Travers Naran wrote:

> Eric Takabayashi wrote:
> > [No, the show did not explain how the US military
> > served the US or Japan, nor how they are risking life
> > and limb in the Middle East this very moment, while
> > they whine and bitch (or ooh and aah) about the "free"
> > and "easy" lives of the US service personnel.]
>
> Nor mentioning that those living State-side who aren't officers don't
> get it quite so nice.
>
> > I am certainly not holding my breath for the show to
> > remind Japanese that despite all the Japanese pain
> > during and after the war, the US military is the single
> > biggest reason they are free today, or why North Korea
> > is listening to what they have to say.
>
> I'm going to play Devil's Advocate:  Maybe they still would have been
> free without U.S. protection if they didn't have the pacifist clause in
> the constitution?

No, Russia was in a position to take them after the surrender if not for the
presence of the US, and other nations would also be much more free to be more
aggressive in their naval and air space incursions. I'd like to see North
Korea attempt some missile test firings toward or over the US.

Only the collective lack of will of the Japanese people and politicians stands
in the way of Japan being a nation with its own political will, or the guts to
amend its Constitution even once, as the US has done 26 times, and other
nations have also done numerous times. But no, they fear what their much more
militarily powerful and politically influential neighbors will think regarding
any changes in Article 9, or publicly admitting they have a force capable of
military aggression.

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