignia...stars and bars instead of the post-war chevrons?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_ranks_of_the_Japanese_Empire_during_World_War_II
> 
> ...


Sure - why not.  I hear the Canadian Army is going back to old rank insignia.  Maybe it's like a virus or something


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## tomahawk6 (22 Jul 2013)

From a strategic standpoint Japan is a counter to China's ambitions.The US will continue to provide the nuclear umbrella for the region.But a larger Navy and Air Force would be welcome.


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## CougarKing (22 Jul 2013)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> From a strategic standpoint Japan is a counter to China's ambitions.The US will continue to provide the nuclear umbrella for the region.But a larger Navy and Air Force would be welcome.



Aren't you concerned that with the changes that Abe wants, that Tokyo may even eventually take a stance that won't be aligned with US/Western nations'  interests...or even contrary to them.


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## GAP (22 Jul 2013)

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Aren't you concerned that with the changes that Abe wants, that Tokyo may even eventually take a stance that won't aligned with US/Western nations'  interests...or even contrary to them.



Unless they align themselves with a block of other countries, eg: Indonesia, that may decide to reject the US umbrella they are not likely to be a major force in the area. 

Rejecting the US umbrella suits China just fine, as in "divide & conquer".....


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## Stoker (22 Jul 2013)

A few years down the road and we'll have the return of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?


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## CougarKing (25 Jul 2013)

link



> *Japan to mull pre-emptive strike ability in defense update
> *
> By Linda Sieg
> 
> ...


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## a_majoor (25 Jul 2013)

Hard to say. Japan could be the keystone of an anti-Chinese coalition due to their strategic position and relatively dominent military and economic position, but there is also a lot of historical baggage that would make this unattractive all along the "First Island Chain" and SE Asia. So far, the various nations can subsume their differences by operating under the American nuclear umbrella and trusting the United States to act as a unifying force vs the political, diplomatic, econommic and (yes) military challenges that they collectively face from China.

I suspect that to be successful, the nations in the region will need to shift to a more subtle cooperative approach (something like Robert Kaplan has been outlining in his more recent works like Monsoon and The Revenge of Geography) rather than the boisterous sabre rattling of late.


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## a_majoor (25 Jul 2013)

Hard to say. Japan could be the keystone of an anti-Chinese coalition due to their strategic position and relatively dominent military and economic position, but there is also a lot of historical baggage that would make this unattractive all along the "First Island Chain" and SE Asia. So far, the various nations can subsume their differences by operating under the American nuclear umbrella and trusting the United States to act as a unifying force vs the political, diplomatic, econommic and (yes) military challenges that they collectively face from China.

I suspect that to be successful, the nations in the region will need to shift to a more subtle cooperative approach (something like Robert Kaplan has been outlining in his more recent works like Monsoon and The Revenge of Geography) rather than the boisterous sabre rattling of late.


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## CougarKing (28 Jul 2013)

I rest my case about the Japan-China rivalry even making itself felt in the model ship industry...  :facepalm:

TIME : Even Toy Ships Can’t Escape Islands Dispute

Aoshima kit's artwork :








> Being alert to headlines, Aoshima upgraded the Hyuga, a helicopter carrier, with V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and amphibious assault vehicles, and labeled the model “Operation Remote Island Defense.”
> 
> The previous cover showed the Hyuga sailing benignly in open seas.* But the new illustration showed the sleek warship with Ospreys buzzing overhead and decks awash with landing vehicles and attack helicopters. In the background was a small island, and nearby was another warship, on fire and sinking below the waves. That warship bore an uncanny resemblance to the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, which the PLA Navy launched with much fanfare last year, and is viewed with much suspicion in Japan*.


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## CougarKing (12 Aug 2013)

Washington sends a message to Tokyo:



> *U.S. fretting over Japan’s desire to militarily strike enemy bases*
> Source: Japan Times
> 
> http://stratrisks.com/geostrat/14562
> ...


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## tomahawk6 (12 Aug 2013)

Now what are enemy bases ? I think it would be prudent to allow Japan the means to defend their sovereignty.That does not equate with Japan's militarism of the 30's.


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