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Yes but it's no longer 1941. Does Japan even HAVE a military? I'm sure South Korea could invade today if they wanted to...
They couldn't. The U.S. military is basically all over both South Korea and Japan.
South Korea just isn't in a position to invade Japan, with that much U.S. military in both countries. The U.S. military must protect Japan, and anything less would be heavily against U.S. interests. Additionally, the U.S. must protect South Korea as well, and the U.S. military is much stronger than the South Korea one, which it trains, etc.
They couldn't. The U.S. military is basically all over both South Korea and Japan.
South Korea just isn't in a position to invade Japan, with that much U.S. military in both countries. The U.S. military must protect Japan, and anything less would be heavily against U.S. interests. Additionally, the U.S. must protect South Korea as well, and the U.S. military is much stronger than the South Korea one, which it trains, etc.
Of course I'm not saying they would, they're allies and there's no reason to, but hypothetically, if they were in a state of war, the SK military could easily invade Japan because they don't have a military (US bases notwithstanding).
Japan has one of the strongest militaries in Asia if not the strongest. China might have a bigger budget right now but Japan has decades of much higher spending than China and it is only fairly recently that China overtook Japan in terms of military spending. That said however in the long term without a doubt China will be the preeminent military power in Asia.
In the short term both China and Japan is playing the same game. Creating external conflicts that redirects the attention of the public makes political matters easier at home. It is not a coincidence that both China and Japan are going through economic reform right now and beating the war drums louder than ever. The danger lies in that one side may overstep and create a situation they can't back down from.
What are you talking about Japan barely has a military. South Korea has military conscription and has to always be on the alert in case they start fighting with North Korea again.
Japan has a military. It also has more fighter jets and warships than South Korea. Didn't you know this? More importantly, Japan's armed forces are largely self sufficient. They can produce a large amount of war material in their country. South Korea is not self sufficient.
Technically speaking, Japan has a "self defense force" which is officially an extension of their police force. But that's splitting hairs and for all intents and purposes, if they wanted to kick butt, they could.
So, basically South Korea has more tanks to repel an invasion from the North and more reservists due to an active compulsory conscription. But they have roughly equal naval strength, and air power, which is what the war would mostly be because they aren't connected by land.
The reality is though the US would stop a war between the two. We're allies to both and they know that. We'd pull back some forces from the DMZ in Korea and we'd up trade barriers against both if the two ever fought. So let's stop the rhetorical debate for something that will never happen so long as the USA maintains a strategic alliance in the region.
I'm still left wondering "what is the point" of Japan preparing its own military-industrial complex, akin to what exists in the USA? Do you agree that Japan, through Abe, is trying to establish one, and why? To me, it quacks like a duck and smells like a duck, so it's a duck and yes, Japan is trying to establish one, but I'm still left wondering why.
Technically speaking, Japan has a "self defense force" which is officially an extension of their police force. But that's splitting hairs and for all intents and purposes, if they wanted to kick butt, they could.
So, basically South Korea has more tanks to repel an invasion from the North and more reservists due to an active compulsory conscription. But they have roughly equal naval strength, and air power, which is what the war would mostly be because they aren't connected by land.
The reality is though the US would stop a war between the two. We're allies to both and they know that. We'd pull back some forces from the DMZ in Korea and we'd up trade barriers against both if the two ever fought. So let's stop the rhetorical debate for something that will never happen so long as the USA maintains a strategic alliance in the region.
I'm still left wondering "what is the point" of Japan preparing its own military-industrial complex, akin to what exists in the USA? Do you agree that Japan, through Abe, is trying to establish one, and why? To me, it quacks like a duck and smells like a duck, so it's a duck and yes, Japan is trying to establish one, but I'm still left wondering why.
I don't know why, either, but maybe it ha something to do with the increasing talks here at home of sending some of our troops home abroad, and talks of closing our base(es) in Okinawa. In any case, I welcome an increase in Japanese forces. It'll make it easier for us to repel a North Korean invasion. This is the only region of the world we should be in, not the Middle East or Afghanistan. The moment our side starts to show holes in our strength, that's when Kim Jong-un might decide to invade. The kid's also got an itchy trigger finger, and so do his generals
Technically speaking, Japan has a "self defense force" which is officially an extension of their police force. But that's splitting hairs and for all intents and purposes, if they wanted to kick butt, they could.
I'm still left wondering "what is the point" of Japan preparing its own military-industrial complex, akin to what exists in the USA? Do you agree that Japan, through Abe, is trying to establish one, and why? To me, it quacks like a duck and smells like a duck, so it's a duck and yes, Japan is trying to establish one, but I'm still left wondering why.
It can, with some effort, convert its industries to military use which is something South Korea cannot do. Japan did that both during the Russo-Japanese war and WW2. The military-industrial complex is already in place. They produce the Mitsubishi F2 and F15 and the Kawasaki C1. Japan also manufactures part of the Dreamliner.
In a war with ROK, the Koreans can probably hold their own in initial battles but will eventually be worn down and overwhelmed by the Japanese industrial might. It takes more than standing men and equipment stockpiles to win in war, just as the Prussians, Chileans and US Union demonstrated during the 19th century.
Japan has its Japan Self Defense Forces which grew out of the national police reserve in 1954. The budget for the JSDF for 2011-2015 is 281 billion dollars. Japan also has the Japan Coast Guard which is a civilian body with serious hardware responsible for the Japanese coast.
Japans defense spending in 2013 is at the same level as Britain or France and the 5th largest in the world. Then there is the US alliance which further bolsters Japanese security.
Article 9 of the Japanese constitution only says Japan will not maintain an armed force with war potential, i.e. beyond what is necessary for defense, not that it shouldn't have a defense force. Which basically means Japans military will be regulated by the level of threat the country faces.
Article 9 is why Japan is only now developing and amphibious force because it's relevant to its security with China's increasingly confrontational approach to the Senkaku islands. A new force for the defense of "remote islets" is being established in Japan which is consistent with article 9.
Japanese defense depends on the threat from China so I wouldn't call Japan's increasing militarisation nationalistic but rather pragmatic.
It's complete BS to argue that China today is "more aggressive". It may only appear so because it is now finally strong enough to stand up for its own national interest in safeguarding its territorial sovereignty, which it could not do for the past 200 years. Anyone who think that somehow a strong Japan needs to be let out of its "cage" to contain China is either blind to recent history, or masterfully using geopolitics to maintain American hegemony in Asia (Japan as a dog to do American bidding).
To follow the latter goal, one still needs to remember that amongst nations, there is never permanent friends, just interests. During WWII, the US aided Republican China against a militarist (and sadistic) Japan. Now, more than 60 years later, the rhetorics have change into aiding a "democratic" Japan against Chinese "communism". What might happen 60 years from now, no one knows. But one thing is certain; there is only one country so far in history that got nuked (Japan), and there is only one country so far in history that nuked another country, and that is the US. How odd that they are such good friends now, but do you really think the Japanese have forgotten their history? I don't think so.
China fought a defensive war in Korea only once the US led forces crossed the Sino-Korean border (Yalu). The Japanese struck by surprise at Pearl Harbor and dragged the US into the Second World War.
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