I will be very surprised if Japan agrees to send naval ships. Pacifism is still very ingrained in Japanese society. I think constitutionally they can do it if they only respond to being attacked first by Iran, but I suspect they will claim their constitution is why they can’t deploy ships:
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed his expectation for Japan to “step up” to support the United States, as the U.S. military strives to keep the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping route, open amid the ongoing war against Iran.
Trump made the remarks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House, noting that Japan relies heavily on the waterway for its energy imports, and that the U.S. has provided defense support to the Asian country with thousands of American troops stationed there.
The U.S.-Israel-Iran war has effectively choked off the Strait of Hormuz, escalating concerns over its impact on oil prices and inflation. The waterway is responsible for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
“I expect Japan to step up because … we have that kind of relationship, and we step up in Japan. We have 45,000 soldiers in Japan. We spent a lot of money on Japan,” he said. “I am not surprised that they would step up.”
You can read more at the link.
The irony of a country that regularly fires missiles that land off the coast of Japan and have even fired missiles over the country complaining about Japan deploying their own missiles to protect themselves in response:
North Korea on Friday condemned Japan’s plan to deploy upgraded long-range missiles across the country, calling the move a dangerous military escalation, according to the communist regime’s state-run media. The criticism was reported by the Korean Central News Agency, which said the deployments would allow Japan to target neighboring countries from multiple locations. The missile deployments are “undoubtably an extremely dangerous military act,” KCNA said. “If this becomes reality, Japan would be deploying missiles capable of targeting neighboring countries across the entire nation.”
You can read more at the link, but what the Japanese should do is for every North Korean missile tests that lands near Japan, they should fire a Type-12 missile that lands near North Korea in response.
From everything I have been reading the Japanese are actually happy about the reduction in Chinse tourists and the Koreans seem to be happy to have them, so a win-win for everyone:
Tang and his family were among the influx of Chinese tourists who visited Korea during the holiday period, which began on Feb. 15 and ended on Monday.
Beijing and Tokyo have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute since November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that Tokyo could respond militarily to a potential attack on Taiwan. In response, Beijing has advised citizens to avoid traveling to Japan.
Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism estimated that up to 190,000 Chinese tourists visited the country during the nine-day holiday period. The daily average was 44 percent higher than during last year’s holiday window, which ran from Jan. 24 to 29.
The fresh wave of Chinese tourists brought rare optimism to Korea’s retail and tourism sectors, which have been dampened by a consumption slowdown.
In the weeks leading up to the holiday, retailers and tourism operators rolled out intensive marketing campaigns tailored to Chinese tourists, including discounts and gift vouchers linked to Chinese payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Chinese tourists have traditionally been big spenders, according to Korean tourism industry officials. The most recent government data shows that the average spending per Chinese visitor to Korea reached $1,622 in 2024, compared with the overall foreign visitor average of $1,372.
Even the Korean government has been pulling out all the stops to encourage more spending by Chinese group tourists. On Feb. 15, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young visited Myeong-dong, one of Seoul’s main shopping and tourism districts, to inspect facilities for foreign visitors, and called for efforts to foster a more welcoming atmosphere.
You can read more at the link.
These two Marines stationed in Japan were are walking crime spree between Hiroshima and Tokyo:
Japanese authorities are investigating two U.S. Marines for possible thefts totaling $65,000 or more since last fall, according to Japanese police and media reports recently. Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday forwarded to Japanese prosecutors their case against two Marines, ages 20 and 26, for stealing 27,000 yen, or $175, in cash from two restaurants in Kabukicho, a nightlife district near Shinjuku, between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Dec. 24, The Mainichi newspaper reported Friday.
The newspaper cited the police as a source, although a Tokyo police spokeswoman declined to confirm the report by phone for Stars and Stripes on Tuesday. The Marines may be linked to multiple thefts last fall with losses exceeding $65,000, The Mainichi reported, citing an unnamed investigative source. Two Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and under suspicion by Japanese authorities of “criminal misconduct” are in Marine Corps custody, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing spokesman Maj. Joseph Butterfield said by email Tuesday.
You can read more at the link.
