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Showing posts with the label Sino-Japanese-United States

U.S.-Japan: A Pacific Alliance Transformed ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Jeffrey W.Hornung)

Image credits- department of State, USA by William Ng Source- The Diplomat  Author- Jeffrey W.Hornung All eyes were on Washington last week, for the visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. One of the focal points was a document that altered security ties between the U.S. and Japan. On Monday, the two countries released new guidelines for defense cooperation, outlining the general framework and policy direction for the roles and missions of the two countries’ militaries. This new document lays out a vision for the alliance that is rooted in bilateralism but is global in scope. Importantly, Japan has emerged as a willing partner in many roles it once considered taboo. Together, this translates into a stronger alliance with broader functions and geographical scope. To quote U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the updated guidelines will “transform the U.S.-Japan alliance.” The U.S.-Japan defense guidelines had become antiquated. First written in 1978, they specified

A New Type of U.S.-Japan Relations ( Source- The National Interest / Author-Patrick M. Cronin)

Image source- Reuters / Author- Larry Downing Source- The National Interest Author- Patrick M. Cronin At 9:30 AM on April 28, 1952 the U.S.-Japan alliance stood up as the U.S. occupation of Japan stood down. At the end of this month, the U.S.-Japan alliance will step up as Japan steps out as a more normal state, capable of both defending itself and others. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s address to a joint session of Congress on April 29 should go down in history as a day of glory, not of infamy. Some serious critics will remain dissatisfied over perceived historical revisionism. Yet the fact will remain that the biggest antagonists in the Pacific War have forged a prosperous postwar system and a vigorous alliance. When the Prime Minister speaks to a full house of Senators and Representatives, he can be expected to offer humble remorse for the past, quiet pride in Japan’s remarkable seven-decade-long contribution to global order, and a roadmap for how the alliance can pe

Japan's Master Plan to Defeat China in a War ( Source- The National Interest/ Author- Kyle Mizokami)

Mitsubishi F-2 ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Air Force) Source- The National Interest Author- Kyle Mizokami In recent years, significant attention has been paid to the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). China’s defense budget, which has increased ten fold in the last twenty five years, has funded the construction of a modern, ocean-going navy. This includes the recently fielded aircraft carrier, Liaoning, as well as fleets of destroyers, frigates, corvettes, replenishment ships, and amphibious assault ships. The PLAN is indeed an impressive force, but local geography will create challenges during wartime. Japan controls a string of islands that form the Miyako Strait, which Chinese naval forces must transit to enter the western Pacific. Properly fortified, the Japanese-held Ryukyu Islands could conceivably block passage of the Strait altogether. The Ryukyus have been used to defend Japan before. Okinawa, the gateway to the Home Isla

A Delay Could Strengthen the U.S.-Japan Defense Guidelines ( Source- The Diplomat, Author- Clint Richards)

Image credits- Flickr/ United States navy Official Page Source- The Diplomat Author- Clint Richards Both Japanese and U.S. officials are leaking key pieces of information regarding the expected update to their defense cooperation guidelines, which was set to be announced by the end of this year. After releasing an interim report two weeks ago to outline the progress both sides have made so far, on Tuesday the allies said they are currently negotiating a meeting of their defense chiefs sometime next month. U.S. Secretary of State Chuck Hagel and his Japanese counterpart Akinori Eto will seek to hold a sideline meeting during the ASEAN defense minister’s summit on November 18 and 19, where authorities announced the two will discuss accelerating the revision process. Aside from their cooperation guidelines, the two are likely to also reaffirm the controversial plan to move the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to a its new location of Henoko on the island of Okinawa. Ja

China and the U.S.: Whose Strategic Mistake? ( Copy Right @ The Diplomat, Author: Amitai Etzioni)

Image courtesy- Wikimedia Commons/ Author Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu, a professor at China’s National Defense University,  said recently  that “the Americans are making very, very important strategic mistakes right now” in their approach to China. His comments followed a strong statement by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who stated that “China has undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea.” However, it is quite likely that this time it is China that is making a grave strategic mistake. The way China is proceeding may well allow it to win several more bouts – of the rather small kind it did when it  positioned one oil rig in contested waters  next to Vietnam; grabbing one more shoal like it did in the Philippines, or even having more fishing and coast guard boats dance around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Moreover, China is likely to be correct in assuming that the United States, tired from two long and costly wars, will not go to war o

'Winner-take-all' tack won't solve Asia rows: US commander ( Copy Right @ The Rappler, Author- Natashya Guttierrez)

 Admiral Samuel J. Locklear ( Pic courtesy- Wikimedia Commons/ United States Navy) Compromise, and not a “winner-take-all” attitude, would help resolve worsening maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a visiting US military commander said on Friday, May 23. Security experts discussed the outlook of security in Asia, emphasizing the need for regional collaboration and the urgency to move towards multilateralism, at the World Economic Forum on East Asia, held for the first time in Manila. US Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Samuel Locklear III said the region had become the world's "most militarized" amid rapid economic growth, deepening the importance of dialogue to ensure the disputes did not lead to armed conflict. "What's going to underlie that most importantly is a commitment to the rule of law, a commitment to international forums to solve problems and to solve disputes," Locklear told a WEF meeting. "You can

Unintended Consequences of US Alliances in Asia ( Copy Right @ The Diplomat, original article by Robert E. Kelly)

The conventional wisdom on U.S. alliances in Asia, at least in the West, Japan, and Taiwan (but not necessarily in South Korea), is that they are broadly a good thing. One hears this pretty regularly from U.S. officials and the vast network of U.S. think tanks and foundations, such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the American Enterprise Institute, and their many doubles in Asia. U.S. alliances, we are told, provide stability. They  keep China from dominating the region . They hem in North Korea and defend the powerfully symbolic South Korean experiment in liberal democracy and capitalism. They prevent the nuclearization of South Korea and Japan and a spiraling regional arms race. In short, they re-assure. The  Chinese would almost certainly disagree  with these attributions. I have  argued in  The   Diplomat   before that Chinese hegemony is less likely than U.S. and especially Japanese alarmism would have one think.  Nor is it really clear  that China i

Russia Warns US-China-Japan Pacific War “Just Weeks Away (Info courtesy Farsnews.com)

According to this report, the recent decision by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to prosecute retired security tsar Zhou Yongkang's son Zhou Bin for corruption is the “leading impetus” that has led to a fracturing of loyalties in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) between those advocating immediate strikes against Japan and those cautioning a more strategic and diplomatic course of action in a number of territorial disputes between these two nations,.................. http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13921024000240