Japanese Prime Minister Abe and President Obama want Japan to be able to wage war

[bananas]

http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/japanese-prime-minister-abe-and-president-obama-want-japan-be-able-wage-war

Japanese Prime Minister Abe and President Obama want Japan to be able to wage war

Ann Wright, November 8, 2013

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Two weeks ago I was in Osaka, Japan as an international speaker at the Article 9 “No War” conference. I was also in Japan five years ago in 2008 at a similar conference, when George Bush was President of the United States and was undermining the spirit and intent of Article 9 of the Japanese constitution by urging the Japanese government to allow the Japanese Self-Defense forces to provide air and sea logistics assistance to Bush's war on Iraq.

One of President Bush’s chief advisors, former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage had complained that “Japan’s Article 9 is an impediment to the US-Japanese alliance," an alliance the Bush administration wanted to use to spread the financial and military operational burden of the war on Iraq.

Over the objections of many Japanese citizens, the Japanese government did provide ships for resupplying American warships and logistic transport aircraft to fly supplies into Baghdad. A 2008 decision by the High Court of Nagoya found that Japanese Air Self-Defense Force missions into Iraq were unconstitutional as they violated Article 9.

Obama Administration Wants Japan to “Re-examine” legal basis for Article Nine

Five years later it is Barack Obama that is President of the United States, but the demand from the United States government has not changed—that Japan “modify” Article 9 and end its renunciation of war.

On October 3, 2013, the United States and Japan issued a “Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee: Toward a More Robust alliance and Greater Shared Responsibilities.” http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/10/215070.htm

In the document, the United States “welcomes” the Abe government’s “re-examining the legal basis for its security including the matter of exercising its right of collective self-defense…” In other words, find a way to eliminate Article 9 that will then allow Japan to have a military policy that does not preclude its participation in wars of aggression.

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[bananas]

1. 2012: Armitage & Nye tell Japan to keep nuclear power, join TPP, and overturn Article 9

http://www.japan-press.co.jp/modules/news/index.php?id=4406

Armitage & Nye tell Japan to keep nuclear power generation

October 28, 2012

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The third Armitage-Nye Report released in August requests that Japan maintain and promote nuclear energy, facilitate its entry into the TPP agreement, continue participating in sea-lane defense, and review the ban on the use of the right to collective self-defense.

During the symposium, Nye said that Japan’s “zero”-nuclear policy is unacceptable. Armitage said that it is important for Japan to reinterpret the Constitution in terms of the right to collective self-defense. Campbell put his hopes on Japan’s entry into the TPP pact as it has the potential to overhaul trade relations in the region.

In response to their comments, Foreign Minister Genba expressed Japan’s commitment to realize their demands and aspirations.

Also speaking at the symposium, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party Ishiba Shigeru strongly sided with the U.S. heavyweights by saying that he will make every possible effort to strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance and enable Japan to have the ability to exercise its right to collective self-defense. He even mentioned the creation of a Japanese version of a marine force.

<snip>

The symposium showed how far the two major parties are distanced from public opinion.

[Uncle Joe]

2. That's a

strategic realignment, I don't believe the U.S. wants Japan to wage war so much as to have more military capability and be a stronger influence in the region.

It's a counterbalance to China's growing power.

Thanks for the thread, bananas.