Defense White Paper Stresses Importance of US Marines in Okinawa
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has released its newest white paper, and it contains a section the emphasizes the importance of having US Marine bases in Okinawa:
“Moving the heliport functions in Futenma out of Okinawa or Japan raises concern that it would hurt the capability of the Marines, thus the government decided that it has no other choice but to put the replacement facility in Okinawa Prefecture,” the report said.
The May accord still meets strong local opposition, but the report said the government made such a decision in order to prioritize easing the burden on Okinawa in light of the reality that the land occupied by Futenma will not be returned if Tokyo does not provide a replacement facility.
The report also contained a diagram of the strategic importance of the Marines in Okinawa, indicating Okinawa is a better geographic location for the Marines to respond to emergencies in East Asia than Hawaii, Guam or the U.S. mainland.
On China, the report said, “The lack of transparency in national defense policies and developments of military power are a concern for the region and the international community including our country, and we need to carefully analyze it.”
A ministry official said that in addition to concern over the lack of transparency about China’s modernized military capabilities due to the unclear breakdown of defense expenditures, this year’s wording highlights Japan’s concern about the future of China’s military power.
The report also contained a line that stated the Japanese government considers the Liancourt Rocks to be Japanese territory (a policy stance that has been unchanged for decades). The South Korean government and media have responded with “outcry” over Japan’s “refusal to back down.”
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Categories: Politics
30 Years of Japanese Police Dogs
The Japanese police held an event the other day to celebrate 30 years of using K9 units. Here’s an ATV news clip that contains some cool footage of police dogs demonstrating their ability to take down criminals:
The report also notes that police dogs have been helpful in locating trapped disaster victims, such as a 2-year-old boy who was rescued after the 2004 Niigata earthquake.
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Categories: Animal Videos
Spaghetti & Buttered Toast
Every week, NTV’s “Kenmin Show” presents viewers with segments that teach them that each prefecture in their country has its own unique & weird cultural practices that would shock mainstream Japan. On last night’s episode, they revealed that it is very common for Okinawans to eat buttered toast with spaghetti. Apparently many restaurants in Okinawa serve spaghetti & toast sets. When Okinawans make spaghetti at home, they also serve it with toast. The practice even applies to spaghetti with non-tomato-based sauces.
An expert says that the practice began in the decade after World War II. In those days, American military bases on the island served spaghetti with slices of French bread. Some Okinawans who worked in base kitchens later opened their own off-base restaurants, and they decided to emulate the American practice of serving a side of bread with spaghetti. They weren’t able to obtain the exact kind of bread the Americans ate, so they just used normal white bread. The practice of serving buttered toast with spaghetti then spread all across Okinawa.
The program visited a restaurant at Kadena Airbase to see if the American military still eats bread with spaghetti. Their order of spaghetti marinara comes with a couple small slices of garlic bread. They ask a couple of Americans about it, and they say it’s common to eat that kind of bread with spaghetti in America. When shown a typical Okinawan spaghetti & toast set, the Americans laugh about the huge toast. [Their reaction seems overblown. I'd be willing to bet the whole situation was scripted.]
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Categories: Japanese Food
Gundam Phone
Softbank is releasing a special Gundam 30th anniversary version of its 945SH mobile phone.
Here are a couple videos of a press conference about the phone. Just skip through the pointless celebrity banter and check out the few seconds of the clips that are actually about the phone:
They seem to be hoping that mega fans who like building Gundam models will buy this phone. The phone comes with a variety of Gundam decal stickers and a charger that doubles as a stand for a Gundam model. The phone’s menus and sound effects are all Gundam-themed.
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Categories: Otaku & Anime, Technology
Tokyo Time-lapse Video: Inter // States
A very cool time-lapse video of Tokyo by photographer Samuel Cockedey:
[via Pink Tentacle]
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Categories: General Japan
Chinese Trawler Rams Japanese Patrol Boats
Japan has seized a Chinese trawler after it rammed two Japanese coast guard vessels in the waters around the Senkaku Islands. The Chinese government, which also claims ownership of the islands, has demanded the ship and its crew be set free:
The collisions occurred after a Japanese patrol ship ordered the fishing trawler to cease operations near the rocky islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
In the ensuing confrontation the Chinese boat’s bow hit the ship’s stern before it sailed off. About 40 minutes later it collided with another Japanese patrol boat.
China has twice summoned Japan’s ambassador to demand the release of the skipper.
The captain could be released in a couple of days if he acknowledges the allegation of obstructing public duties resulting in the collision and pays a fine, Masahiro Ichijo, the Japan coast guard spokesman, said. If not, it is likely that he would have to stand trial.
China’s official media said there could be setbacks to diplomatic relations if Japan did not release Zhan.
A Yomiuri editorial argues in support of the Japanese government:
The Chinese boat on Tuesday allegedly ignored orders by JCG patrol vessels to halt and in an attempt to flee collided with two of the JCG vessels. Believing that the fishing boat’s actions were deliberate, the JCG took the captain into custody on suspicion of obstructing official duties of marine safety officers.
We hope the JCG will clarify the circumstances surrounding the trawler’s collision with the two patrol vessels as well as illegal fishing by Chinese vessels.
[...]
The Chinese government asserts that the Senkakus belong to China and that, therefore, the trawler was not fishing illegally in Japanese waters. It also protested the captain’s arrest through diplomatic channels.
However, no country protested when the Meiji government incorporated the islands into Japanese territory in 1895. Under the San Francisco Peace Treaty signed in 1951, the islands were not included among those territories abandoned by Japan.
China and Taiwan did not claim the islands until the early 1970s, when petroleum and natural gas reserves were found under the ocean floor around the islands in the East China Sea. It is obvious that China’s claim is unreasonable.
So far, both sides seem to be reacting calmly to the incident. Media reports about anti-Japanese protests in China have noted that they were rather small.
[hat tip to kobzster]
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Categories: Politics