Sabre Rattlin' and Nucs!

[AJ Dual]

Probably never gonna happen. Nukes are super bad Juju in Japan.

Let's just say that Japan is sitting on a large stockpile of weapons grade plutonium for a "next generation" Plutonium power plant they never quite get around to building...  :|

Current estimates indicate Japan sits perpetually about 2-3 months out from effective aircraft and missile-deliverable devices.

With the nominal way Asian cultures are heavy with double speak and "saving face" etc. I would not be shocked to learn that the "reactor Plutonium" is being stored as spheres that suspciously resemble "pits", and the JSDF has some "experimental non-nuclear" bombs or rockets that have these odd hollow warheads that were designed to study spherical explosive lensing and implosion... 

It bugs the hell out of me that Japan never came to grips with it's WWII Imperial past the way Germany did, and I think we missed an excelent opportunity during the occupation to do so, but backed off from it out of fear they'd all commit seppuku or whatever.

Oh well, water under the bridge.

They're a stable and loyal and democratic ally of ours, and I would not mind them having nukes any more than I do the UK.

Hell, it'll give China and the Norks something else to aim at besides us.

[roo_ster]

Japan, S Korea, and Taiwan going nuclear and getting theater missile defense would get the Red Chinese to sit up & pay attention.

[zahc]

It bugs the hell out of me that Japan never came to grips with it's WWII Imperial past the way Germany did, and I think we missed an excelent opportunity during the occupation to do so, but backed off from it out of fear they'd all commit seppuku or whatever.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are trying to say here. What do you mean by "came to grips with its WWII Imperial past the way Germany did" and what opportunity did we miss during the occupation?

[AZRedhawk44]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are trying to say here. What do you mean by "came to grips with its WWII Imperial past the way Germany did" and what opportunity did we miss during the occupation?

We psychologically neutered Japan during SCAP.  We dismantled their state religion (shinto), showed their emperor to be fallible, and disbanded and altered many martial arts schools that we judged to be too martial and not enough art.

The German occupation was dominated by a conflict between the USSR and Western ideologies, however.  The German enemy in WWII was socio-political in nature, too, which required less social engineering to fully dismantle.

Japan's pacifism will recede as the 1940-1970 generations begin to die off and the "youth" come to understand the world that surrounds them to the East.

[roo_ster]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you are trying to say here. What do you mean by "came to grips with its WWII Imperial past the way Germany did" and what opportunity did we miss during the occupation?

The Germans had their noses rubbed in German war atrocities.  The Japanese never had that treatment and still whine & play like they were the victim in WWII.

(Generalizations, obviously.)

[Balog]

The Germans had their noses rubbed in German war atrocities.  The Japanese never had that treatment and still whine & play like they were the victim in WWII.

(Generalizations, obviously.)

I believe most Japanese schools do not teach about the Rape of Nanking or other Japanese atrocities, and portray WW2 very differently than we in the West do.

[Werewolf]

The Germans had their noses rubbed in German war atrocities.  The Japanese never had that treatment and still whine & play like they were the victim in WWII.

(Generalizations, obviously.)

One could argue that as an emerging industrial nation in the early 30's, with a vibrant growing economy that Japan was indeed a victim. A victim of culture clash between eastern and western values. The US cut off Japan's main source of the raw materials feeding their factories and the oil that kept them running for moral reasons far outside Japanese ability to comprehend.

As a result Japan could have chosen to go back to being a 3rd rate economy or acquire the resources they needed elsewhere. Trade wasn't an option. So what was left? Take those resources by force. Japan wasn't at that time the only nation in history to trod that path and hasn't been and certainly won't be the last.

The way the Japanese waged their war may not have been in accordance with how the west does it but it was well within the norms of how the Japanese had traditionally conducted their wars.

It is relatively simple for one to understand that from the Japanese point of view that they indeed were victims forced into action by circumstances outside of their control.

Hindsight being 20/20 they probably should have considered a western phrase that says if you mess with a bull, sometimes you get the horns. Wait - they did consider that (Yamamoto - waking a sleeping giant comment) and chose to ignore it.

[roo_ster]

One could argue that as an emerging industrial nation in the early 30's, with a vibrant growing economy that Japan was indeed a victim. A victim of culture clash between eastern and western values. The US cut off Japan's main source of the raw materials feeding their factories and the oil that kept them running for moral reasons far outside Japanese ability to comprehend.

Your analysis is more generous than mine.

[makattak]

One could argue that as an emerging industrial nation in the early 30's, with a vibrant growing economy that Japan was indeed a victim. A victim of culture clash between eastern and western values. The US cut off Japan's main source of the raw materials feeding their factories and the oil that kept them running for moral reasons far outside Japanese ability to comprehend.

As a result Japan could have chosen to go back to being a 3rd rate economy or acquire the resources they needed elsewhere. Trade wasn't an option. So what was left? Take those resources by force. Japan wasn't at that time the only nation in history to trod that path and hasn't been and certainly won't be the last.

One could argue that if Japan were not already waging a war of conquest on the Chinese mainland prior to the US embargo.

They might not have attacked the US quite as soon, but they were already trying to "acquire the resources they needed" before trade was cut off.

[209]

General Curtis Lemay.......

Alas, we don't have people like him around anymore. 

But we do have:



The Sec of State can go over there.  That would scare the crap out of most people. 

Plus too, she looks enough like her so there may be a chance they can find some common ground.



Hmmm..... perhaps twins separated at birth. 

[roo_ster]

What brand of "product" does KJI use?

[zahc]

One could argue that if Japan were not already waging a war of conquest on the Chinese mainland prior to the US embargo.

What I was thinking.

Thanks for the clarification. I understand the earlier comments now. I can see how Germany has been made to deal with its actions/atrocities/aggressions during the war, and how it is seen subjectively, compared to the "victimized" Japanese, and their rather rapid forgiveness/denial system.

[charby]

What brand of "product" does KJI use?

I don't think its a product, but the product of a stroke.

[ilbob]

What if as a result of harsher sanctions, stopping and searching its ships at sea, skirmishes with it's naval vessels N. Korea retaliated by launching a Nuc and hit Japan or Seoul, S. Korea with it?

It appears they have a functioning A-bomb design, but it is not clear if it is deployable, at least not by a missile.

My guess is if Seoul was attacked, South Korea would retaliate in some way. It is not outside the realm of possibility that SK has some kind of nuke.

My best guess is this is a a guy who is desperately looking for more money to prop up his regime, and the latest antics are oriented towards that end.

But with a nut case who is near death, there is just no telling.

[K Frame]

Not politics. Closed.