“Japan’s largest warship since World War II went into service Wednesday, bolstering the nation’s maritime defense capabilities at a time when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is preparing security legislation to expand the scope of Japan’s military activities.”
“Five years on from the explosion that killed 46 sailors — almost half the crew — and led to increased border defence by both sides, the sinking is reigniting tensions between South Korea and its reclusive, nuclear-armed neighbor. North Korea…
“The US may want to edge Australia into a trilateral arrangement to support Japan in any showdown with China. Of course, this may not be a considered US strategy, or a particularly high priority. It should nonetheless be a goal…
“A bipartisan group of influential U.S. senators has called on the government to draw up a strategy aimed at halting China’s “unilateral” acts to assert control over disputed islands in the South China Sea, including land reclamation projects.”
“The foreign ministers of South Korea and China held bilateral meetings in Seoul on Saturday, but Beijing did not bring up the controversial issue of Washington’s possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile-defense system on Korean soil, a Seoul official…
“The Japan-South Korea rift has complicated U.S. efforts to forge a stronger security alliance against common foe North Korea and to U.S. strategy aimed at countering China’s rise. Japan and South Korea host 80,000 U.S. troops, the backbone of America’s…
“China’s air force needs better central control to avoid miscalculations as territorial tensions rise with Japan over the East China Sea, according to Australia’s air force chief.”
“Japan is building up its military forces and strengthening alliances to counter threats from China as the country emerges from decades of isolationism following its defeat in World War II.”
Commentary by Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan. “Next month Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend the 60th commemoration of the 1955 Bandung Conference of Asian and African leaders in Jakarta… There are other reasons why Abe’s participation…
Presumably democratic governments have at times used states of emergency or “states of exception” (see Giorgio Agamben’s work) in order to ramp up militarily assertive rhetoric, and to claim the right or necessity to suspend or modify existing legal boundaries in order to increase their power.…
“Public confidence in China’s military is higher than ever. According to a public opinion poll, an overwhelming majority of Chinese citizens think the People’s Liberation Army is capable of facing and beating the United States if it comes to that…
“China’s planned military parade to mark the end of World War II is likely to be held at the site Japan attacked in 1937 to trigger the Second Sino-Japanese War, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the plan. The…
“According to results of a public opinion poll released by the Japanese government, China’s military expansion and emphatic claims in various land and maritime border disputes with Japan are more of an immediate security threat to Japanese than disagreements with…
“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called Sunday for swift enactment of legislation to enable Japan to defend its security more robustly as his Liberal Democratic Party held its annual convention.”
“Officials in China were tight-lipped about whether Japanese and U.S. leaders will be invited to a parade to show off its military prowess on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.”
“Japan and China will hold their first security talks in more than four years later this month (March 19), a sign of a further thaw in relations that have been badly strained in recent years due to disputes over maritime…
“China will hold a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two this year and invite the leaders of major countries involved in the war to attend, the foreign ministry said, events probably aimed at…
Analysis by Stratfor Enterprises, LLC, of the evolution of postwar Japan’s intelligence apparatus.
“Japan and China plan to hold in bilateral security talks in Tokyo as early as April — the first in four years between their foreign and defense ministries, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.”
“In order to win, Japan should give China a dose of its own medicine,” some argue, but could that lead to an arms race, increase distrust, exacerbate tensions in the region, and solve nothing in the end?
“Russia will always find an adequate response to any pressure coming from the outside, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a gala-show ahead of the upcoming Defender of the Fatherland Day, which honors those who served in the armed forces.”
“The confusion Tony Abbott has injected into the future submarine issue is undermining Japan’s efforts to sell a more assertive new security policy to the region.”
“Japan’s new Development Cooperation Charter will allow for non-combat military aid and prioritize Southeast Asia.”
“The Chinese defense ministry said on Thursday that China and Japan have agreed to launch a maritime and aerial crisis management mechanism at an early date.”