US And The Philippines Discuss Larger US Military Presence To Restructure Old Alliance

 

The Filipino government, anxious about what they say is increasing Chinese aggression in Philippine-claimed waters in the South China Sea is now in talks with the US about an increased US military presence and help in refurbishing and training its own military.

Filipino Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario sent a letter to the FIlipino congress emphasizing the necessity for American troops to have an “increased rotational presence” will help the country attain a “minimum credible defense” to help the Philippines guard its territory while it works to modernize its own military, something that has not been a priority for quite some time.

The Philippines, a former U.S. colony actually bans foreign troops being permanently based on its soil, something that was directly aimed at the US after the two countries had a falling out in 1991 and forced the U.S. to vacate its two major American bases in the Philippines at Subic and Clark.

A few U.S. troops were allowed back in to help the Filipino military battle Abu Sayaff, the local al-Qaeda affiliate (the Philippines has a large Muslim population, mainly located on the southern island of Mindanao), but this recent call is directed at increasing tension between the Philippines and China.

China claims huge stretches of the South China Sea as its own sovereign territory, and that has led to clashes with not only the Philippines but with Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. The Chinese sent a fleet into the waters of the Spratly Islands, which the Philipines claim as their own sovereign territory just last July, and China has also turned Mischief Reef, which it occupied, into a naval base.

So the Filipino government is once again seeking to base U.S. forces there.

While this is being dubbed as 'temporary' for political reasons, there's no doubt in my mind that the superb harbor at what was a major U.S. base at Subic Bay will once again become a prominent American military asset.

In his famous speech to Congress 62 years ago, General Douglas MacArthur reminded America that the western Pacific is America's maritime redoubt against our enemies. He was entirely correct.

We're seeing this basic truth reaffirmed again, as our ally Japan rebuilds its Navy and the U.S. builds ups its forces in Northern Australia, Guam, the Marianas and the naval fortress of Singapore. Look for the Philippines to be another important link in our Pacific defenses.

This is a much bigger deal than it appears.

Conservative Shinzo Abe Wins Japanese Elections In A Landslide - And Why It's Important

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and the Liberal democratic Party (LDP)won a landslide victory in Japan's elections, taking control of Japan's Diet and breaking the political gridlock that has stalled a number of reforms aimed at helping Japan's economic recovery.

The coalition—comprised of the LDP and its smaller ally, New Komeito—will now control both houses of parliament for the first time since 2007.

Abe's win was based on two issues; The credit given to him by the Japanese in restarting Japan's economic engine after a long period of decline and a more conservative, proactive stance on foreign policy.

Japan's economic problems are based on deflation and economic stagnation, something Abe has tried to address with quantitative easing from Japan's central bank, tax cuts, especially for corporations, reducing Japan's social welfare state, a fiscal stimulus and major structural reforms. Unlike our own stimulus here, Abe's 'shovel ready ' public works jobs are actually getting built, and his programs have poked the moribund Nikei index as stocks have climbed.Unemployment isn't really the problem in Japan. Growth, startups and investment is. Abe is attempting to restart Japan's economy and boost consumption and he's had some degree of success. It remains to be seen whether the real structural reform Japan's economy needs are implemented.

Opening Japan's domestic markets, for instance is something that's staunchly opposed by a number of Japanese constituencies like the farmers, many of whom have large support in the Diet and in the LDP. Deregulation of a number of Japan's industries is also something Abe says is long overdue,but again there are some entrenched interests against it.It remains to be seen whether Abe can muster the votes in parliament to get policies like this implemented.

The other issue Abe scored big on with Japanese voters was foreign policy. According to Article 9 of Japan's constitution, written originally by General Douglas MacArthur after WWII, Japan is one of the few nations in the world where an anti-war stance is official policy. Abe favors revamping Japan's military, 'revisiting' Japan's constitutional pacifism and a far more nationalist stance.

This doesn't sit well with Japan's neighbors, who understandably have bad memories of the last time Japan embraced a more aggressive foreign policy. China in particular has been fairly outspoken about Abe's stance on this.

Japan sees China and particularly North Korea as threats to its security, and there's a huge constituency in Japan for bolstering Japan's defenses. This worked for Abe during the election, as a direct consequence of the Obama Administration's failure to stop North Korea from missile launches and actually attempting to bribe China to lean on North Korea by removing our missile defense systems in the region. .Japan, like Europe had gotten used to America defending it and this came as a huge shock.

Japan will almost certainly spend more time and effort on its military and defense as a result. Whether the Obama regime will embrace this and consolidate it as part of our long standing alliance with Japan is another question.

As General MacArthur said many years ago, the Western Pacific is America's strategic redoubt. It's key to our ability to be able to fight a war on two fronts if necessary. That hasn't changed. If we forget that, forsake long time allies and remove ourselves from th equation, someone else is going to step into that vacuum.

That's why this is far more important than just an election.

N. Korea Warns Foreigners To Leave South, Escape "Thermo-Nuclear War"

North Korea issued a new threat today, read out on North Korea's state television in a bulletin that interrupted normal programming.

The message, reported by the KCNA news agency, said that once war broke out "it will be an all-out war, a merciless, sacred, retaliatory war to be waged by (North Korea):

"It does not want to see foreigners in South Korea fall victim to the war," the agency quoted the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee as saying.

"The committee informs all foreign institutions and enterprises and foreigners, including tourists...that they are requested to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety."

In a separate announcement, North Korea said that it would "launch a missile tomorrow" likely a test firing of some kind. That's been the usual pattern..bellicose rhetoric followed by an act of aggression like a missile test...although the Norks have been increasing their aggression each time, combining nuclear tests with activities like sinking a South Korean naval vessel and shelling a South Korean island.

Right now, there are still about 28,000 U.S. military in South Korea, mainly stationed along the DMZ.So far, for all the talk of war, North Korea appears - and underline that word - to have not mobilized it's conventional forces, which far outnumber the combined U.S. and South Korean forces.

The South Korean capital of Seoul is within easy reach of North Korean artillery let alone missiles, but so far no diplomats have left and the bustling city appears to be engaging in business as usual, although I'm certain their military is on alert.

The same goes for Japan, where 3 Patriot Missile batteries co-developed by the U.S. and Israel have been deployed the protect the Kanto Plain, where most of Japan's big cites including Tokyo are and where most of its population lives.



Another unit has been stationed in Okinawa, site of U.S. bases as well as a place where Japan's south can be protected.

"The government is making utmost efforts to protect our people's lives and ensure their safety. As North Korea keeps making provocative comments, Japan, cooperating with relevant countries, will do what we have to do. For the moment, the most important thing is to implement sanctions under the UN Security Council resolutions," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.

North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung's birthday is on April 15th, which could be the trigger for another North Korean 'demonstration.'

Stay tuned....

Wikileaks: Obama Tried To Apologize For Hiroshima And Nagasaki - Japan Said No

This beggars belief.

Back in November 2009 President Obama visited Japan and bowed to the emperor, something no American president had ever done. Apparently the president had something even worse in mind but was saved from dishonoring himself and our country by the Japanese themselves.He planned to visit Nagasaki and Hiroshima to apologize for winning WWII with the atomic bomb.

A heretofore secret cable dated Sept. 3, 2009, was recently released by WikiLeaks. Sent to Secretary of State Clinton, it reported Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka telling U.S. Ambassador John Roos that "the idea of President Obama visiting Hiroshima to apologize for the atomic bombing during World War II is a 'nonstarter.'"

The Japanese government strongly objected to Obama's planned apology because they feared it would strengthen the opposition on the Left, particularly those opposed to the continuing alliance of the U.S. and Japan.Perhaps they also acted out of a certain compassion, realizing that the actions of a young, inexperienced and frankly stupid president would have caused a firestorm back home in the USA and likewise endangered the America-Japan relationship.

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was horrific, but even most Japanese historians admit that it saved thousands of American and Japanese lives by convincing Emperor Hirohito to surrender instead of the U.S. having to invade the Japanese home islands, something that American military experts at the time estimated might have cost over a million dead and poisoned the relationship between the two nations for generations.

For President Obama to attempt to apologize for America's victory over a fascist foe in WWII and by extension, for the bringing of freedom to Japan staggers the imagination.

It not only shows his abysmal ignorance of history. It's an unforgivable insult to every American who served in WWII and to the country as a whole, and it proves beyond a doubt that we now have a president in the White House whose very morality is skewed and twisted and whose patriotism and love of country can justifiably be questioned.

I can't wait to see how the president's enablers and apologists in the dinosaur media try to spin this.

UPDATE: Yup, they're already at work. BTW, here's a link to the actual cable. The money quote is in part 5, discussing the President's upcoming visit:

"He[Yabunaka] underscored, however, that both
governments must temper the public's expectations on such
issues, as the idea of President Obama visiting Hiroshima to
apologize for the atomic bombing during World War II is a
"non-starter."

President Obama obviously advanced the idea of a Hiroshima apology. Otherwise, why would Vice Foreign Minister Yabunaka mention it and advise strongly against it?

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We're Doomed - Joe Biden To Sell Debt Ceiling Deal To China And Japan

Yes, Vice President Biden has been given the job of talking up the new debt ceiling deal to the Chinese and Japan, the two biggest holders of US government debt. No joke.

There are a few possible reasons for sending Dopey out on this sensitive mission. President Obama may have picked this way of telling the Chinese and Japanese that they had better not lean too hard on him or he'll resign and they'll have to have long, rambling conversations with Good Ol' Joe, inhumane treatment that ought to be prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Or the president might have picked Biden because he knows nothing Dopey says is going to make much sense, and our Asian friends will finally just give up trying to understand him, shrug their shoulders and hope for the best.

There's also the possibility that President Obama sold Biden to the Chinese in exchange for a few plasma TVs or 6 month's worth of that wagyu steak the president likes so much.

Anyway you slice it, the idea of Dopey trying to sell anything to anyone, let alone our creditors is tragedy turning into farce.

Un-freaking-believable.

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Breaking - Japan Rocked By New 7.4 Quake: Tsunami Warning Issued

Japan's northeastern coast has suffered another earthquake, this one centered about 25 miles (40 kilometers) under the water and off the coast of Miyagi prefecture. The quake was measured at 7.4 magnitude. As a comparison, last month's quke was a 9.0-magnitude.

The quake was felt as far away as Tokyo, where buildings shook for about a minute.

Japan's government meteorological bureau has issued a tsunami warning.

Workers battling to control the stricken Fukushima Daiishi nuclear plant on Japan's northeast coast were ordered to evacuate after the quake.

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Graphic Video Of Tsunami Hitting Japan

An incredibly sad video of the tsunami hitting. You actually see people trying to escape from the incoming wave. And unfortunately, I don't think they all made it.

Life is a very fragile thing.

האמנות ברוך אתה, הו אדוני אלוהינו מלך העולם, דיין האמת

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Japan Quake Update: Nuke Rods melting, Tide Of Bodies Washed Ashore

Japanese officials confirmed Monday that nuclear fuel rods appear to be melting inside the three reactors whose cooling systems were damaged by Friday’s earthquake.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Monday that "although we cannot directly check it, it's highly likely happening."

There was a huge explosion at Unit 3 in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in northeastern Japan; it had been under emergency status since the hydrogen blast at Unit 1 at the plant on Saturday. Edano repeated that the Unit 3 reactor’s inner containment vessel was intact, and that a Chernobyl-style meltdown was unlikely.

Over 500,000 people have been evacuated from the area, and the Japanese government has been issuing iodine tablets as a preventative against radiation sickness.

The death toll is officially at 10,000 and could go considerably higher. Many of the casualties came not from the earthquake itself, but from the subsequent tsunami.On the coastline of Miyagi prefecture, which which was essentially Ground Zero for the tsunami, a Japanese police official said 1,000 bodies were found scattered across the coastline that returned to shore with the tide. The Kyodo wire ,reported that 2,000 bodies washed up on two shorelines in Miyagi.

In a macabre twist, funeral homes in the area have run out of caskets and body bags, and crematoriums are unable to handle the large number of bodies being brought in for funerals.

"We have already begun cremations, but we can only handle 18 bodies a day. We are overwhelmed and are asking other cites to help us deal with bodies. We only have one crematorium in town," Katsuhiko Abe, an official in Soma, told The Associated Press.

In response, the Japanese government on waived a rule requiring permission first from local authorities before cremation or burial to speed up funerals, according to Health Ministry official Yukio Okuda.

"The current situation is so extraordinary, and it is very likely that crematoriums are running beyond capacity," said Okuda. "This is an emergency measure. We want to help quake-hit people as much as we can."

Millions are still without power for the fourth day.According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, over 430,000 people are living in emergency shelters or with relatives, while another estimated 24,000 people are still stranded.There are major shortages of foodstuffs and supplies not seen in Japan since the end of WWII.



It is remarkable ( but not to those whom know the Japanese) that with all the devastation and disruption, the bonds of Japanese society and civility still are holding together. People are pitching in to help out as they can, sharing what they have and working to survive together as a community.

There has been little if any looting or criminals attempting to take advantage of a situation like this for their own profit when law enforcement is stretched thin and people are vulnerable, and it amazes people. British journalist Ed West actually 'went there' and asked the question outright...why no looting?

It's actually quite simple, to my mind. In the end, culture matters.

Living together on an island with a largely homogeneous population, the Japanese over the centuries have evolved cultural norms that prize civility, cohesiveness and group co-operation. Simple decency is an admired trait and honor, shame and personal responsibility for one's actions - the concept of 'giri', duty to oneself and to society - are still pervasive forces.

It's why the crime rate in Japan ( and even among Japanese communities abroad) is ridiculously low comparatively, although Japan definitely has its criminal class.

And it's also why the Japanese will pull together and get through this.

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Japan Quake UpDate: Over 2,000 Dead, Nuclear Reactors Failing

The news from Japan continues to be grim.

According to the Kyodo Wire, the death toll has already topped 2,000 and their are thousands missing.Huge aftershocks continue to rock the area.

The civil authorities have entirely lost track of four commuter trains, and the speculation is that they may be trapped and covered by rubble.

The biggest problem the Japanese face right now is with their nuclear reactors. Japan is heavily dependent on nuclear power, and the huge quake has caused several reactors to lose their cooling functions.

Think of it like your car's radiator...your coolant keeps your engine from overheating, and if there's a leak in a hose or the system stops working, your engine overheats and your car ceases to run. With a nuclear reactor, what happens is that the core melts down, and instead of steam radiation leaks out.

This is somewhat similar to what happened at the Russian plant in Chernobyl, except there, the problem was caused by poor Soviet engineering,lousy maintenance and inferior materials and workmanship rather than an 8.9 earthquake.

The chief problems are at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 plants, where six reactors are experiencing cooling failure. An explosion Saturday at the No. 1 plant destroyed the roof and the walls of the building housing the Plant No. 1's reactor container.

While the steel container held, a great deal of radioactive vapor was released into the atmosphere, and a number of workers and bystanders are being treated for radiation poisoning.




Tokyo Electric Power is attempting to cool things down by filling the reactor with sea water and pouring in boric acid to stabilize things.

The Japanese are claiming that a Chernobyl-style meltdown has been averted, and that radiation levels are dropping.

The quake and tsunami actually shifted the main island of Japan by 8 feet and shifted the Earth on its axis by nearly four inches.

"At this point, we know that one GPS station moved (8 feet), and we have seen a map from GSI (Geospatial Information Authority) in Japan showing the pattern of shift over a large area is consistent with about that much shift of the land mass," said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

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Japan Quake And Tsunami Update..Hundreds Dead, Tsunami Warnings In Hawaii, Pacific Coast

Japanese Authorities have reported that 200 to 300 bodies have been found in the city of Sendai, the closest major city to the quake's epicenter. Another 110 were confirmed killed, with 350 people missing.

Frankly,I'm surprised the death toll has been this low so far.

The massive 8.9 quake is the largest in Japanese history, and the fifth largest recorded since 1900.It was followed for hours by more than 50 aftershocks, many of them greater than 6.0.

Here's a couple of statistics for you. This quake was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that struck New Zealand late last month. "The energy radiated by this quake is nearly equal to one month's worth of energy consumption" in the United States, U.S. Geological Survey Scientist Brian Atwater told The Associated Press.

Tsunami warnings are in force in virtually the entire Pacific coast. The first waves hit Hawaii in the early-morning hours Friday.

Officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger.

President Barack Obama issued a statement saying that the U.S. is ready to assist Japan. "The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakable, and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy."

China's Premier Wen Jiabao offered aid as well, issuing a statement expressing "deep sympathy and solicitude to the Japanese government and the people".

The government of Israel also offered aid to Japan. Israeli foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman immediately directed Israel’s ambassador in Tokyo, Nissim Ben- Sheetrit, to offer any aid to the Japanese government that it may need in dealing with this tragedy. The Israelis have highly trained crews with experience in rescuing people from rubble, and amazed reporters and aid missions from other countries with the efficiency of their mobile field hospitals and rescue operations in Haiti.

Japan is heavily dependent on nuclear energy, and many plants automatically shut down when the quake hit. The Japanese are working on getting them online again, but millions are still without power.

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Major 8.9 Earthquake In Japan

Northwest Japan was hit with a massive earthquake just a short time ago, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes, triggering a 13 foot tsunami that violently swept away cars and other objects in its paths and shutting down phone lines and transportation in many parts of the country.

The quake was originally thought to be a 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale but was later upgraded to 8.9.

There are an estimated 4 million people in Tokyo without power, and Japan's nuclear plants have been shut down.At least six deaths have been reported, mostly in Fukushima prefecture north of Tokyo, while dozens of injuries were reported in a wide range of areas such as Miyagi Prefecture and central Tokyo, according to the Kyodo Wire.

Tokyo's major airports halted flights and the city's trains have been halted, including the shinkansen bullet train service.

This was the fifth largest recorded earthquake since since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Service, larger than the 7.9-magnitude Tokyo quake in 1923 or the 6.3 trembler that just hit Christchurch, New Zealand.

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