NEWS: Japan Is Getting It’s 1941 On

POLITICS: Japan Is Getting Its 1941 On

Japan is getting into its wayback machine for a little inspiration. The country is considering whether or not to launch preemptive strikes on missile bases in North Korea. Japan was a little more than freaked out by North Korea’s missile tests last week and is now discussing whether a strike would be a violation of the Japanese constitution.

The country currently has a pacifist constitution, which means an attack would have to be justified as self-defense. The constitution forbids the use of the Japanese military in international disputes and prohibits funding of the military for war. But the heads of government are said to be meeting to discuss the possibility of an attack. Precedent was set years ago with a pre-emptive strike on Godzilla.

One hiccup in the plan is the fact Japan has no ballistic missiles, only ground-to-air missiles and ground-to-vessel missiles.

South Korea was not keen on the idea, as they will be the nation that suffers the most in a war with their northern neighbors. South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun talked a little smack.

Come on guys, focus. Keep your eye on the prize. Godzilla is still out there. Don’t even get me started about Rodan and Mothra.

We do realize WWII started well before the US decided to show up in 1941, right? Try getting it's 1937 on.

God...Am i wrong for automatically thinking of Godzilla ? I mean atomic testing is what created him in the first place...After 50yrs he finally melted down...Not good then...not good now...

By the way...Mothra is friendly...keep the mini twins happy and dont try to kidnap them...she's on our side. rodan...He hates godzilla so much I doubt he would be a problem. Just destroy the eggs and open a lava flow and he's toast.


GOD!!! TOO GEEKY FOR MY OWN GOOD.

But seriously...I think its not a bad idea...I mean it seems North Korea put their cards on the table and are asking for a visual response...

I think it's a Pearl Harbor reference...preemptive strike and all that.

I don't see why Japan can't launch strikes against missile bases in N. Korea. But I don't think they should. Japan already has a treaty with the U.S concerning Japanese forces fighting against China should they invade Taiwan, with self defense justifications involved. But "any" country should consider the consequences in consideration for S. Korea. Strikes on the North could disrupt the status-quo and nobody wants that!

Maybe because they have neither the appropriate weapons nor the experienced troops such an endeavor would require? As much as this is a Japan vs. North Korea story, it's likely just as much an internal Japanese debate about continuing their completely-pacifist-since-WW2 tendencies.

There's actually a load of valid reasons it wouldn't be the WORST idea for the Japanese to loosen their constitutional rules regarding use of the country's military. It's a hard subject for them to broach, and North Korea's missile tests give those that feel that way cover to get their points across.

I think its a great idea. The last time Japan launched a pre-emptive strike on a country with nuclear weapons, there were no negative drawbacks at all.

I think your reportage is a bit pro America or passive, to be honest. Let's get some facts sorted out. The Japanese constitution was more or less drafted/heavily influenced by the occupying American forces, led by General McArthur when WW2 ended. Since then, Japan has been a stepping stone for US military activity in Asia and the Pacific regions. The southern island of Okinawa was America till 1972 (I think). Loads of local issues that you would probably never even hear of in America.

Now that all the things that go on in the world don't seem to make sense, and lost synchronicity from the perspective of the dying old people in various powers that be organizations, everybody is checking in on their "status".

I am in Japan, and NK has been a known issue for YEARS. Judging by the press I read on the internet, America seems to be far more freaking out about NK because they are now officially armed.

The Japanese constitution has been an ongoing and interesting experiment, I hope it stays that way. But, let's also think about what is pulling the strings.

FYI, Godzilla has an underlying message of no nukes.

Hm... Strange angle on this one. The motivation for a pre-emptive strike here, is a bit different from 1941, or am I wrong?

while you're all preoccupied with your insignificant affairs Megalon will rise and wreak bloody vengeance on the surface dwellers, mwahahahaha.

/obligatory zilla reference for the thread

Actually, America has been freaking out about North Korea since we had that little war with them and the Chinese a few years back. Originally they had both China and the USSR on their side.

Things have changed a fair bit since then. The USSR is effectively gone, its replacement is reasonably chummy with us. China is N. Korea's more reasonable ally, and they are one of our most important trade partners.

And interestingly enough, South Korea also tries to have a tempering effect on the North, but they would tend to prefer it happens in a much gentler way. While in the past they would have likely walked lockstep with the U.S. in regard to N. Korea, it's not too uncommon for them to be at odds with our gov't's positions on North Korea. This may or may not have to do with their democratically elected government actually beoming same.

To be precise, when Japan attacked the USA, the USA was not a nuclear power; and even at the end of the war, the USA was not a nuclear power. It was an atomic power.

And what if North Korea's Pulgasari teamed up with South Korea's Yongary? Could they then defeat Godzilla?

Japanese language, culture, and history was my major in college.
Mmmminoru is correct, the Japanese constitution is commonly known as the "MacArthur Constitution" by Japanese, and any Japanese reader of the document can immediately tell that it is distinctly unnatural in its wording and phrasing... and this goes beyond the difference in English between vernacular speech and "legalese".
Despite this, I have found that many Japanese have internalized its message of peace, and are staunchly against Japan becoming militarily involved in any conflict. Perhaps this is because I have met liberal minded, young Japanese students, but even my older professors were also very pacifistic.

As for the "Japan Getting It's 1941 On" bit... Yeah it is making a reference to the fact that Pearl Harbor was a pre-emptive strike. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was commited in response to US embargos on Japan for Japan's atrocities commited in China (wait a sec... the US was doing the right thing for once? Oh yeah, that was over 60 years ago). The current situation would be a pre-emptive strike to eliminate the threat posed by a clearly unstable and aggressive government. Before the US invaded Iraq, most people thought North Korea would be next on the US's stomping list, as it has always represented a greater and more immediate threat than Saddam. Unfortunately we forgot about Dubya having to satisfy his Oedipal complex, and Big Dick needing to make some money for his friends over at Haliburton.

Nah, Mitsubishi can build a mecha Godzilla that can outbeat any of them!

On a serious note, the constitution has had a BIG influence on contemporary Japanese society and culture, to the extent that it's almost invisible. I really don't think Japan would be any effective in the military race at it's current mindset, we're just a bunch of hippies.

NK, Mr. Kim should chill a bit, maybe go vegan and take all the toxins out.

I still don't get why China won't do more. Having such an unstable government with nukes so close to it you would think they would invade. But China won't even go for an embargo. They want something less binding.

Because China has alot of economical interest in North Korea. If they back an attack they lose alot of money (especially if the US goes in and installs a government that screws China out of trade in favor of "democratic" nations)

My guess is, they like having a dangerous loon they can squash easily nearby. Worked for Bush II, right?

North Korea has an economy?

China: population 2 billion.
NK: population 23 million.

With something like the second or third largest economy in the world Japan can afford a military that would give anyone pause. This is not something China, or even Russia for that matter, would be looking forward to. We may not be able to influence China or Russia enough to convince them to take a hard line with NK, but the idea of Japan re-arming might. God knows you can't blame them for being worried with that nut job so close.

America isn't really stopping Japan from being military. Japan is cocksucking America and America loves it (really). The fact is that Japan has always had enough technology to become military. Mitsubishi make Sherman tanks and F16 air fighters under license, from guess who? There is also an aerospace programme with rockets that actually fly. Guess where a lot of the techno comes from? it's very much a co-dependent relationship.

It's times like these that make me glad i'm on vacation.....far, far away.

China has a lot of infleunce over NK. NK produce a lot of black market product, including drugs, most of which are smuggled into Japan and distributed by the "yakuza" mafia network. Do you think, NK, a country that is supposedly so such chaos, can actually develop and create nukes on their own? China is a RAPIDLY developing nation with virtually bottomless manpower resources.

This is not a simple black and white issue, it is very complex and co-dependent.

There's another reason, too. A war would mean border troubles and a huge influx of North Korean refugees - a problem which is already causing China a big headache.

It takes less than 15 seconds to learn that Japan has the 4th largest economy in the world today; Your Favorite Source CIA. Japan is likely to give up this number 4 position to India whose GDP growth outpaces Japan's by 2x.

Japan also managed to spend $44 billion on its military efforts. While only 1% of its GDP (compared to say the US, which spent 4%, and China who spent 4%, and India who spent just $19B or about 0.5%, or Israel who spent 7.7% or $10B) suggesting to me that there is no absolute correlation to military spending and the scope of military threat a country faces.

I'm not convinced that DPRK represents the threat being characterized here and I suspect that Japan and China both see the threat from DPRK as very modest at best. Japan, one of the most debt-laden economies on the planet at 170% of GDP, may fear losing US economic support more than it fears an attack from DPRK.

Japan and South Korea represent more than 40% of DPRK exports and China of course represents 45%. Both China and Japan are importers of DPRK goods, though DPRK has an incredibly weak economy due in some part to military expenditures approaching 10% of GDP.

There is no predicting what the short and perhaps unstable person leading the country might do; however, any DPRK conflict would certainly be aimed at the US, who the leadership sees as a threat to its social system. (Note that DPRK rejected both Soviet and Chinese forms of Communism).

I'm speculating of course, but it seems that the saber rattling has more to do with rejecting assimilation into US doctrine than any desire on the part of a short dictator to actually engage in war. I don't support the leadership of DPRK; how can you accept a model where people are left to starve while funds are directed to military spending? However, in our own country we have not yet seen the affect of our own recent WOT, WAI, and whatever beach head is next. These expenditures will be felt by the children and grandchildren of SG members.

We Americans are continuing to struggle with politcal cultures that do not fit neatly into our model and unfortunately, with increasing regularity, we seem to be leading with military action at the worst and military threat at the least.