Tag: Japan

The war of words between the United States and China over disputed islands in the South China Sea intensified over the weekend, with Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter telling an assembly of Asian-Pacific defense officials in Singapore the U.S. is “deeply concerned” about Chinese activity, and the increased risk of “miscalculation or conflict.”

Philippine President Benigno Aquino is set to land in Japan on Tuesday following initial negotiations for new weapons trade deals and closer military ties. Observers see the move as a preventative measure in the face of China’s expanded efforts in disputed South China Sea territory to build military facilities and artificial islands, violating international law.

Tensions are rising in the South China Sea as American officials have become increasingly vocal regarding their opposition to China’s development of islands over which Vietnam and the Philippines contend China has no sovereignty. In a scathing opinion piece in state media Friday, China has responded by telling American officials to stay out of Asian affairs.

China is working on a lunar project with plans to land a space probe and rover on the “dark” side of the moon, according to one of the top engineers in its Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). If the mission is successful, it would be the first time that a probe has ever landed on the far side of the moon.

US reaffirms defense of Japan’s Senkaku Islands; Japan-U.S. military guidelines will include ‘collective self-defense’

AONE, Japan — In the historic wooden schoolhouse here, decked out in the kind of bright artwork done by kids the world over, there are two classrooms, each containing three desks that sit marooned in the middle of a space made for many more. At break time, a boy kicks a soccer ball around the yard by himself.

The UK Telegraph reports that a new exhibit at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan has broken a seven-decade taboo about discussing the use of American POWs for medical experiments during World War II. The men were subjected to unspeakable horrors, including “medical” dissections while still alive.

AFP reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress in April, making him the first prime minister of Japan to deliver such an address. The event is to come at the end of a visit in April focused on “deepening trade and military ties,” although there is speculation he will also cover the “evils and horrors” of Japan’s history, as he did during a speech to the Australian Parliament last July.

Turkey and Armenia schedule conflicting WW I centennial commemorations; China continues its double-digit military spending increases

Japan’s crown prince has warned of the need to remember World War II “correctly”, in a rare foray into an ideological debate as nationalist politicians seek to downplay the country’s historic crimes.

Japan has been trapped in a demographic death spiral for years, as record-low birth rates produce an aging population that lacks enough young workers to sustain it.