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Japan orders ships sent to fight Somali pirates

By Mari Yamaguchi - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 28, 2009 6:05:22 EST

TOKYO — Japan on Wednesday ordered its ships to join the international fight against pirates off the shores of Somalia — a move that has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers who fear it could draw the country into military operations prohibited by its pacifist constitution.

The post-World War II charter limits Japan’s military to conducting defensive operations. Its naval ships can only be deployed to protect Japanese boats and their crew. Ruling party members have argued that the battle against piracy is more a crime-fighting operation than a military one.

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You knew that somebody had to post this.

I wish they wouldn't do this. Japan owes it to the civilized world to participate, but their constitution forbids this, and first and foremost they need to follow their own rules. They should revise the dumb-ass part of the constitution that forbids it, THEN send their ships (and some troops, maybe) to the Mideast.
As if they give a damn what some guy says on a shooters' bulletin board in the U.S.
(Edited slightly to stay on point)

DKDay wrote:They should revise the dumb-ass part of the constitution that forbids it...

I imagine there are still a few veterans of the Pacific threater that'd argue that was added to Japan's constitution for good reason.

Japan unleashed would be a serious contender for one of the worlds greatest military powers in a short time. Not much has changed in Japan realtive to the discipline and intellect and manufacturing capacity of it's people. They were an enemy to be feared and could readily be once again. I like the idea of a contained JDF. Better that they keep us knee deep in Sony products and cars.

I don't really have a problem with an expanded Japanese military so long as they are not allowed to use aircraft carriers, missile subs, or nuclear weapons. Violators will be subject to canned sunshine without warning.

Japan is not the country it was in 1941. I lived there 1981 - 1996. I speak/read Japanese, so was not just talking to English-speakers. The people tend to be very pacifistic. Rather sanctimonious about it to Americans, occasionally, like the Euros are. Most of them look back on the unfortunate events in 1933 - 1945 as extremely stupid and humiliating. I'd say they learned their lesson.
Don't run too far with what I said above about their being sanctimonious, or with what you hear about their irritation with the US-Japan security treaty. They do not trust China, and Russia ... The Russians kept thousands of Japanese soldiers prisoner in Siberia for several years after WW2, and most of them died. A lot of Japanese are still bitter about that.

Also various US administrations have wanted Japan to step up it's military spending and presence in the Pacific area in part to take pressure off the US military spending I'm pretty sure. The Japanese politicians would trot out that constitution and use it to say no can do.

With Japan's economic stakes on those ship routes from the oil fields of the Middle East, those Somali pirates had better be careful that they don't get familiar with ball gags, nipple clamps, and bamboo up the ass while Jpop plays at high decibels. "Torture, torture, What torture, we aren't questioning them and we do this every weekend anyway."