Abe Says Japan Ready to Counter China's Power

desicanuk

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By Gerard Baker, George Nishiyama WSJ Oct.26,2013

TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he envisions a resurgent Japan taking a more assertive leadership role in Asia to counter China's power, seeking to place Tokyo at the helm of countries in the region nervous about Beijing's military buildup amid fears of an American pullback.
Mr. Abe made clear that one important way that Japan would "contribute" would be countering China in Asia. "There are concerns that China is attempting to change the status quo by force, rather than by rule of law. But if China opts to take that path, then it won't be able to emerge peacefully," Mr. Abe said. "So it shouldn't take that path, and many nations expect Japan to strongly express that view. And they hope that as a result, China will take responsible action in the international community."
China's Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to requests to comment on Mr. Abe's assertions. In the past, the Chinese government has said that Mr. Abe's government was in danger of leading Japan toward a revival of right-wing militarism.
Mr. Abe's comments come amid a period of heightened tensions between the two Asian giants, as high-level diplomatic contact has virtually dried up amid a territorial dispute in the East China Sea. While the conflict preceded Mr. Abe becoming prime minister in December 2012, Beijing has accused him of aggravating ties with assertive rhetoric defending Japan's claims and ramping up Coast Guard defense of the chain of islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
 

Ray

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26 October 2013 Last updated at 15:51 GMT


Japan will stand up to China, says PM Shinzo Abe


Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says other countries want Japan to adopt a more assertive leadership role in Asia to counter the growing power of China.

Mr Abe told the Wall Street Journal there were "concerns that China was trying to change the status quo by force, rather than by the rule of law".

Relations between China and Japan have been strained over recent years.

China said on Saturday that if Japan shot down Chinese drones, this would be considered "an act of war" by Beijing.

The statement was referring to reports that Mr Abe had approved defence plans that envisaged using air force planes to shoot down unmanned Chinese aircraft in Japanese airspace.

Another contentious issue between the two countries is the dispute over a group of islands.

The islands, in the East China Sea, are controlled by Tokyo, but claimed by Beijing.

But analysts say the nations' rivalry reflects the power shift created by China's meteoric economic and diplomatic rise while Japan has been mired in a two-decade economic slump.

China has warned against Japanese nationalism in a region where Japan's colonial expansionism is still bitterly remembered.

'Act of war'
In the interview, Mr Abe said he had realised that "Japan is expected to exert leadership not just on the economic front, but also in the field of security in the Asia-Pacific".

He promised policies to counter Japan's waning influence.

Other countries wanted Japan to stand up to China, Mr Abe said without naming any.

"There are concerns that China is attempting to change the status quo by force, rather than by rule of law. But if China opts to take that path, then it won't be able to emerge peacefully," Mr Abe says.

"So it shouldn't take that path, and many nations expect Japan to strongly express that view. And they hope that as a result, China will take responsible action in the international community."

The interview comes days after Mr Abe was reported to approved defence plans to intercept and shoot down foreign unmanned aircraft that ignore warnings to leave Japanese airspace.

On Saturday, China's defence ministry responded saying: "If Japan does resort to enforcement measures like shooting down aircraft, that is a serious provocation to us, an act of war.

"We will undertake decisive action to strike back, with every consequence borne by the side that caused the trouble," spokesman Geng Yansheng said on the ministry's website.



BBC News - Japan will stand up to China, says PM Shinzo Abe

*************************************************************

A clear indication to China to take a running jump since it is but a paper tiger.

"Japan is expected to exert leadership not just on the economic front, but also in the field of security in the Asia-Pacific".

This statement of Prime Minster Abe is most telling.

A clear warning to China to steer clear if China wants to stray healthy.

The lasso that the US has thrown now tightens!

All littoral countries realise that it is time to tame the wild bronco!
 

Ray

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Q&A: China-Japan islands row


The row concerns eight small islands or rocks in the East China Sea

Ties between China and Japan have been repeatedly strained by a territorial row over a group of islands, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu islands in China. The BBC looks at the background to the row.

What is the row about?
The eight uninhabited islands and rocks in question lie in the East China Sea. They have a total area of about 7 sq km and lie northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and southwest of Japan's southern-most prefecture, Okinawa.

They matter because they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits. The islands are controlled by Japan.

What is Japan's claim?
Japan says it surveyed the islands for 10 years and determined that they were uninhabited. That being the case, on 14 January 1895 it erected a sovereignty marker that formally incorporated the islands into Japanese territory. The Senkaku islands became part of the Nansei Shoto islands - also known as the Ryukyu islands and now as modern-day Okinawa prefecture.

After World War II Japan renounced claims to a number of territories and islands including Taiwan in the 1951 Treaty of San Francisco. But under the treaty, the Nansei Shoto islands came under US trusteeship and were then returned to Japan in 1971, under the Okinawa reversion deal.

Japan says that China raised no objections to the San Francisco deal. And it says that it is only since the 1970s, when the issue of oil resources in the area emerged, that Chinese and Taiwanese authorities began pressing their claims.

What is China's claim?
China says that the Diaoyu islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, serving as important fishing grounds administered by the province of Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that this is "fully proven by history and is legally well-founded".

Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, after the Sino-Japanese war. When Taiwan was returned in the Treaty of San Francisco, China says the islands - as part of it - should also have been returned. But Beijing says Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek did not raise the issue, even when the Diaoyu islands were named in the later Okinawa reversion deal, because he depended on the US for support.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the issue should be shelved for future settlement and that the two sides should try to prevent it from becoming "a disturbing factor" in bilateral ties. There have nonetheless been sporadic incidents over the islands.

Separately, Taiwan also claims the islands.

Have there been incidents before?
In 1996 a Japanese group established a lighthouse on one of the islands. Chinese activists then sailed repeatedly to the islands and in one incident, Hong Kong activist David Chan jumped into the sea and drowned. Since then, there have been periodic attempts by Chinese and Taiwanese activists to sail to the islands. In 2004, Japan arrested seven Chinese activists who landed on the main island.

There have also been face-offs between Japanese patrol boats and Chinese or Taiwanese fishing vessels. In 2005, 50 Taiwanese fishing boats staged a protest in the area, complaining of harassment by Japanese patrols.

In September 2010, Japan seized a Chinese trawler that collided with two coast guard vessels near the islands, sparking a serious diplomatic row. Small anti-Japanese protests were held in several cities in China. A visit by 1,000 Japanese students to the Shanghai Expo and a concert by a top Japanese band were also cancelled. In the end, Japan released the entire crew of the trawler - first the 14-member crew and then the captain, several days later.

What sparked the most recent row?
In April 2012, a fresh row ensued after outspoken Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara said he would use public money to buy the islands from their private Japanese owner. A group of Hong Kong activists sailed to the islands in August - they were detained and later sent back. Several days later, at least 10 Japanese nationalist activists also landed on the islands. The Japanese government then reached a deal to buy three of the disputed islands from the owner - a move it said was to block Mr Ishihara's more provocative purchase plan.

The move angered China. It triggered small protests in a number of Chinese cities and hit the operations of some Japanese firms in China. Since then, Chinese government ships have sailed in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters around the islands on many occasions. Then in December 2012 Japan said a Chinese government plane had violated its airspace over the islands - the first such incident since it began keeping records, it said.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to office that same month pledging a tough stance, but also calling for more dialogue with Beijing. Beijing, meanwhile, announced in January 2013, that it would carry out a geological survey of the islands as part of its "programme to safeguard its maritime rights and interests".

Japan then accused Chinese vessels of placing a weapons' controlling radar lock on two of its vessels near the islands - a ship and a helicopter - in January 2013, allegations the Chinese military denied. Then in April, as boats carrying Japanese activists sailed to the area, China sent eight government ships into waters around the islands, the largest number of ships to date. As Japan summoned China's envoy to protest, Mr Abe told parliament that Japan was prepared to use force if Chinese officials attempted to land on the islands.

So what next?
The Senkaku/Diaoyu issue complicates efforts by Japan and China to resolve a dispute over oil and gas fields in the East China Sea that both claim.

It also highlights the more robust attitude China has been taking to its territorial claims in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea in recent months.

The US has called for "cooler heads" to prevail on both sides. But at present the island issue remain a keenly-watched dispute, with the tensions between these two Asian giants sparking concern around the region and beyond.

BBC News - Q&A: China-Japan islands row
 

no smoking

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A clear indication to China to take a running jump since it is but a paper tiger.

"Japan is expected to exert leadership not just on the economic front, but also in the field of security in the Asia-Pacific".

This statement of Prime Minster Abe is most telling.

A clear warning to China to steer clear if China wants to stray healthy.

The lasso that the US has thrown now tightens!

All littoral countries realise that it is time to tame the wild bronco!
Sometimes, I just can't help laughing when I see the indian style talking.

On one hand, they just claim themselves a world power or a "superpower to be", on other hands they are behaving like a cheerleader.
 

W.G.Ewald

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Sometimes, I just can't help laughing when I see the indian style talking.

On one hand, they just claim themselves a world power or a "superpower to be", on other hands they are behaving like a cheerleader.
As I understand BG Ray's post, he has said PM Abe is warning China about its territorial aggression, and other countries in that part of the world may be in agreement with PM Abe.

Does anything in your response refute that statement?

Try adding something substantive in your posts.
@Ray
 
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SajeevJino

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Abe Warns China on Island Spat as Japan Dispatches Jets

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned he wouldn't permit China to use force to resolve territorial spats, as the renewed presence of Chinese aircraft near disputed islands led its neighbor to dispatch fighter jets.

Japan sent up fighter jets for a third day yesterday after Chinese aircraft flew between its southern islands without entering Japanese airspace, the Self-Defense Forces said on their website. Abe said yesterday the country would not allow any shift in the status quo regarding islands both governments claim in the East China Sea. Abe made similar comments in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Oct. 25.

We will show the nation's determination not to allow any change in the current situation by force," Abe told Japanese troops in a speech at a military base on the outskirts of Tokyo, saying Japan would cooperate with countries that share its values of freedom, democracy and basic human rights. He has previously used such phrases in reference to Japan's territorial dispute with China.

Drone Flights


Newspaper reports that Japan is considering asserting its right to shoot down unmanned drones that come into its airspace have added to the tensions. An unidentified drone was spotted outside Japanese airspace close to the disputed islands on Sept. 9.

Chinese unmanned aircraft have not violated Japanese airspace and the shooting down of a drone would prompt retaliation, Defense Ministry Spokesman Geng Yansheng told reporters in Beijing on Oct. 26, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

"China absolutely does not permit other countries' aircraft to violate China's airspace," Geng said, according to the statement. "If the Japanese side shoots down or takes other coercive measures, to me that's a serious provocation, it's an act of war, and we will take decisive measures to fight back."

Abe Warns China on Island Spat as Japan Dispatches Jets - Bloomberg
 

Ray

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Sometimes, I just can't help laughing when I see the indian style talking.

On one hand, they just claim themselves a world power or a "superpower to be", on other hands they are behaving like a cheerleader.

You are but the Laughung Cavaliar.
 

Ray

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As I understand BG Ray's post, he has said PM Abe is warning China about its territorial aggression, and other countries in that part of the world may be in agreement with PM Abe.

Does anything in your response refute that statement?

Try adding something substantive in your posts.nhh
@Ray
He requires courage to face reality
,
 
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no smoking

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As I understand BG Ray's post, he has said PM Abe is warning China about its territorial aggression, and other countries in that part of the world may be in agreement with PM Abe.

Does anything in your response refute that statement?

Try adding something substantive in your posts.
@Ray
Well, in asia, as long as everyone is doing the exactly same thing as India, China gets nothing to worry about: expecting others to be Beowulf.

India wants to be a tough guy, but refuses to do the tough thing.
 
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roma

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India wants to be a tough guy, but refuses to do the tough thing.
japan will show an example to the indian electorate by standing up to dragon
instead of all the appeasing that india has been doing
we have been friendly to dragon - a useless strategy
im sure the chines on this forum will agree that
we should follow japan's example

then the electorate of india will consider
whether our successive goi's have been doing the right thing
by appeasing dragon all these decades
and they will give a certain party a kick in one direction
and another party an invitation in the opposite direction

the days of appeasing china will be over
as we unite wiht japan and follow their example
emperor is due for visit in november
and PM will visit in january
followed by 2nd visit by chiefs of staffs

dragon is riding a wee bit high at the moment
and what a bloated head !!
just a few decades ago
it was the "sick man"

things have changed havent they
and they can and will change yet again
 

no smoking

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japan will show an example to the indian electorate by standing up to dragon
instead of all the appeasing that india has been doing
we have been friendly to dragon - a useless strategy
im sure the chines on this forum will agree that
we should follow japan's example
Whether or not this is a successful one is up to Indian, but it is not a strategy to appease Chinese.

then the electorate of india will consider
whether our successive goi's have been doing the right thing
by appeasing dragon all these decades
and they will give a certain party a kick in one direction
and another party an invitation in the opposite direction
Anyone who think congress party govt is a weak govt that can't defend india interest should be reminded of the 1971 war.
This govt just works like any other country's gov: they only start a war which they can win and win at appropriate cost.
Fighting a war with a bigger power for some rocks is the last thing they want.


the days of appeasing china will be over
as we unite wiht japan and follow their example
emperor is due for visit in november
and PM will visit in january
followed by 2nd visit by chiefs of staffs
No matters how many times Japanese comes to your bed, you won't be her partner if you don't give what she asks.

dragon is riding a wee bit high at the moment
and what a bloated head !!
just a few decades ago
it was the "sick man"
This "sick man" stopped a superpower's matching in Korea whe he just stepped out of civil war.
This "sick man" kicked your ass when he was experiencing one of worst famines.
This "sick man" staired at another superpower for 20 years even he shit his pant.

As I said, to be a tough guy, you need to do the tough things.

things have changed havent they
and they can and will change yet again
Yes, the gap between the 2 countries becomes larger and larger. The things can change. But as long as you always want to take a free ride, india won't be the one benefiting from these change.
 

W.G.Ewald

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Well, in asia, as long as everyone is doing the exactly same thing as India, China gets nothing to worry about: expecting others to be Beowulf.

India wants to be a tough guy, but refuses to do the tough thing.
China = Grendel? What an image! :-D

 

roma

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This "sick man" staired at another superpower for 20 years even he shit his pant.
which other superpower are you referring to ? ...why so afraid to mention ?
after all youre supposed to be some kind of the tough guy ?

This "sick man" stopped a superpower's matching in Korea whe he just stepped out of civil war.
This "sick man" kicked your ass when he was experiencing one of worst famines.
As I said, to be a tough guy, you need to do the tough things.
korea ? after the usa was already tired out fighting 2 world wars
and gave you weapons to counter the japanese in ww2
what did you do ? ...as usual
you betrayed the friendship of the usa and used those weapons against them in korea

you kicked our ass ?
no way ! you betrayed our friendship .... as you have done to many others
you were armed and ready, while we believed your talk of friendship
even with all our unpreparedness we still took out 60% of the numbers you took of our guys
( afaik you took 5000 plus of our we took 3000 plus of yours )
and they few times we stood firm , you were repulsed - even with all your superior weapons
and all your sun-tzu war strategy, confucious, and mouse-dung red book and
...all it took was to stand firm
and your approval of congress is to be expected ....
after all - the aksai chin incident is just a pimple to them

as for being a tough guy - once in a blue moon ´
when our army refuses to listen to kangaress and puts their foot down
we get results at the border with tibet

but all that is gonna change
japanese are coming to cooperate with us
2014 ~~ elections
~~ changes ~~ more japanese attitude and right wing hindutva.
india production capacity will go up
no more playing games
no more foreigners speaking accented hindi ruling our nation !
no more quattroci
no more quietly sending indian antiques to a small town in central europe

i might be in favour of of hindutva
even being a non-hindu

if it clears corruption, im in favour of it

Yes, the gap between the 2 countries becomes larger and larger..
in terms of economy, the gap is closing , yes china is ahead - but it was much worse earlier on
just that we didnt trade directly - so we didnt have figures

militarily , we had farmers rifles and lee enfield shoot and reload each time
while you had ak47 semi and fully automatic plus overt russian support in those days
the british -trained indian soldiers and officers who had fought for them
were mainly muslim and left for pakistan - we had to retrain all over
nehru wanted to DISBAND the army - as he couldnt see any threat !!!!

your human resources were 600 million plus
compared to india barely 300 million and poverty-stricken after brit rule

gap widening ?
huh !
 
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Ray

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Japan minister: China tfhreratens peace in islands row


Japan defence minister says China's behaviour over disputed East China Sea islands is jeopardising peace.

Itsunori Onodera's comments came amid heightened tensions between the two countries over islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

Rhetoric has risen in recent days, with Japan reporting increased activity from China in the area.

Last week, Japan scrambled fighter jets three times after Chinese military aircraft flew near Japanese airspace.

The two countries have argued for decades over the islands, which Japan controls. They are also claimed by Taiwan.

In 2012, the Japanese government bought three of the islands from their private Japanese owner, a move which sparked a new row and protests in Chinese cities.

Since then, Chinese ships have been sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters, prompting fears of a clash.

'Hyping up'

Mr Onodera told reporters in Tokyo he believed "the intrusions by China in the territorial waters around the Senkaku islands fall in the 'grey zone' [between] peacetime and an emergency situation".

On Monday four Chinese ships entered waters around the islands. The move came after Japan scrambled fighters three days in a row after Chinese aircraft flew over international waters near Japan's southern island of Okinawa.

Over the weekend, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan should be more assertive in countering China in Asia.

He also, reports said, last week approved defence plans that envisaged using air force planes to shoot down unmanned aircraft in Japanese airspace.

Last month, an unmanned drone flew close to the islands. The drone appeared to return to Chinese airspace, reports say.

In response, China's Defence Ministry said any attempt by Japan to shoot down Chinese aircraft "would constitute a serious provocation, an act of war of sorts".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that Japan should "stop hyping up the external threat theory and elaborate to the international community the true intent of [its] military build-up".

The chain of disputed islands lies east of the Chinese mainland and south-west of Japan's Okinawa island. They are close to strategically important shipping lanes and offer rich fishing grounds.o


BBC News - Japan minister: China threatens peace in islands row

***************************************************************

It appears that Japan couldn't care less about China.

In fact, it appears that Japan is thumbing its nose to China, considering China as a mere paper tiger.
 
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Chinese are forcing the japanese to militarize the outcome will not be good for china.
 

Yusuf

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Chinese are forcing the japanese to militarize the outcome will not be good for china.
The only thing Japan doesn't have is a nuke and even that is a matter of time should they decide to weaponize and make a few dozen nukes.

Japan already on its way to carrier ops
 

ice berg

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The only thing Japan doesn't have is a nuke and even that is a matter of time should they decide to weaponize and make a few dozen nukes.

Japan already on its way to carrier ops
If China can live with close to 1 mill soviet soldiers at her borders and 40.000 soviet nukes, I am sure she can handle Japan. :p

I sometimes wonder all member here are borned after the cold war.
 

no smoking

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The only thing Japan doesn't have is a nuke and even that is a matter of time should they decide to weaponize and make a few dozen nukes.

Japan already on its way to carrier ops
If 240 nukes doesn't prevent Vietnam/Philippine from playing around those rocks in South China Sean, what make you believe that a couple of japanese nukes can scare the shit out of Chinese?

By the way, if you want to prove your nuclear ability, you have to do a nuclear explosion at least once! Can you tell me where japanese is going to do it on their own land? Tokyo?
 

Oblaks

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If 240 nukes doesn't prevent Vietnam/Philippine from playing around those rocks in South China Sean, what make you believe that a couple of japanese nukes can scare the shit out of Chinese?

By the way, if you want to prove your nuclear ability, you have to do a nuclear explosion at least once! Can you tell me where japanese is going to do it on their own land? Tokyo?
@ the Senkakus
 

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