Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Japan confirms Cold War-era 'secret' pacts with US
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press
Tuesday, March 9, 2010; 3:35 AM

TOKYO -- A Japanese government-appointed panel on Tuesday confirmed the existence of once-secret Cold War-era pacts between Japan and the U.S. on nuclear arms and other issues, ending decades of official denial by Tokyo.

While declassified U.S. documents have already confirmed such 1960s agreements, Tuesday's revelation was the first from the Japanese government.

The investigation is part of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's campaign to make his government, which was elected to power last year, more open than that of the long-ruling conservatives, who repeatedly denied the existence of such pacts.

Among the secret pacts the panel acknowledged was a tacit agreement that allowed U.S. nuclear-armed warships into Japanese ports in violation of Japanese postwar principles not to make, own or allow the entry of nuclear weapons.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/09/AR2010030900183.html

[damyank913]

1. Money talks and bullshit walks...

Those sailors came ashore with pockets full. Include in that the payments for military hospitals, air fields and the Japanese fear of the aggressive communist regimes across the water and it was probably an easy deal for the US to make.

[Solly Mack]

3. oops...wrong place

sorry

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. I can understand why a country bombed with nukes would cowtow to the USA

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and many others do the same just because of the threat

NOT because they really support or like the USA

go figure . . .

:freak:

[hack89]

11. They were not forced into these pacts

the Japanese are very pragmatic - they live in a tough part of the world with China, North Korea and Russia as neighbors. They understood very well that a military alliance with the US would give them security and allow them to spend their resources rebuilding their economy.

[Solly Mack]

4. K&R

[Kolesar]

5. The US allowed them to exploit our markets and sell electronic products at below market value

We let them destroy our TV industry in return.

[Grins]

6. In the book "Blowback"...

"Blowback" by Chalmers Johnson; the story of the unintended consequences of U.S. policies abroad. By mere chance, I'm reading it now. The secret agreements between Japan and the U.S. were discussed as a big problem (more Japan's than the U.S.) before I got to page 20!

Great read so far. Part of a trilogy to be read. His other two in the trilogy are "Nemesis: The last days of the American Republic", and "Sorrows of Empire".

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Good reading there - it's a concept I've been watching for decades

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USA has marched across the globe with it's war weapons and personnel into over 100 countries.

The "countries" have spent their GDP on invading North America with their products.

USA has unfortunately designed it's lifestyle to depend on other Nations for their products. Capitalism ain't really working so good except for less than 1% of North America - it can't last.

The USA can "punish" countries like Canada, Russia, China, Japan, etc., with tariffs and sanctions for failing to do what the USA wants it to do

BUT

If all these and other countries suddenly stopped doing trade with the USA,

who is the big loser?

:freak:

[Judi Lynn]

7. Japanese students petition to abolish worldwide nuclear arms as Gov't confirms secret nuke pact

Japanese students petition to abolish worldwide nuclear arms as Gov't confirms secret nuke pact
16:36, March 10, 2010

A group of high school students in Tokyo are collecting signatures from people to support a world without nuclear arms to submit to the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May in New York, the Kyodo News agency reported on Wednesday.

So far the group, consisting of more than 10 students, have collected some 3,500 signatures since last summer in their free time on weekends and mainly in the busy, youthful districts like Harajuku in central Tokyo.

The students ultimately aim to collect 10,000 signatures to support their non-nuclear cause.

Yuma Nishinohara, 17, who is among the students planning to go to the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May in New York and submit the petition said, "It is hard and we need courage to collect signatures. But I want to do my best to help abolish nuclear arms. I want to ask high school students in the United States if the nuclear bombings were right."

More:
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6915103.html

[bemildred]

8. The Pope confirms he is indeed Catholic. nt

[melm00se]

9. and this is news why?

while I am sure that it's important news to the Japanese, it's been known here for quite some time.

While declassified U.S. documents have already confirmed such 1960s agreements, Tuesday's revelation was the first from the Japanese government.