Fighting Remilitarization in Japan
by Dae-Han Song and Michael McGrath Seishi Hinada is a National Executive Committee member of ZENKO (National Assembly for Peace and Democracy). ZENKO emerged in 1970 out of the student movement…
Japan
Japan Signals an Attitude Shift to the Growing Power of the Global South
In mid-April, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its Diplomatic Bluebook 2023, its most important guidebook on international affairs. Japan’s foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, wrote the foreword, which begins: “The…
Hermann Göring’s Words Resonate Yet Again – in Japan
While readers need no introduction to Hermann Göring, head of the Nazi Luftwaffe and Hitler’s onetime designated successor, Göring’s explanation of how to convince the people of a nation to…
Japan’s Discomfort in the New Cold War
In early December 2021, Japan’s Self-Defense Force joined the U.S. armed forces for Resolute Dragon 2021, which the U.S. Marines called the “largest bilateral training exercise of the year.” Major General…
Japan: Fooling All The People!
Many if not most readers will be familiar with the following saying attributed to Abraham Lincoln: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the…
Japan’s Threat Assessment Identifies Russia, China And North Korea As Its Main Security Concerns
Japan in its first annual defense report issued since the war in Ukraine mentioned Russia and China’s deepening military cooperation that has included joint air and navy drills is raising…
Japan: Trials and Tribulations of a Land of “Honorary Whites”
Of the many descriptions of the Japanese people readers are familiar with, e.g. industrious, polite, clean, etc., the description of Japanese as “honorary whites” may well be a first for…
UK And Japan Agree To Defense Deal
The UK and Japan have agreed a defense deal that will allow their national forces to “work more closely together”, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday. The British PM, speaking…
Japan’s Concealed Past, Condemned Future
In his 1905 book, The Life of Reason, George Santayana famously wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." If one accepts there is a degree…
Will Japan and Russia Tensions Over Contested Pacific Islands Spill Over Into War?
Each year, Japan’s Foreign Ministry releases a Diplomatic Bluebook, a guide to the government’s views on the world. Kyodo News, a reputed Japanese wire service, reports that the 2022 Bluebook will have strong language…
Japan: ‘Sharing’ Nuclear Weapons
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, after some slight hesitancy Japan joined the European Union, the US, and other countries in both condemning Russia’s military invasion and placing strong…
Defending Japanese Imperialism
Common knowledge informs us that the surrender of Imperial Japan on August 15, 1945 brought an end to the Japanese empire and Japan’s occupation of all areas and countries that…
Japanese Stealth Aircraft Carriers?
Although unfamiliar with the details, most people recognize the purpose of stealth technology is to make aircraft effectively immune to radar detection at normal combat ranges. The question is, would…
Is Japan’s Security Environment Deteriorating?
In recent months, hardly a day goes by when the Japanese media, as well as their Western counterparts, don’t comment on the increasingly dangerous security situation surrounding Japan. Needless to…
Japan approves record defense budget for fiscal 2021 amid China threats
The Japan government approved on December 21, 2020 a record defense budget for fiscal 2021 totaling ¥5.34 trillion ($51.7 billion), as it seeks to introduce new standoff missiles capable of…
What Japanese Media Doesn’t Want You To Say! Japan Is Part Of The Neo-Colonialist Clique
Write that ‘Japan is part of the neo-colonialist clique’, and you will never again be invited to participate in any public debate conducted by Japanese mass media outlets. And that…
A View From Japan: An Interview With Motoyuki Shibata
Motoyuki Shibata in New York City In Japan, even a serious writer may be seen on mass advertising, and a translator can become a star. One of Japan’s most famous…
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