Japan's new "Helicopter Destroyer"

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJXhm421tqI&playnext=1&list=PLBE1753816400EC03

Bull. Fucking. Shit. It's a carrier. Why not just come out and say it's a carrier?

Just like the whole "Self Defense Force" concept. It's been 60 years, why can't we let Japan have a real military and defend themselves for a change? I mean, we let Germany re-arm shortly after WWII, why did we not do the same thing for Japan?

[ewagner]

1. The argument I've heard:

is that we "oversold" disarmament. Apparently the concept of not having an a military except for self-defense is completely ingrained in the Japanese public.

could be a bs argument

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Japan spends over $46 billion annually on their military

Not exactly chump change. They're ranked 7th in the world in military spending.

[notesdev]

3. Japan does have a real military

The "self-defense force" thing is a relic of the past and doesn't reflect their actual capabilities. They are in the top 5 worldwide in defense spending, and it doesn't go for home-defense shotguns.

[TheMightyFavog]

5. Isn't due to a treaty obligation or something?

If it is, can we not, by mutual agreement, end that obligation?

[notesdev]

6. No reason to

It's a convenient diplomatic fiction with a null real-world effect.

If Japan goes to war, that "self-defense force" becomes a full-fledged military just by renaming it.

[TheMightyFavog]

7. interesting...

I thought it was a treaty thing, but in reality, you gotta somewhat admire Japan here...

[old mark]

4. Japan CHOOSES to call their military a Self Defense Force-we had nothing to do with it.

They established it after we stopped occupying them.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Self-Defense_Forces


Not everything stupid in the world is our fault.


mark

[TheMightyFavog]

8. But getting back to the ship...

How easy you reckon would it be to convert this ship to carry VSTOL fighters like Harriers or the VSTOL Joint Strike Fighter, (if it ever gets off the ground pun intended). What would be China's reaction if Japan DID do that?

[Warren Stupidity]

9. It has been a long time since we controlled what Japan did.

How they portray their military is a domestic issue. It seems that the total fucking disaster that their WWII leaders lead them into did not sit all that well with the people of Japan, and much of the population is not too keen on anything that resembles a return to that era.

[DavidDvorkin]

10. We changed our Department of War to the Department of Defense long ago

It's standard wording for a lot of countries.