Japan kicks to his past

mike_cos

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Japan kicks to his past and puts one foot in Africa, ushering in Djibouti, the first military base on foreign soil since the war. The news went almost unnoticed in the international press, yet it is a significant event in Japan's foreign policy.The small country of Djibouti has in fact recently agreed to the construction of aJapanese naval base value of $ 40 million which should be finalized, according to forecasts, by 2011 already.
The importance of Djibouti (864 000 inhabitants, 1 billion dollars GDP) lies in its geo-strategic position: it lies in the heart of the Horn of Africa between Eritrea and Somalia, at the mouth of the Gulf 'Aden - one of the world's busiest shipping lanes(20,000 ships passing through each year). The ideal place to tackle, from a secure location and with the support of a friendly government, the international criminal operations that occur in the region, especially the acts of piracy.
The official purpose of the Japanese presence in the region express Keizo Kitagawa, captain at the helm of the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF), the Japanese fleettaking part in the international anti-piracy mission, operational since 2008 and is also involved Born "we are present to counter piracy and for reasons of self-defense.Japan is a maritime nation and as such the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Adenbecomes our concern. "Have a military base in Djibouti also the United States andFrance, the former colonial power. The Japanese MSDF, operating in the regionsince 2009, will therefore soon be leaving the U.S. base (near where the soldiers are currently staying and the Japanese staff) to count on its own operational structure.

The concern expressed by the Japanese captain Kitagawa is real. In 2007, the GoldenMori, a load of chemical materials, was kidnapped and released after six weeks on payment of a ransom (entry is not confirmed by the government). In 2008 the oil tankerTakayama was attacked and suffered a route to safety by a German warship. In addition, Japanese government sources, about 90% of Japanese exports ferry across the Gulf of Aden to reach the Mediterranean.
The reasons underlying the construction of a military outpost in a foreign land, however, appear to others. First, the possibility, with this maneuver at home to raise the political legitimacy of the armed forces. The new guidelines outlined by the national defense program, approved by the Ministry of Defense last December, involving the actions of Japan's "efforts to improve global security." Had the first opportunity, ministry officials, directors of the true national policy, have been taken advantage of in order to move towards the path that began in 1954, the gradual re-establishment of an army tout court, that the Constitution (Article 9) formally prohibits .Secondly, the move to Tokyo to be read as an attempt, operated by the Ministry of Defence, of emancipation from the traditional dependence on American military policy. If it is true that the U.S. military umbrella has assured Japan during the postwar period, the ability to focus on economic development, it is equally clear that the alliance with Washington is determined to be necessary even if cumbersome (especially against the North Korean threat and as a function Anti-Chinese) by political representatives of the major parties.
Hey Mara... do you think it's better to move this thread on "Intel&supops"?.....
 
It's fine here, Mike.

This is an interesting story, I thought Japan was restricted by its constitution in being confined to its islands. Guess I was wrong.
 
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