Japan's Military .... A New Direction?

Tokyo Reassesses Military's Role -- Washington Times

Looks beyond its self-defense mission

Col. Kenji Sawai, commander of Japan's 18th Infantry Regiment, stands in his headquarters dressed from head to foot in white camouflage. Skis clutter the hallways of his outpost in the snow-covered mountains of northern Japan, along with stacks of white ponchos, gloves and boots.

For decades, the mission for Japanese officers such as Col. Sawai has been fairly straightforward: Defend the homeland. Narrowly defined, for Col. Sawai and his infantrymen, that means protecting the island of Hokkaido, where the regiment is based, from invasion.

Now that definition is changing.

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My Comment: What do the Japanese see. They see North Korea testing missiles over their mainland. A resurgent Chinese military. A resurgent Russian military. A decline in American power. Islamic insurgencies in the Philippines and in Indonesia.

And all of this is occurring within their sphere of influence.

The Japanese can and will respond to any crisis with the economic strength and resources that they have. The fact that they are examining their military options is expected .... especially since their security blanket from the U.S. is not a guaranteed thing anymore.