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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:58 pm Post subject: Will Japan ditch pacifism to fight pirates? |
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http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200901080187.html
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/15007
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The Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun reported today that the Japanese Diet (parliament) will consider amending the country's pacifist consitution to allow the use of force against pirates.
Since the end of the World War II, the Japanese constitution has stipulated that its military hold only non-combat roles. Is this a first step on the way to bigger non-combat roles or even combat for Japanese troops in places like Iraq and Afghanistan?
"This is like putting your little pinky in the water--or even maybe your big toe," says Gerald Curtis, an expert on the Japanese military at Columbia. "Piracy is an opportunity to do something that isn't really the use of force to settle an international [problem]."
If Japan is ready to take the fight to the pirate, they're just in time. The United States announced today that its Navy will head up a new 20-country coaltion of boats to fight piracy off the Somali coast. Some of the countries in that coalition "did not have the authority to conduct counter-piracy missions,� according to the Navy's statement. Defense department spokesman Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder clarified for me: "There were some nations who were members of [the task force] who were not able to conduct counter-piracy operations based on their national charters." The countries in the coalition have not been announced yet, but that certainly sounds like a description of Japan.
The U.S. taskforce has an impressive roster, including two ships, two aircraft, and the 1,000 personnel on ships assigned to "assist" the operation, according to Ryder. The mission will collaborate with the EU mission already deployed.
As for tactics, Ryder includes "increased patrols of heavily trafficked areas, enhanced planning and coordinated execution of operations, hard intelligence and demonstrations of force." |
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caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Since they have demonstrated that they now know how to play nice I say they should be allowed to come out of their room of enforced pacificm and play outside in the military force sandbox with the other kids. |
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the ireland
Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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I like their pacifism, but then I'm Irish and our navy is three lads in a dingy  |
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blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:15 pm Post subject: |
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| the ireland wrote: |
| I like their pacifism, but then I'm Irish and our navy is three lads in a dingy |
Ya, we've the only navy in the world that can come back for lunch  |
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the ireland
Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| blade wrote: |
| the ireland wrote: |
| I like their pacifism, but then I'm Irish and our navy is three lads in a dingy |
Ya, we've the only navy in the world that can come back for lunch |
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Hater Depot
Joined: 29 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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| caniff wrote: |
| Since they have demonstrated that they now know how to play nice I say they should be allowed to come out of their room of enforced pacificm and play outside in the military force sandbox with the other kids. |
I'm very curious how the Japanese public will react, given the very widespread support for pacifism. I guess we'll find out how deep that support really is. |
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it's full of stars
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 3:44 am Post subject: |
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| the ireland wrote: |
| blade wrote: |
| the ireland wrote: |
| I like their pacifism, but then I'm Irish and our navy is three lads in a dingy |
Ya, we've the only navy in the world that can come back for lunch |
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A liquid lunch? |
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