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China-Japan-Koreas
Japan with first full-fledged defense ministry since WWII
2007-01-10
(KUNA) -- Japan on Tuesday upgraded the Defense Agency to a full-fledged ministry for the first time since World War II, when the US stripped Japan of its right to a military. The move is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to raise the military's profile, reflecting the military's growing role at home and abroad.

At a ceremony celebrating the upgrade, Abe appointed Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma as the first defense minister. "This is a significant step for us to end the post-war regime and lay the groundwork for building a new nation," Abe said in a speech to senior ministry officials and Self-Defense Forces, adding that the national security situation facing Japan has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War.
Posted by:Fred

#23  Oh, poop.
Posted by: Hu Jin tao   2007-01-10 21:28  

#22  #15 Is grom serving in federal prison in Butner, North Carolina? (ref Jonathan Pollard )?
Posted by: RD   2007-01-10 20:54  

#21  I wonder if they remember Formosa Taiwan belonged to them too.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-01-10 17:58  

#20  The Russians might consider giving the Japanese back the Kuriles as a "good-will" jesture, before they lose them. Japan, too, has a long memory.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-01-10 15:21  

#19  Rummy and Bolton are still alive and at the other end of the telephone! :-)
Posted by: gorb   2007-01-10 14:50  

#18  Hmmm.... fascinating.... Israel takes out Iran's nukes, and Japan takes out Kimmie's toys (after all they are in the area), and we just provide "strategic" advice to our two allies... Ol' "W" still has a couple diabolical bones left in him. I was beginning to wonder after Rummy and Bolton left...
Posted by: BigEd   2007-01-10 12:32  

#17  Well, I for one, welcome the Japanese back into the fold. A shame, though, they got back to Defense Ministry before Mr. Pruitt's Secretary of War could be nominated and appointed for Rantburgia, lol!
Posted by: BA   2007-01-10 11:36  

#16  Don't worry about this. When they get Gundam suits, then worry.
Posted by: DarthVader   2007-01-10 11:35  

#15  #11 Is RD serving in Iraq (ref John Kerry)?
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-01-10 10:58  

#14  Japan is a good example of the proper way to deal with enemies.

First they repent. After proving they mean it, you forgive them.

In these PC days we want to take a short cut and go directly to forgivenss without the repentence.

This is, in a nutshell, our problem with Iraq. They never went through a total surrender / repentence phase before we started to forgive them and let them run things.
Posted by: AlanC   2007-01-10 10:07  

#13  Note that they haven't reinstated the names "Army" and "Navy". Those are still Self-Defense whatevers.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2007-01-10 10:01  

#12  This should piss off the ChiComs, although it is their own damn fault. Still lots of animosity left over from WWII when the Japanese behaved rather badly. I do wonder how much of the fuss is orchestrated by the Chinese Emperor, as oppossed to being indigenous. Woops, did I say 'emperor'? I meant Cenral Committe.
Posted by: SteveS   2007-01-10 09:36  

#11  grom, youse be'in mystrious, haveta sic janet reno on ya ifin ya aint careful.

>;
Posted by: RD   2007-01-10 09:19  

#10  You know what this means, doncha? Pentagon'll have to dust off and upgrade their "Plan Orange"!
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839   2007-01-10 09:18  

#9  I believe Gromky, who is currently in the wilds of China is American, RD. Both gentlemen's names are sometimes shortened to Grom/grom around here. Perhaps that's where the confusion comes from.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-01-10 08:00  

#8  #6 Sorry about misunderstanding Verlaine.
#7 When did I do that? (I never even lived in US---unless you consider New Mexico to be a part :-))
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-01-10 07:33  

#7  I thought Grom said he was an American?
Posted by: RD   2007-01-10 07:07  

#6  You don't have to be sorry for being Israeli! ;-)
Posted by: gorb   2007-01-10 04:16  

#5  Sorry.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-01-10 03:13  

#4  He's Israeli! :-)
Posted by: gorb   2007-01-10 03:11  

#3  Don't quite get your comment, gromgoru. But "sort of" was a reference to the UK, not Israel. I'm sure that'll help you.
Posted by: Verlaine   2007-01-10 02:27  

#2  - sort of, Israel,

Oh joy.
Posted by: gromgoru   2007-01-10 02:11  

#1  Excellent. Along with Indian realignment, the most under-reported strategic development of recent times. And like the former, a very good one for the mobilized free world (US, Australia, UK - sort of, Israel, central Europe, parts of South Korea and Canada).
Posted by: Verlaine   2007-01-10 01:19  

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