Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Wednesday did not rule out the possibility nuclear weapons may be brought into Japan by U.S. forces in a future crisis, while reiterating that the government still adheres to the nation’s three nonnuclear principles.
In-country nukes a crisis option: Okada | The Japan Times Online

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KOMAKI, Japan — It’s springtime in Japan and that means one thing.
Actually, two things. Penis festivals and vagina festivals.
It may sound like a sophomoric gag. But these are folk rites going back at least 1,500 years, into Japan’s agricultural past. They’re held to ensure a good harvest and promote baby-making.
Japan Penis | Japanese Vagina

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Among other things, China refuses to grant it island status, and refers to it instead as an atoll, reef or simply a rock. By doing so, China hopes to throttle back Japan’s plan to create an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) there. The dispute over Okinotori, which Japan calls Okinotorishima, persists because it involves strategic concerns [...]

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“If an enemy dares to attack us, that’s lucky for us,” an unsmiling Taniguchi said. “Once they are within range, it is our opportunity, not theirs.”
Taniguchi’s confidence in Japan’s ability to defend itself rests on the weapons under his command – an American-designed, Japanese-built Patriot PAC-3 missile battery, attached to one of the six ballistic [...]

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Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told his Chinese counterpart Sunday that Tokyo would take “action” if China violates a 2008 agreement over disputed gas exploration projects.
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But Japan has reportedly observed that China has built a drilling plant in the area and appears ready to start extracting gas.
In response, Yang told Okada: “China will firmly stand [...]

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The U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation was signed in Washington, D.C., fifty years ago this month. Few alliances last half a century. The fact that this one has is a testament to its strength, but it is also the result of East Asia’s failure to develop stable political and security relationships in the decades after [...]

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TOKYO — For Atsushi Nakanishi, jobless since Christmas, home is a cubicle barely bigger than a coffin — one of dozens of berths stacked two units high in one of central Tokyo’s decrepit “capsule” hotels.
“It’s just a place to crawl into and sleep,” he said, rolling his neck and stroking his black suit — one [...]

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Japan looks like a country that is growing old. After talking to some young Japanese you discover that this is exactly what they are most worried about. The reason is everywhere you look. I have never been in a country with such a preponderance of old people. They’re everywhere, and they’re far from frail.
The [...]

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But Japan is caught in a box. On one hand, Tokyo is one of the strongest advocates of nuclear disarmament, while on the other hand it relies on US arms, including nuclear ones, for its own security. Lately, it has come to worry about whether it can count on America’s extended nuclear deterrence, more commonly [...]

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Japan’s decision to expand the role of its military despite its pacifist post-war constitution is a reflection of growing concerns surrounding military tensions with regional neighbours.
The new destroyer, which will become the largest in the nation’s fleet of 52 vessels in the class, will also provide fuel to other carriers, transport servicemen and assist with [...]

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