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Japan to regain national army?
 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has backed revising Japan's post-World War II pacifist constitution and referring to its Self-Defence Force as the nation's military. The war-renouncing constitution - drafted by US occupation forces and unchanged since 1947 - bars the use of military force in settling international disputes and prohibits maintaining armed forces for warfare. Tokya has interpreted that to mean the nation can maintain troops for self-defence and has one of the most modern, best-equipped militaries in the world. However, Japanese troops have taken an increasingly high-profile role in recent years, prompting some critics to accuse Tokyo of moving away from its post-war pacifism. Koizumi, who has strongly backed a bigger role for Japan's forces, on Wednesday said it was time for the troops to be openly referred to as a military.Posted by: Fred 2005-02-03 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=55467 |