It's hot in here... and why am I in this handbasket?

[phluxisgod]

I know that quite a few of you are better versed in Japanese politics and history than I am - I ran across something this morning that I don't really understand. According to the BBC article here, we're basically trying to bribe Japan to give up Article Nine of their Constitution with hopes of a seat on the UN Security Council

Comments

[ketheres]

Article 9

part 2

[ketheres]

OK, enough history lesson

part 3

[ketheres]

>Why don't they object to this

part 4

[ketheres]

During the UN intervention in East Timor, some groups in Indonesia actually wanted Japan to just send money, rather than troops, such was the lingering bad blood against Japan from over half a century prior. Japan ended up sending nearly 700 personnel in early 2002. This was the largest dispatch to date. Previous dispatches include the Golan Heights, Mozambique, and Cambodia. In all cases, troops performed support functions only, no combat. The situation is pretty indicative of the trend in Asia. Japan wants a place on the security council, and thus need to have an active hand in UN peace keeping initiatives, and have been pointed to as not doing their part (often by the US). But when they do manage to take part, their Asian neighbors have the tendency to get antsy and pissed about it

part 5

[ketheres]

Koizumi skirts the issue by stating the visits are all personal visits: that he’s going as Junichiro Koizumi, and not prime minister of Japan and so his actions do not carry official and therefore political weight (sound familiar?). Recently though, his visits were declared illegal in response to a suit brought against him for violation of church/state separation

part 6

[ketheres]

As a final addition to your handbasket, Koizumi handed the right wing a present when he announced in March of 2003 the consideration of a contingency plan for a pre-emptive attack against North Korea, should there be eminent threat of attack from the rogue state (a central tenet of the right wingers is the proper rearming or remilitarization of Japan). The move to send troops to Iraq has been seen by some as an attempt to establish precedent for this or other, hopefully more realistic, military activities in the future. Additionally, in the current economic situation in Japan, being awarded some of the reconstruction contracts, which are available only to members of the coalition, is arguably enticing.

Well, thanks for giving me something to do for the first half of my day here.

Oh, and Faithful Summer?
>=P