Japan: Washington’s wrong choice for Asia security

[unhappycamper]

http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2982620

Washington’s wrong choice for Asia security
Dec 27,2013

The United States supports Japan’s military expansion through the revision of its post-World War II peace constitution that enables Japan to exercise a right to “collective self-defense,” which allows the country’s military to send troops to an ally under threat. It’s the result of having common interests between Washington and Tokyo. America can ease its security burden in Asia and at the same time Japanese right-wing politicians led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe watch for a chance to revive militarism. This movement is causing strained relations with China and Korea.

The United States must consider that the revival of Japanese militarism and nationalism might become a two-edged sword. Though Abe has repeatedly expressed his support for the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japanese ruling circles have their own independent interests and have never given up their ambition to make Japan the dominant power in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States should not forget the teachings of the Pacific War. The support for the rearming of Japan is an anachronistic and shortsighted policy.

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To prove the point:

http://breakingdefense.com/2014/01/japan-re-shapes-its-national-security-strategy/

Japan Re-Shapes Its National Security Strategy
By Robbin Laird
on January 09, 2014 at 4:45 AM

~snip~

U.S. weapon systems are a key part of the Japanese approach. Clearly, at the top of the list is building out from the Aegis global partnership and including Ospreys and F-35s as centerpieces. Japanese F-35s would be part of the Pacific fleet of US and allied F-35s and Japan is where the first F-35s are coming in 2015. By 2020 there could be as many as five squadrons of F-35s from the US and Japanese. This will clearly be the center of excellence for the fledgling F-35 enterprise. On top of this, the Japanese will build their F-35s in rebuilt Mitsubishi facilities, thus becoming the third final assembly line for F-35s, with Fort Worth, and Cameri, Italy, the other two.