Japan government considers pre-emptive military strikes

[DuctapeFatwa]

TOKYO (AP) - To counter the growing threat of terrorism, Japan's government plans to consider legislation that would relax a long-standing ban against a pre-emptive military strike, allowing troops to fire at suspicious vessels and armed spies - even outside the country's borders, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
If approved, the proposed bill could anger Asian countries that suffered brutalities under Japanese military rule decades ago.

Japan is strictly limited by its post-World War II constitution from launching an offensive military attack. While not barred from defending itself, Japan has stood by a post-war doctrine preventing its forces from firing until they are attacked.

The legislation, which would be submitted during the parliamentary session from January, is likely to permit the military to strike first when there is a threat to national security, such as armed spies on Japanese soil, the national Asahi newspaper said.

http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/thu/jan1w15.htm

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

1. Might want to take a peek at this on the same subject...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-01/01/content_1256854.htm

[DuctapeFatwa]

4. I'm not sure the regime's plan to have Asia blow itself up is sound

And I am not at all sure that it will be successful.

If there is one single greatest flaw in US foreign policy for the past hundred years, it is that it has been consistently based on the fundamental principle that non-Europeans are simple-minded, child-like creatures with a quaintly surprising sort of cleverness but lacking in analytical intelligence and ability to reason.

Projecting, some wags will sneer, and clearly in the case of the current regime, it is hard to resist that temptation....

[koopie57]

5. I was thinking the same thing

only not so sophisticated as you :) . I think it has something to do with the attitude in America of ME FIRST. But, it is something other than that. I can't put my finger on it, but so many people seem to lack curiousity. Their arguements are simple and repetative of the FOX and Limbaugh schpeeel. There is no sense of community anymore .. just I want what is mine and fuck you. When I see people from other countries being interviewed on the tv, they know so much about what is going on. They will be in rags, no teeth, skinny and yet they know about Haliburton and the Carlyle group. But fat americans are interviewed and they are upset cuz they have to pay too much in taxes. What I don't understand is, if you have more money than you or your kids or your grandkids can ever spend on any luxury, what difference does it make to you if it buys a family a hot meal once in awhile, or let's them see a doctor when they are sick.

My mom died this morning. If it were not for social security, we would have been on the street. I teach my kids that taxes are a good thing and if you can pay more than someone else, count your blessings.

[revcarol]

7. Oh, my heart goes out to you.

I'm glad that Social Security was there for you when you were growing up. And for your mom, too. Life is hard sometimes, and we do need to care for each other by supporting the ones who need support, children or adults.

When I was growing up, my father used to rail about FDR and his social programs like Social Security. But when the steel company he worked for almost went bankrupt and had underfunded its pensions, he quickly saw how wrong he was. And he became a changed man, working tirelessly for environmental protections and safety net for the whole nation.Your wake-up call was as a child. Some of us still do not have the wisdom we should have,even as senior citizens.

I am so sorry about your mom.

[no_hypocrisy]

13. I'm sorry about the loss of your mother, especially since it's the

holidays.

I hope you find your family to be a comfort as well as your memories.

Hugs and blessings.

[mazzarro]

14. Please accept my sincere condolence!

May her soul rest-in-peace.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

19. Condolences. So sorry for your loss.

Hang in there, you have a lot of folks on your side here.

[DuctapeFatwa]

24. I am very sorry about your mother.

No matter your age, the death of a mother is such an inexpressibly tremendous loss that any words intended to console seem trivial and inadequate. Take care of your family, let them take care of you, and take care of yourself. A mother is unique in one's life; you will not have to go through this again.

Your point about the lack of curiosity is a bullseye, and one of the greatest liabilities of US culture, and a dangerous one, as the state of the nation vis a vis the world today demonstrates.

One of the most tragic indications of this is seen in the use of the internet itself - today, for the first time in human history, anyone with internet access can talk in real time with anyone else with internet access (and with whom they can scrape up a common language) anywhere, any time.

Yet the overwhelming majority of Americans use the internet to seek others from their same country, their same culture, even their same city. Ignorance and an insular view of the world, are cultivated and nurtured like status symbols; the "me-firsters" you refer to who would rather throw their second loaf away than give it to someone with nothing are just another face of the lemming mentality of people who can't afford health care, yet express outrage and disgust at the idea of "socialized medicine."

Such a society should and will fade from the scene, there is light at the end of the tunnel, although we can't see it yet.

(more on that at
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=972144)

[leesa]

27. I'm sorry to hear about your Mom. Best wishes to you and your family.

[Indiana_Dem]

2. OMG what's this world coming to?

Japan must feel threatened.

[aquart]

15. Where does Japan plan to get the money for this?

Has their economy magically recovered?

One thing we know: they'll never attack China again.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

21. My bet is we bribed them in the same way we tried to bribe Turkey.

[psychopomp]

23. Calm down, this actually makes good sense

North Korean spies invade Japan's waters almost regularly. One of the images of the last couple years that will leave an indelible mark on Japanese people is that of the firefight between NSDF ships and a NK spy ship disguised as a fishing boat.

It is ridiculous that SDF forces have to wait until they are being shot at to engage an enemy with hostile intent.

If seen from the perspective of Japan's experience protecting its coastal waters, this decision makes sense.

[bpilgrim]

31. They never had a problem with the constitution before in FIRING on SPIES

In March 1999, the two suspected North Korean spy ships fled, after Japanese ships fired warning shots. Nobody was apprehended.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/12_24_01/for3.htm

December, 2001 A Japanese coast guard ship has fired at and hit an unidentified boat intruding into Japan's 200-mile exclusive economic zone.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1724913.stm

changing their constitution with regards to PRE-EMPTION is HUGE.

but they are only following OUR orders so i guess it won't be so bad, and now we can get more help with our global war and japan has a LOT of experiance dealing with ILLEGAL COMBATANTS... remember Nanking.

peace

[Art_from_Ark]

32. My perspective as a resident of Japan

1) This article comes from Brunei. I have not been able to find anything from Japanese sources so far to substantiate this, only an article from the Japan Times in which a government official came on record early last year as supporting a discussion about pre-emptive strikes, only to retract his statement after it had generated sufficient controversy.

2) If the Brunei article is correct, this proposal goes far beyond protecting Japan's territorial waters, which the naval SDF is already authorized to do.

3) The cat-and-mouse games with North Korea have not resulted in Japanese casualties, as far as I know. Their intrusions onto Japanese land have resulted in kidnappings of Japanese citizens, however. Rather than sinking NK ships, perhaps it would be better to board them and check for abductees.

4) The incidents at Nanking occurred over 60 years ago, so most of the Japanese perpetrators have long since died. Today's modern Japanese are far different from the war criminals of those days.

[psychopomp]

38. Nothing yet

That was Defense Agency Chief Shigeru Ishiba who backpeddled on his advocation of pre-emption.

More can be read about the problem of the role of the Japanese military in this article from yesterdays' Japan Times.

[bpilgrim]

39. thanks

and as a former resident...

1. i hope this article isn't true as well.

2. i agree 100%

3. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday called North Korea an ''unpardonable'' country that abducts and kills Japanese in a speech in Yamagata Prefecture, ahead of the homecoming Tuesday of five Japanese who were kidnapped to the North in 1978.

sorce...
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0WDQ/2002_Oct_21/94331645/p1/article.jhtml

though that sounds like propaganda to me it certainly speaks of casulties.

but i also agree that the status-quo has been working very well so why increase the tension and risk with threats of agression :shrug:

4. i disagree... i say that the japanese are pretty much the same they have always been just like US and the rest of us HUMANS.

though they may be even more easily whipped into group hysteria then we are - but that is certainly debateable - my point is that good people can and will do bad things when misled and afraid.

though today's militant america reminds me much more of imperial japan of wwII than modern japan does.

it certainly would take a lot of time for japan to get anywhere near as militant as civil society was back then but the proccess could CERTAINLY begin especially with Koizumi at the helm. though i believe he is mainly only doing what he is told we must rember that we are the only ones who out spend them militarily - 4,903.0 billion yen (45.8 billion US dollars) - and japans neighbors have not forgoton their former imperial neighbors who now appear to be willing to back militiristic imperial america by definately sending troops this year to iraq but potentially anywhere in the world if they adobt the 'bush doctrine' is PREVENTIVE WAR which they ALSO have a HISTORY of as well as ILLEGAL COMBATANTS.

the world has certainly changed a whole lot in 3 years short years hasn't it.

:scared:

kiyotsukete :hi:

peace

[Art_from_Ark]

42. My basis for #4

1) The Emperor is no longer looked upon as a god. Religion has little role in Japanese society today. There is also little flag worship, and no forced oaths of allegiance.

2) Japanese schoolkids are taught early on about the benefits of peace (speaking as one who has kids in the Japanese school system).

3) Most Japanese have an excellent chance to be part of the middle class. There is no longer a permanent underclass in Japan, so it is more difficult to rouse the rabble.

4) Today's Japanese make a more concerted effort to understand--and coexist with-- other cultures.

5) Japanese are far better educated today.

6) Today's Japanese society is no longer a society that worships violence.

[bpilgrim]

43. ic

> 1) The Emperor is no longer looked upon as a god.

It didn't take the militarist long to bring that tradion back in the 20/30's

> Religion has little role in
> Japanese society today.

Were did EVERYBODY go during NEW YEARS?



Japanese prime minister visits controversial shrine on New Year's Day

NATALIE OBIKO PEARSON, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, January 1, 2004

Japan's prime minister prayed at a shrine honoring Japan's war dead Thursday, a visit that appeared aimed at shoring up support at home as he prepares to send troops to Iraq but brought quick criticism from China and South Korea.

Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine outrage Asian countries that Japan invaded and brutally occupied last century. They see his tributes there as honoring Japan's militaristic past.

More...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/01/international1339EST0541.DTL

> There is also little flag worship, and no forced oaths
> of allegiance.

Most public schools flying 'Hinomaru' national flag

Thursday, August 1, 2002 at 09:25 JST
TOKYO — All public elementary and junior high schools in 40 of the nation's 47 prefectures flew the national flag at ceremonies this spring, according to an education ministry survey released Wednesday.

This year, four prefectures — Tokyo, Miyagi, Mie and Wakayama — joined the ranks of those where all public schools flew the flag at commencement and entrance ceremonies this spring. (Kyodo News)

source...
http://news.japantoday.com/gidx/news225047.html

Sadly a trend that has been on the increase since the 90s

>
> 2) Japanese schoolkids are taught early on about the benefits of peace
> (speaking as one who has kids in the Japanese school system).

So are ours. Yet we are the military active nation on the planet.

>
> 3) Most Japanese have an excellent chance to be part of the middle class.

The japanese have always prided themselves on being classless yet ignored and kept hidden certain undesirables...

Declaration of Human Rights in Japan

Editor's Note: The caste-like system of Buraku discrimination in Japan has persisted for centuries. It remains a problem till today. Buraku Japanese during the early 20th century started to organize to fight for their rights. In 1922 they founded in Kyoto the National Levelers' Association (Zenkoku Suiheisha) whose main objective is to eradicate Buraku discrimination. At the founding assembly of the association on March 3, 1922, the Suiheisha Declaration was adopted. It is regarded as Japan's first declaration of human rights. It can likewise be considered as one of the earlier Asian documents on human rights issued by a social movement. The declaration has remained as an influential document in the Buraku anti-discrimination movement. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Zenkoku Suiheisha, the declaration was translated into Chinese, Korean, English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Ainu languages. There is also a version in Braille. Here below is the full text of the English version of the Declaration.

> There is no longer a permanent underclass in Japan, so it is more difficult to
> rouse the rabble.

Hisabetsu Buraku

Despite Japan's claim of homogeneity, two Japanese minority groups can be identified. The largest is known as the hisabetsu buraku, "discriminated communities," descendants of premodern outcast hereditary occupational groups, such as butchers, leatherworkers, and certain entertainers. Discrimination against these occupational groups arose historically because of Buddhist prohibitions against killing and Shinto notions of pollution, as well as governmental attempts at social control. During the Tokugawa period, such people were required to live in special buraku and, like the rest of the population, were bound by sumptuary laws based on the inheritance of social class. The Meiji government abolished must derogatory names applied to these discriminated communities in 1871, but the new laws had little effect on the social discrimination faced by the former outcasts and their descendants. The laws, however, did eliminate the economic monopoly they had over certain occupations.

Although members of these discriminated communities are physically indistinguishable from other Japanese, they often live in urban ghettoes or in the traditional special hamlets in rural areas. Some attempt to pass as ordinary Japanese, but the checks on family background that are often part of marriage arrangements and employment applications make this difficult. Estimates of their number range from 2 million to 4 million, or about 2 to 3 percent of the national population.

More...
http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/japan/japan71.html


>
> 4) Today's Japanese make a more concerted effort to understand--and coexist
> with-- other cultures.

That has been true since the late 1800's as championed by Ryoma Sakamoto


Sakamoto Ryoma – outlaw-samurai, pistol-bearing swordsman, freedom-fighter, pioneering naval commander, entrepreneur and statesman, a youth ahead of his time with an imagination as boundless as the Pacific Ocean – was a leader in the revolution to overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate and form a unified democracy in Japan.

More...
http://www.ridgebackpress.com/heroes/sakamoto.htm


>
> 5) Japanese are far better educated today.

They weren't no dummies in the 30's and 40's either

>
> 6) Today's Japanese society is no longer a society that worships violence.

Did they worship it during wwII? I haven't read anything that would make me believe that other than some extremeist in the military.

I know that you know from my post here that I have the deepest respect, admiration and love for the japanese so would NEVER say something towards them out of malice but when they start showing signs of turning away from their 60 year history of peace towards military agression I will speak out about it just like I do to my own beloved country.

peace

[Art_from_Ark]

46. Counterpoint

1) The Emperor is no longer looked upon as a god.
It didn't take the militarist long to bring that tradion back in the 20/30's

The "god" thing was reintroduced in the 1860s, when most Japanese were uneducated peasants who would believe nearly anything. Sort of like today's North Koreans.

> Religion has little role in
> Japanese society today.
Were did EVERYBODY go during NEW YEARS?

I don't know where "everybody" went during New Year's, but a lot went to Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples to pray for a good year. That doesn't mean that they are fervently religious. A better question would be, Where do they go during the other 364 days of the year? Unless someone in their family has died, or they are on some sort of cultural discovery trip, it is very likely that they won't see the inside of a temple for the rest of the year.

As for Koizumi's insistence on going to Yasukuni Shrine, that it his business, but it does not signify that the country as a whole is passionate about this.

Regarding the hinomaru flag, it is no big deal to show the flag during commencement and graduation ceremonies. This does not equate to flag worship. The hinomaru flies over the schools that my children attend but it does not bother me. During their major school event, Sports Day, their schools will adorn the athletic field with flags of a number of countries-- with the hinomaru taking a very unprominent position. On major national holidays, such as Constitution Day and Founding of Japan Day, very few people will fly the flag at their homes. And I have never seen a hinomaru bumper sticker on someone's car-- the only place I've seen them is on the sides of the "black speaker trucks" that are so popular with some of the ultra rightwingers.

> 2) Japanese schoolkids are taught early on about the benefits of peace
> (speaking as one who has kids in the Japanese school system).
So are ours. Yet we are the military active nation on the planet.

I would venture to say that American kids are taught more about the benefits of wars-- that is, of winning wars. Everything from the Revolution to the winning of the Mexican War to the "Winning of the West" to the winning of the Spanish=American War to the winning of WWI and WWII to the "winning" of the Cold War is deeply ingrained into our heads. On the other hand, Japanese kids are taught very little about their forefathers' victories in China/Taiwan, Russia, Korea, and so on. It is too "shameful".

3) Most Japanese have an excellent chance to be part of the middle class.

As you should note, I qualified my statement with "most". That does not mean "all". I am well aware of the "burakumin", even mentioning them recently on another thread. I am well aware that even today, the families of prospective spouses will check each others' family registers to make sure there are no "undesirables" in the gene pool. However, this practice is gradually fading away, although it does seem to be persistent in some of the more conservative parts of the country. At the same time, the government has been working to provide more opportunities for the "burakumin" to join the mainstream society.

4) Today's Japanese make a more concerted effort to understand--and coexist
> with-- other cultures.

That has been true since the late 1800's as championed by Ryoma Sakamoto

Mr. Sakamoto may have been interested in foreign cultures, but mostly as a way to gain much needed information and technology from them. But back in his day, most Japanese were lucky to be able to travel to a neighboring province, much less to another country. In contrast, today a large number of Japanese, especially young people, make trips overseas and/or know people from other countries. This is far different from what the situation was like before WWII.

5) Japanese are far better educated today.
They weren't no dummies in the 30's and 40's either

Higher education was the exclusive domain of the elite in those days, and women were limited to attending "finishing schools". Today, nearly anyone with drive can attend some sort of college or university. Nearly everyone graduates from high school, and close to 40% of those graudates attend some institute of higher learning.

6) Today's Japanese society is no longer a society that worships violence.
Did they worship it during wwII? I haven't read anything that would make me believe that other than some extremeist in the military.

Violence was an accepted part of life in the pre-WWII days, and few Japanese would have worried about the moral and ethical ramifications of killing foreigners to win a victory for the Emperor-god. Today's Japanese are not taught that violence solves problems, as seems to be the theme of too many American films and TV shows, and even the current American foreign policy.

[bpilgrim]

47. thanks

1) The Emperor is no longer looked upon as a god.
It didn't take the militarist long to bring that tradion back in the 20/30's

The "god" thing was reintroduced in the 1860s, when most Japanese were uneducated peasants who would believe nearly anything. Sort of like today's North Koreans.


The origins of the emperor have always been rooted in religion, true, the meji-restoration marks the begining of japans embrace of moderninity/internationism and unification which the long traditional institution of emperor served as a the perfect symbolic rallying icon.

As japan entered the 20th centuary constitutional rights were being granted to the people for the first time and a parlimentary goverment with multible parties were participants in the gov.

in the late 20's till the end of wwII the rise of militarism begins in japans gov and the EXPLOITATION of japans traditional LARGELY symbolic role of emperor for their OWN ENDS.

The Rise of the Militarists

... when Hirohito was enthroned in 1927, initiating the Showa period (Bright Harmony, 1926-89), there were calls for a "Showa Restoration" and a revival of Shinto. Emperor-centered neo-Shintoism, or State Shinto, which had long been developing, came to fruition in the 1930s and 1940s. It glorified the emperor and traditional Japanese virtues to the exclusion of Western influences, which were perceived as greedy, individualistic, bourgeois, and assertive. The ideals of the Japanese family-state and self-sacrifice in service of the nation were given a missionary interpretation and were thought by their ultranationalist proponents to be applicable to the modern world.

more...
http://www.willamette.edu/~rloftus/militarismrise.html




> Religion has little role in
> Japanese society today.
Were did EVERYBODY go during NEW YEARS?

I don't know where "everybody" went during New Year's, but a lot went to Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples to pray for a good year. That doesn't mean that they are fervently religious. A better question would be, Where do they go during the other 364 days of the year? Unless someone in their family has died, or they are on some sort of cultural discovery trip, it is very likely that they won't see the inside of a temple for the rest of the year.


i am not claiming they are 'fervently religious' just that religion STILL plays a large and almost universal role, even today, in society.


As for Koizumi's insistence on going to Yasukuni Shrine, that it his business, but it does not signify that the country as a whole is passionate about this.


again my point is not about 'passion' just that the japanese are religious.


Regarding the hinomaru flag, it is no big deal to show the flag during commencement and graduation ceremonies.

i disagree. NATIONALISM has done so much damage in the world and especially in japan that it always makes me sad to see this creeping back into politics and society today.

I remember when most schools DID NOT fly the national flag for obvious, and in my opinion correct reasons from their recent past.

This does not equate to flag worship. The hinomaru flies over the schools that my children attend but it does not bother me. During their major school event, Sports Day, their schools will adorn the athletic field with flags of a number of countries-- with the hinomaru taking a very unprominent position. On major national holidays, such as Constitution Day and Founding of Japan Day, very few people will fly the flag at their homes. And I have never seen a hinomaru bumper sticker on someone's car-- the only place I've seen them is on the sides of the "black speaker trucks" that are so popular with some of the ultra rightwingers.


yes, the radicals are still active and vocal...


Right Wing Nationalists in Ikebukuro complaining about foreigners in Japan. On this day they were giving their opinions on the Iraq war.


> 2) Japanese schoolkids are taught early on about the benefits of peace
> (speaking as one who has kids in the Japanese school system).
So are ours. Yet we are the military active nation on the planet.

I would venture to say that American kids are taught more about the benefits of wars-- that is, of winning wars. Everything from the Revolution to the winning of the Mexican War to the "Winning of the West" to the winning of the Spanish=American War to the winning of WWI and WWII to the "winning" of the Cold War is deeply ingrained into our heads. On the other hand, Japanese kids are taught very little about their forefathers' victories in China/Taiwan, Russia, Korea, and so on. It is too "shameful".



no argument from be about the lead we currently have in degree and spending.
but the japanese are certainly are today still taught to win at all cost. that type of mentality can be dangerous when focused by the gov in the wrong direction.



3) Most Japanese have an excellent chance to be part of the middle class.

As you should note, I qualified my statement with "most". That does not mean "all". I am well aware of the "burakumin", even mentioning them recently on another thread. I am well aware that even today, the families of prospective spouses will check each others' family registers to make sure there are no "undesirables" in the gene pool. However, this practice is gradually fading away, although it does seem to be persistent in some of the more conservative parts of the country. At the same time, the government has been working to provide more opportunities for the "burakumin" to join the mainstream society.


agreed.


4) Today's Japanese make a more concerted effort to understand--and coexist
> with-- other cultures.

That has been true since the late 1800's as championed by Ryoma Sakamoto

Mr. Sakamoto may have been interested in foreign cultures, but mostly as a way to gain much needed information and technology from them. But back in his day, most Japanese were lucky to be able to travel to a neighboring province, much less to another country. In contrast, today a large number of Japanese, especially young people, make trips overseas and/or know people from other countries. This is far different from what the situation was like before WWII.


that is true of all internationalist usually AND my point was that he made it a noble persuit and actively encouraged it (learning and interacting abroad and with foreigners) where up till that time japan was very isolationalist.

you could say he was the father of modernism and japans insatiable thirst for everything foreign, especially today.


5) Japanese are far better educated today.
They weren't no dummies in the 30's and 40's either

Higher education was the exclusive domain of the elite in those days, and women were limited to attending "finishing schools". Today, nearly anyone with drive can attend some sort of college or university. Nearly everyone graduates from high school, and close to 40% of those graudates attend some institute of higher learning.


japan has a long tradition of respecting education...

By 1603 Japan had been reunified by the Tokugawa regime (1600- 1867), and by 1640 foreigners had been ordered out of Japan, Christianity banned, and virtually all foreign contact prohibited. The nation then entered a period of isolation and relative domestic tranquillity, which was to last 200 years. When the Tokugawa period began, few common people in Japan could read or write. By the period's end, learning had become widespread. Tokugawa education left a valuable legacy: an increasingly literate populace, a meritocratic ideology, and an emphasis on discipline and competent performance. Under subsequent Meiji leadership, this foundation would facilitate Japan's rapid transition from feudal country to modern nation (see Tokugawa Period, 1600-1867 , ch. 1).

...

After 1868 new leadership set Japan on a rapid course of modernization. Realizing from the outset that education was fundamental to nation building and modernization, the Meiji leaders established a public education system to help Japan catch up with the West. Missions were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. These missions and other observers returned with the ideas of decentralization, local school boards, and teacher autonomy. Such ideas and ambitious initial plans, however, proved very difficult to carry out. After some trial and error, a new national education system emerged. As an indication of its success, elementary school enrollments climbed from about 40 or 50 percent of the school-age population in the 1870s to more than 90 percent by 1900.

...

In the early twentieth century, education at the primary level was egalitarian and virtually universal, but at higher levels it was multitracked, highly selective, and elitist. College education was largely limited to the few national universities, where German influences were strong. Three of the imperial universities admitted women, and there were a number of women's colleges, some quite prestigious, but women had relatively few opportunities to enter higher education. During this period, a number of universities were founded by Christian missionaries, who also took an active role in expanding educational opportunities for women, particularly at the secondary level.

source...
http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/jptoc.html

sure today their lot is even better then it was but the japanese have a long history of embracing education and they were not a fedual, primitive nation then.


6) Today's Japanese society is no longer a society that worships violence.
Did they worship it during wwII? I haven't read anything that would make me believe that other than some extremeist in the military.

Violence was an accepted part of life in the pre-WWII days, and few Japanese would have worried about the moral and ethical ramifications of killing foreigners to win a victory for the Emperor-god. Today's Japanese are not taught that violence solves problems, as seems to be the theme of too many American films and TV shows, and even the current American foreign policy.

well, that could be said for any countries people at any time. sure our emperors/kings/god/homeland may go by different names but we all sacrifice for them even today.

besides you said WORSHIP. the japanese people did NOT worship violence... sacrifice MAYBE but not violence.

peace

[psychopomp]

37. Nothing in the article about changing the Constitution

You are right, Japanese coastal SDF ships did indeed fire first on the spy ships. I had forgotten that important detail.

The ruling party does not have enough popularity to try to amend the peace constitution and such a move would be highly unpopular. I wish it were possible to preserve this unique constitution but I think its days are numbered: some day, the U.S. and Japan will part ways diplomatically and Japan will be on its own.

Though the U.S. has a lot of say in Japan's foreign policy, I am not so sure that the U.S. is calling the shots on this matter.

The overseas deployment of SDF forces to Iraq is unpopular. We will have to wait and see what happens with that.

[bpilgrim]

40. typical of the lame stream media...

but to do what they describe in the article would certainly REQUIRE it.

CHAPTER II: RENUNCIATION OF WAR
Article 9:

Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. 2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

more...
http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Japan/English/english-Constitution.html

...Constitution's Article 9 and the Self-Defense Forces

The War Laws were imposed in 1999 to create mechanisms for Japan's participation in U.S. wars. But because of Article 9, the government officially had to state that the SDF are not allowed to go abroad with the aim of using force and that their action is limited to rear-area support. What the government describes as "rear-area support" is actually logistics, which is part of war. What the government is saying is a deception. At the same time, we should note that Article 9 is effective to a certain degree in putting a brake on sending the SDF abroad.

After World War II, Japan has never taken part in wars abroad with its armed forces. This is owing to Article 9 and the people's peace movement. Article 9 has consistently been trampled upon in postwar politics led by the Liberal Democratic Party, but it has been and is playing an important role in preventing the SDF from being sent abroad and Japan from becoming a military power. Can we allow this brake to be released and a system to be established to allow the SDF to be sent abroad unrestricted? This is the focal issue in the struggle around Article 9. Opposition to an adverse change in Article 9 can bring together both those who regard the SDF unconstitutional and those who do not.

more...
http://www.jcp.or.jp/english/jps_weekly/e000930_03.html


Constitution seen being sidestepped as Japan weighs new defense policies

The Japan Times: Jan. 1, 2004

Meanwhile, the Constitution itself may no longer be sacred.

In August, Koizumi instructed the Liberal Democratic Party to map out a blueprint for revising it by November 2005, when the party marks its 50th anniversary.

more...
http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040101a7.htm

# April 1998: LDP introduces bill to extend SDF role to supporting U.S. forces.

# 1997: Japan broadens the role of SDF to surrounding areas, i.e. Korea, Taiwan, Philippines.

i hope the japanese can just say NO!

A Japan that Can Say No

by Akio Morita and Shintaro Ishihara. Akio Morita is the former chairman and founder of Sony

1. THE NECESSITY FOR PRESENT DAY JAPANESE TO REFORM THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS (Ishihara)
* Japanese People Have Become Top Heavy
* Japan's Advanced Technology Is at the Heart of Military Strength
* There Is A Need for Japanese to Change Their Consciousness in Light of High Technology

2. THE DECLINE OF AN AMERICAN WHICH CAN ONLY SEE 10 MINUTES AHEAD (Morita)
* American Neglects the Significance of Production
* America Looks 10 Minutes Ahead; Japan Looks 10 Years
* Japan's Impact on the World Economy Will Be Recognized

3. RACIAL PREJUDICE IS AT THE ROOT OF JAPAN BASHING (Ishihara)
* America Will Never Hold Its World Leadership Position Unless It Ends Its Racial Prejudice
* Japan Should Become More Cosmopolitan

4. BASHING JAPAN GETS VOTES (Morita)
* The Paradox of Welcoming Investment but Criticism of Japan
* Japanese Industries in the U.S. Should Work at Community Service
* Let's Build an American Society Where Japan Bashing Causes Votes to Decline

5. AMERICAN ITSELF IS UNFAIR (Morita)
* America Lacks Business Creativity
* Japan Has Not Forced Its Sales on the U.S.
* Let Us Think About the Role Japan Should Play in the World

6. THE CRITICISM OF JAPAN AS AN IMITATOR IS OFF THE MARK (Ishihara)
* The America Which Closes Its Eyes to Its Own Unfairness, and Criticizes Japan
* Japan, A Country Where Each Person Is Highly Creative
* The Excellence of Japanese Products Relates to the Educational High Level of the Employees

7. IS AMERICA A COUNTRY WHICH PROTECTS HUMAN RIGHTS? (Morita)
* Workers' Rights Are Ignored by American Companies
* American Executives Prefer Immediate Rewards
* A Japanese Corporation is a Community Bound Together by a Common Destiny
* The Japanese Approach Can Be Used Worldwide

8. LET'S BECOME A JAPAN THAT CAN SAY NO (Morita)
* Saying "No" Actually Represents a Deepening of Mutual Understanding
* National Characteristics Which Make It Difficult for the Japanese to Say "No"

9. LET'S NOT GIVE IN TO AMERICA'S BLUSTER (Ishihara)
* Statesmen Ought to Make Best Use of All Available Cards
* Nakasone Bungled the Relationship
* Diplomacy Should Be Free of External Pressures

10. THE U.S. AND JAPAN ARE "INESCAPABLY INTERDEPENDENT" (Morita)
* No Way To Avoid the Trade Frictions
* Japan's Central Role is Asia
* America, You Had Better Give Up Certain Arrogance

11. JAPAN SHOULD LIVE IN HARMONY WITH ASIA (Ishihara)
* Restrain America!
* Japan Is Not Getting a Free Ride on the US-Japan Security Pact
* Japan Should Live in Harmony With Asia
* Japan Can Be Admitted to the World Community by Saying "No"

read online here...
http://home.earthlink.net/~rufusis/japanno/

peace

[psychopomp]

41. From the link you and I posted

The Constitution is seen as being "sidestepped." PM Koizumi is putting his party's political captial on the line by paving the way for an amendment to Ariticle 9.

However, the opposition parties are busily fighting amongst themselves so it may be an opportune time for the LDP and the unrepentant political chauvinists who are its leadership to grab for the brass ring: an assertive, militarily prominent nation (this should sound painfully familiar).

Speaking of said chauvinists, Ishihara is among the most prominent. I, too, look forward to a Japan politically independent of the U.S., but I do not count Ishihara as a friend in that pursuit.

He was a friend of Mishima Yukio, who is among my favorite writers but politically anti-Enlightenment making him a political anachronism that earned him ridicule from the student-led peace movement that he dispised.

Japanese intellectuals react to another inflammitory Ishihara remark

Mr. Morita was a fascinating person. One interesting note: he had a section in Sony that secretly was devoted to the scientific proof of ki, or chi. After he died, the section was dissolved. (IIRC, when it was discovered it was thought to be the eccentric pet project of an otherwise sober man, hence embarrassing, hence buried.)

Interestingly enough, the findings were such that ki could be demonstrated scientifically however no profit could be made from it-- that is to say, no products could be devised that would earn the company a profit. Sorry, no link!

[IndianaGreen]

25. The world is becoming more like America

A lawless world in which the strong rule unconstrained.

[loudnclear]

44. The world is coming to exactly what the neocons planned.

The US invasion of Iraq has accomplished exactly what many predicted. Endless chaos and destablization and opportunities for the west to take over the Arab world.

[ochazuke]

3. Imitate the chimp

It's like the last sixty years never happened.

[Minstrel Boy]

6. "It's like the last sixty years never happened."

You know what? They didn't. At least not so as they matter now. That's ancient history.

And speaking of ancient history, did you know that in the summer of 2001, before 9/11, Rumsfeld commissioned a study of ancient empires - Macedonia, Rome, and the Mongols - to determine how they maintained dominance.

Really, it's like the last 2,000 years never happened, either.

[Dover]

11. It's the "NEW NORMAL" as Cheney affectionately calls it.

All war, all the time.

[aquart]

16. The Mongols, my 1/8 ancestors, maintained dominance by mass murder.

The entered a city and made huge bone piles of the former residents.

It was an effective tool. Don't tell me BushCo's not thinking of using it.

[teknomanzer]

22. I wonder If Rummy...

Bothered to look at what caused these empires to collapse.

[mbperrin]

33. Newsflash! Those empires (and many more) are dust!

Sorry, empires cost, they don't pay. Has to do abstractly with diminishing marginal returns, but concretely, works out that the overhead is just too high.

[MikeG]

29. I doubt the Chimp knows the history of the last sixty years.

[qanda]

8. Well, at least we're starting out the year

On a positive note... /sarcasm

[Skidmore]

10. Not as farfetched as you think...

One post which sticks in my mind is that on the Capitol Grilling forum, a self-identified freeper, prior to the 2000 election, kept trumpeting "you just wait and see...we're going to turn back everything to where it was sixty years ago."

[aquart]

18. That's the problem with all those sanitized old war movies.

Kids raised on John Wayne have no clue what was really going on.

[NNN0LHI]

9. Wasn't Pearl Harbor a pre-emptive military strike? Yikes! n/t

[Media_Lies_Daily]

20. Only if one still believes the attack was a surprise.

[bpilgrim]

30. suprise has NOTHING to do with pre-emption

do you think iraq was suprised?

peace

[Whoa_Nelly]

28. Read re: Pearl Harbor here

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html

<snip>
"...everything that the Japanese were planning to do was known to the United States..." ARMY BOARD, 1944
President Roosevelt (FDR) provoked the attack, knew about it in advance and covered up his failure to warn the Hawaiian commanders. FDR needed the attack to sucker Hitler to declare war, since the public and Congress were overwhelmingly against entering the war in Europe. It was his backdoor to war.

FDR blinded the commanders at Pearl Harbor and set them up by -

denying intelligence to Hawaii (HI)
on Nov 27, misleading the commanders into thinking negotiations with Japan were continuing to prevent them from realizing the war was on
having false information sent to HI about the location of the Japanese carrier fleet.

[NNN0LHI]

34. Wow! MOTHER OF ALL CONSPIRACIES n/t

[Muddleoftheroad]

45. LOL, how did he "provoke" it?

Geez, so many FDR haters on a Democratic site.

[On the Road]

48. It's Not Being Anti-FDR

FDR imposed a naval blockade against Japan and sunk every Japanese commerical vessel he could.

The blockade was imposed because of Japan's invasion of Manchuria, which was an aggressive and illegal act. I'm not sure the blockade was the wrong thing to do, but it was an act of war and was most definitely a provocation for Pearl Harbor.

Somehow high school history books don't like to mention the blockade. It's a typical pattern -- any action taken against the US is mysterious and without motive.

[Dover]

12. The big or powerful countries are simply conducting hostile takeovers

or the smaller weaker ones. They get all their resources and reduce competition. A successful, if violent, merger.

[aquart]

17. Temporarily successful. Maybe.

Benefit doesn't begin to equal cost.

Forty million Muslims need to die to give us half a chance at the Caspian Basin oil. What's the price of a missile? A tank? While we're killing them, billions of Chinese and Indians are going to wonder why we think we're entitled to own what's right next door to them, and they're both nuclear powers.

They'll destroy us and sing songs about it. And not a soul on the planet will care because we'll deserve it.

Thanks, BushCo.

[Just Me]

26. We "liberals" TOLD YOU SO,...

We warned that the U.S. was setting new precedent that other countries would use!!! Now any country can assert "moral righteousness" and a "just war" to move into a "pre-emptive" engagement. Stupid, pro-war, power-mongering, imperialistic neo-con backwash!!!

I put all responsibility upon the backs of the neo-cons for the revival of a world at war and yet another arms race (which is disgustingly financially fruitful to our neo-con arms dealers). They instigated it,...their actions have tipped the dominoes. God help me,...I truly do h-a-t-e what these sociopaths are doing to us and to the world.

[Lisa]

35. oh no, here we go again ...

(I can say this ... all my grandparents are Japanese!)

[daleo]

36. Back to the law of the jungle

It is funny, though, how all this lawlessness started with the ultimate in lawful formality, a Supreme Court ruling (Bush 2000 I mean).