Statesmen come along only once in a great while. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who was murdered on July 8 in Nara, Japan was a statesman. He was the first of the 20-odd Japanese prime ministers to deserve the title in the last 35 years since Yasuhiro Nakasone held …
Statesman and Defender: Shinzo Abe Will Be Missed Continue Reading >>
A lot happens at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the annual gathering in Singapore of defense officials, experts, and hangers-on. One of the highlights of the 2022 event — even more than China’s defense minister reciting his list of complaints to United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin — was Japanese Prime Minister …
Kishida’s Shangri-La Speech: What He Means, Why It Matters Continue Reading >>
This article originally appeared in The Epoch Times. These days Okinawa isn’t in the news much—being overshadowed by the looming Chinese military threat, North Korean missile launches, a war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, and attendant global economic turmoil. This is the 50th year since the United States relinquished its occupation and …
This article originally appeared in The Epoch Times. The Americans went to the Solomon Islands almost two weeks ago. It was a high-power delegation that included Biden’s National Security Council Indo-Pacific “Asia Czar” Kurt Campbell, the State Department’s Asia-Pacific head Daniel Kritenbrink, and senior officials from USAID and USINDOPACOM. But there was an …
Solomon Islands: Going After Chinese ‘Juice’ Continue Reading >>
This article originally appeared in The Epoch Times. A Chinese acquaintance asks me about Japan every now and then, particularly why it has been “beefing up” its military in recent years. The other day, she asked me a few questions after reading an article about Japan potentially obtaining a “counter-strike” capability to hit enemy …
When the first Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) contingent was dispatched to Iraq in 2004, a U.S. Marine officer gave its commander some parting advice: “You’d better be ready to shoot somebody.” This wasn’t said in jest. Despite the JSDF being a military in all but name, “shooting people” really wasn’t part of …
Japan’s Defense: Is Japan Ready to Shoot? Continue Reading >>
