It may be comforting to realize that when Japan entered World War 2, only 73 years had elapsed since the transition from a feudal system into a constitutional democracy. There were still people old enough to remember the old system. It's 78 years since 1941.
The better way of looking at it is that American guarantees can only mean so much. A DPRK with a nuke is different kind of threat to US, compared to Japan compared to South Korea. There is already enough gap, the Japanese realized that leaving their security with Americans entirely is not a strategy. So they are walking back from the pacifist constitutions and militarizing.
In the short-to-mid term its good for US, a formidable ally with world class navy! But a Japan with powerful navy cant help itself but wants to dominate Pacific, that what happened in December of 1941, the rest is history.
The world in 1941 was a lot different. Back then, one would be forgiven for viewing history as either colonize or be colonized.
This is not to defend Japan's actions, they did totally unjustified things in China, and as it turned out after Japan modernized, the west never posed a threat (as WWII would wipe out the Europeans ability to colonize and the US had no interest in it.
The point being, now our perspective on history is very different. Colonization is a thing of the past. Respecting borders is by and large an unimpeachable norm across most of the world. I don't think Japan will feel the same pressures.
It's not 1945 anymore. Nobody in Washington has any qualms about Japan building up its military strength with anything short of nukes. The post-war constitution and pacifist values imposed by the Allies on Japan actually took too well, and the Japanese people remain more skeptical of the wisdom a more militarized Japan than either the current Japanese PM or Washington.
Japan has little to gain from going on another rampage through Asia conquering stuff. Even if you ignore that annexing other countries tends to make you an international pariah these days (see Russia in eastern Ukraine), everyone near them either has nukes (Russia, the PRC, and the DPRK) or is in some form of alliance with the US (the ROK and ROC).
I agree, relying on someone else is a recipe for disaster so they should start to militarize. Yet I don't necessarily agree that they will become expansionist. Also note they started way before 1941, I believe they began in 1904 with their war with Russia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War.
One of the main reasons they started to invade other countries was their population growth at the time. They were looking for resources and land. Nowadays their population growth is so abysmal they have no need to land grab.
They didn't just start focusing on China now. Not sure what prompted this particular title, since there isn't much substance in the paragraphs before the paywall.
The economist is much cheaper when you sign up for a student account - if you have your university email that will work.
I do recommend subscribing -- their articles are really good. I find the give a great global business perspective. The downside is it can get a bit dry sometimes and it can be challenging to read it all each week
[+] [-] socrates1998|6 years ago|reply
Clearly, they worry about China, but they really worry about how the Japanese military answered to no one in the last decade of Imperial Japan.
This is what concerns a lot of Japanese people. The military wrote a check that the Japanese people had to cash.
[+] [-] corey_moncure|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mc32|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kochikame|6 years ago|reply
No one in Japan is afraid of the Japanese military.
Utter fiction
[+] [-] sremani|6 years ago|reply
In the short-to-mid term its good for US, a formidable ally with world class navy! But a Japan with powerful navy cant help itself but wants to dominate Pacific, that what happened in December of 1941, the rest is history.
[+] [-] raiflip|6 years ago|reply
This is not to defend Japan's actions, they did totally unjustified things in China, and as it turned out after Japan modernized, the west never posed a threat (as WWII would wipe out the Europeans ability to colonize and the US had no interest in it.
The point being, now our perspective on history is very different. Colonization is a thing of the past. Respecting borders is by and large an unimpeachable norm across most of the world. I don't think Japan will feel the same pressures.
[+] [-] khuey|6 years ago|reply
Japan has little to gain from going on another rampage through Asia conquering stuff. Even if you ignore that annexing other countries tends to make you an international pariah these days (see Russia in eastern Ukraine), everyone near them either has nukes (Russia, the PRC, and the DPRK) or is in some form of alliance with the US (the ROK and ROC).
[+] [-] DamnYuppie|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] s_y_n_t_a_x|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ArtDev|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] daodedickinson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] onetimemanytime|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] doktrin|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] drak0n1c|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] str33t_punk|6 years ago|reply
I do recommend subscribing -- their articles are really good. I find the give a great global business perspective. The downside is it can get a bit dry sometimes and it can be challenging to read it all each week
[+] [-] emiliobumachar|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]