Why Japan Is Facing Pressure To Return To Military Research (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: China's growing nation status has Japan reconsidering its 70-year old ban on military research projects, as Japanese defense circles actively seek to take advantage of the country's vanguard position in robotic technology. Pressure from the government is also mounting, as authorities try to find means to bring university researchers into the defense fold — particularly to meet the challenge of a more aggressive Chinese military. Funding cuts in Japanese higher education, combined with a weakened economy and governmental austerity measures, may make the allure of military funding irresistible to researchers and academic institutions.

Comments

Re:Perhaps

[dwillden]

Or more likely it has to do with China becoming much bolder in it's attempts to take control of the South China Sea and the Spratly Islands. And then there is NK which has launched multiple missiles over them in blatant threat to them.

Not everything relating to global military concerns revolves around the US.

Re:Perhaps

[Daemonik]

The US doesn't start fights. It imposes itself into fights it has no reason being involved in. Totally different.

Regarding Japan though, I doubt the Japanese are fearful of the US attacking them anytime soon. It's more that they're worried, rightfully, that if China were to invade them the US may or may not help defend them depending on the politics of the situation. Also the Chinese have been seizing any rock poking it's head above water in the South China Sea to claim territorial rights on, and there's quite a few disputed rocks that China & Japan both claim ownership of.

It reflects reality..

[monkeyman.kix]

It is unfortunate that Japan has to consider rearming itself, but with North Korea's ability to launch (possibly nuclear) missiles at Japan, and China's increasingly belligerent tone in the south china sea, Japans current pacifist constitution cannot stand. It cannot rely on the US to wholly protect her. If we could all take a step back and realize the silliness of it all, the world would be a much nicer place, but we are all jerks to someone else, whether you want to be or not and you do need to protect yourself, lest you get shot bringing words to a gun fight.

Re:I really hope

[sinij]

Pacifist nations get conquered unless they pay to non-pacifist nations to protect them. Blame human nature, but dare not to ignore it.

It is no longer clear that independent Japan is more valuable to US than trade with China, as such protection is less guaranteed. Look at much weaker Russia getting away with annexing parts of Georgia and Ukraine that only resulted in anemic sanctions and rhetoric.

No chance

[Bruce66423]

The American president is going to launch a nuclear war because China invades Japan? Not a chance.

Re:No chance

[Fire_Wraith]

If the USA is unable to stop it by conventional means, then absolutely, yes.

That's exactly how deterrence works.

And the moment you show you're unable or unwilling to use it, all bets are off, everywhere, for every US ally. The threat becomes useless if you reach the point where you would use it, and you blink and back down instead. The USA would no longer be able to deter China from anything short of an invasion of the mainland USA - and even then, if you keep drawing lines in the sand and I keep crossing them, at what point do I start thinking you'll suddenly change just because I cross another one?

Re:I really hope

[TheRaven64]

I sort of see Japan as the place to look how to make something new , whereas I look at China as the place to look how to make something cheap and in high volume

You might ask someone who remembers the '70s how they used to see Japan.

Re:I really hope

[Major Blud]

More than that, being pacifist has kept Japan safe for decades.

I think it's more likely that the U.S. military presence in Japan has kept it safe.