Reports: Japan party quits government over US base

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Reports: Japan party quits government over US base
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
The Associated Press
Sunday, May 30, 2010; 3:57 AM

TOKYO -- A small party decided Sunday to leave Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's ruling coalition over his broken campaign promise to move a U.S. Marine base off Okinawa island, media reports said.

Hatoyama on Friday dismissed Gender Equality and Consumer Affairs Minister Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party, after she refused to sign a Japan-U.S. agreement to move the American base to a less crowded part of Okinawa.

Executives of the Social Democrats decided at a meeting Sunday to withdraw from the ruling coalition, public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency reported. Party officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Because of the party's small size, the departure of the Social Democrats is unlikely to bring down Hatoyama's Democratic Party of Japan-led government. But his poor handling of the base row could hurt the Democrats' performance in upper house elections expected in mid July.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/30/AR2010053000576.html

[David__77]

1. US troops should leave Japan now.

The Social Democrats are correct.

[Kringle]

2. how is 'Gender Equality' a concern here? nt

[MrScorpio]

3. It's not her cabinet job, but the fact that she's the head of the party that didn't go along

The Party quit the coalition.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Cabinet government in a parliament means collective responsibility

If there's a decision, then all cabinet members have to sign up to it. So when she refused to support the policy, the PM dismissed her from the cabinet; and as a result, she has taken her party out of the coalition.

[Union Yes]

4. Reject AmeriCON imperialism. K&R nt

[cowman]

5. You sound just

like those old slogan banners from the Soviet Union.
Hey buddy, the 70's called and want their slogan back

[ensho]

7. good for them - all our overseas bases should be closed

and an eviction notice given to the pentagon

[cowman]

8. And

who would defend our country? You? Obviously not, Your post suggests that you are anti-military.

[ronnie624]

11. But are hundreds of military installations all over the world really necessary for our defense?

I think what the U.S. is "defending" is a particular political and economic order that it dominates.

What you mean is, who would defend "U.S. interests". Unfortunately for many people in the world, "U.S. interests" are often at their expense.

[cowman]

12. Please don't try to tell me what I mean

The poster said that the Pentagon should be given an eviction notice and I asked who would defend the country, Him/Her? I think not as that poster is obviously anti-military. As for the overseas bases, we have many defense treaties with other countries that we should definitly honor but there are many bases we could close without detrimental consequenses.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[cowman]

16. Thats not

what you said you said that the pentagon should be evicted. Who do you think defends your right to say these outragous things about the military? the military does.

[ronnie624]

19. The military defends empire, not freedom of speech.

Your right to speak freely is defended by the constitution and the courts.

[cowman]

20. Which is protected by the military

When I took my oath of enlistment I swore to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
So you are incorrect, it's enumerated in the Constitution and defended by the Courts and the Military

[ronnie624]

24. Not in living memory has a foreign military power threatened political speech in the U.S.

The U.S. military has been deployed hundreds of times, mostly to advance U.S. business interests and the geo-strategic aims of the U.S. foreign policy establishment.

The historical record is not on your side.

[cowman]

25. Doesn't change the fact that the military

does protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. The reason no foreign military has threatened the Constitution is because of a strong military.
Btw you are wrong, what about Germany and Japan in WW2? They were a definite threat to our Constitution

[Warren Stupidity]

38. "The reason no foreign military has threatened "

what threat exactly is it that justifies 900+ foreign bases and a military budget 50x anyone else's?

There is no country on the planet that poses an actual conventional military threat to us. None. Nobody. We could be exactly as safe and secure from foreign military threats with half or one third or even one tenth of what we spend every year on our bloated bankrupting military.

[cowman]

39. And if you read my earlier post

you would find that I did say we could close several bases with no detrimental consequenses.
Ronnie624 was wrong when he said that the military does not protect the Constitution. When I took my oath of enlistment back in 68 I swore to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

45. Saying it doesn't make it so, cowman

World War II was the last time that the armed forces actually defended the United States from aggression as opposed to providing safe cover for corporate interests overseas.

(The Vietnam War made no sense to me until I learned that there's oil in the South China Sea.)

[cowman]

46. Are you people dense?

I said the military does protect the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, that's the Oath of Enlistment I took way back in 68. And I did say in response to a poster who said that not in living memory had our constitution been threatened, I corrected this person by saying what about WW2? And Korea was about stopping NK aggression, not oil or corporate interests.
Now do I think that many bases overseas can be closed and the troops brought home? Hell Yes, but like it or not, we are a superpower with strategic interests worldwide. Becoming an isolationist nation is just not feasible anymore.
Would have answered sooner but we have a coyote pup that is a handful, we are bottle feeding her and she drinks alot of puppy milk.
http://yfrog.com/3vwilycoyote001j
Here's a pic of her the day I brought her home

[provis99]

42. freedom of speech is protected by people's ideals, not a soldier's gun.

Shame on you.

[cowman]

43. I said the Constitution not just freedom of speech

the Constitution is protected by the courts and the military. Once again, when I took my oath of enlistment I swore to Protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. I think thats pretty clear.

[cowman]

18. Plenty of women

are in the military, like my youngest daughter who has served 3 tours in Iraq as a military police officer

[MellowDem]

32. "War is a male thing"

:rofl:

War is a human thing.... the result of greed and other negative human traits, traits that even women have. War is pretty rare nowadays though. Doesn't stop all the violene and insurgencies, but open, giant, formal warfare between countries is pretty much a thing of the past. Our military takes on the role of "police" more than "soldier" anymore nowadays. World police. And it's a burden we shouldn't have to carry.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

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[Warren Stupidity]

36. From who? Nobody is in any position to threaten us.

What enemies are our 900 foreign bases keeping back. Be specific.

[Kurska]

9. "an eviction notice given to the pentagon" So we should chop off the head of our military?

That'll work out great.

[ensho]

14. chop off the head and feet

empty that bloody building.

[Kurska]

37. I wish I could live in your black and white world.

It sound so much simpler then reality.

[Pavulon]

10. Not with North Korea going nuts

Japan has mutual defense treaties with the US. We are treaty bound to defend them.

[ensho]

15. N. Korea isn't going to attack Japan unless we push them to

we being our military industrial barons

money, money, money

[cowman]

17. Unless we push them to?

You really have no concept of how bat shit crazy the dictator of NK is. He will do just about anything to divert his citizens attention of how bad things are in NK, just look at the sinking of the South Korean naval ship. And how about firing missiles over Japan?

[ronnie624]

21. Korea was well on its way to negotiating peace and reintegration,

when the Bush administration deliberately sabotaged the effort with belligerent rhetoric.

The U.S. needs to stop intervening in Korea. The only ones who benefit are military contractors and other militarism profiteers.

[cowman]

22. Riiiiiiiiight

NK has been committing acts of sagotage against SK for decades even when negotiating. But hey, if you want to stick your head in the sand, be my guess.

[ronnie624]

23. The corporate political forces that control our foreign policy apparatus,

want U.S. business interests dominating that region, not some Iron Silk Road.

Crack some books, cowman. You're in dire need.

[cowman]

26. Crack some books?

Sounds like you have the revisionist history not me.
gotta go, wife and I are taking care of a 5 week old female coyote pup that demands a lot of attention
Have a great day and talk at y'all later
Peace Out:fistbump:

[HEyHEY]

54. He's right, man.

Ten years ago there was even talk of opening the border to actual traffic so South Koreans could visit sacred places and such. It got much more tense with that axis of evil bullshit. That said NK has been pulling shenannigans for years.

[Pavulon]

28. Remember when they tried this with Bill Clinton, no forget that one?

they are dangerous and remain a threat to regional security.

[ronnie624]

29. The people in that region of the world want peace.

They will never have it as long as the U.S. corporate political power structure seeks to control their resources, markets and labor.

[Pavulon]

30. Right, North Korea kidnaps those women and hacks up guys in the DMZ for peace

There is nothing in north korea worth a single life. THey have nothing. But hey, thats why we invaded haiti right?

[Art_from_Ark]

44. Speaking as someone who is living in Japan

I'm not worried about North Korea launching an attack against Japan.

I am quite aware of how "batshit crazy" their leader is. And yes, I was in Japan when NK fired the Taepodon missile over the northern part of this country. While some of their missiles might have the range, apparently they aren't very accurate, and shooting them off would be like shooting off oversized bottle rockets. Most of NK's "battleships" are WWII rustbuckets. Their army, while large in numbers, could never launch an invasion against Japan. If NK chose to launch an amphibious assault against Japan, they would be blown to bits.

[cowman]

47. I've no doubt

that the Japanese Navy could take care of them without our assistance, they have a first rate naval force, what I worry about is that bat shit crazy Kim Jong Il gets desperate enough to say fuck it and launches a few nukes at Japan or SK. I think China should step in and tell him any war on his part will mean complete withdrawal of Chinese support, IOW, in the movie, Blazin Saddles when the preacher looked at Cleavon Little and said "Son, you're on your own".

[Bonobo]

49. Ditto.

Osharu touri.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

50. I don't live in Japan (not anymore, at least) but

when I was preparing to teach a course on postwar Japanese culture in the 1980s, I learned that Japan's Self-Defense Force is quite large, exactly in proportion to Japan's share of the world population. (Seventh or eighth? I forget the exact number.)

There are no reasons to have all those military bases in Japan, especially not the dense concentration on Okinawa.

[Art_from_Ark]

52. About 20% of Okinawa is occupied by US military bases

Perhaps that was one of the conditions for the return of Okinawa back in 1972.

At any rate, from what I have read and seen in the Japanese media, it seems like a lot of Okinawans agree with you.

[Pavulon]

27. Right, Poland pushed for it too...(nt)

[Warren Stupidity]

35. Declared Stupid.

North Korea does not have the means to actually attack Japan in any militarily significant way. Nor would they attack Japan, even if they did have the means.

[cowman]

40. Only because

they know they would get an ass kicking by the U.S. and Japan

[Pavulon]

41. North Korea fired rockets over japan. member that??

yeppers, the north koreans are a very large part of why we are not leaving Okinawa.

[wuushew]

48. North Korean missile tech NEVER evolves

the performance has not increased in 10-15 years. They go off course explode or otherwise are not viable.

Doesn't that strike you as odd?

Lets play the nuclear boogey man while were are at it. If you were a country with a few first generation fission devices(assuming they work) how would deliver them? On your ancient 1950s vintage TU-16s and Il-28 bombers?

Stop thinking of Japan as an allie but rather as an industrial competitor, who are free to purchase our military wares and send dollars back home.


The U.S. is no white knight in East Asia.

[Warren Stupidity]

51. North Korean missile tech sucks..

Which is why I noted 'significant military threat'. Yes they could annoy Japan with their sucky rockets. Why would they do that, given that the response would be devastating?

[howaboutme]

31. Can you imagine

Americans accepting foreign bases on our soil?

Our imperialism has somewhat served us as Americans because it has allowed us to be given the status of the leader of the free world. That status gives us rights to issuing the reserve currency that allows the Federal Reserve to print money at will and charge Americans the interest.

The game is coming to an end thanks to a US government that doesn't begin to work for the interests of Americans. Our biggest most powerful lobby has nothing to do with the USA except to put us on the hook. Our beholden government sold out our nation to foreign interests and international bankers and capitalists via "globalist free trade". Now we have become a hugely indebted nation while a tiny percent of elite somehow always comes out with more and on top. If Americans would think about it, instead of wasting their time on American Idol or NFL, it isn't hard to figure out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acLW1vFO-2Q

[Warren Stupidity]

34. It didn't take very long for this government to reveal itself as no change here either.

Seems like the Corporate Kleptocracy is global.

[Name removed]

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