LDP Japan

The Rise of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces

Due to its defeat in World War II, Japan's "great imperial army" was dissolved. Immediately after the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950, however, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-chief of the occupation army, ordered the Japanese government to establish a national police reserve force. Here is the story of Japan's Self-Defense Forces and their special relationship to South Korea. From the AMPO Magazine archives, 1979, with an update on how the SDF was funded.

Abe’s Proxy Army – on Facebook

We just love our proxy army, navy and air force. This is from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Facebook page. Guess they think they need a lot of propaganda to overcome the deep aversion to the security bills that Abe – to…

Hot Jazz in Fukushima

A report from my friend Alan Gleason, an American expatriate living in Tokyo, about his recent visit to Japan’s earthquake zone with his hot jazz band, “The Hot Club of Osawa.” (That’s Alan, playing the stand-up bass) By Alan Gleason…

Japan’s Nuclear Nightmare

Part One: Japan, Democracy, and the Globalization of Nuclear Power (Updated throughout 3/20/2011) Part Two: Nuclear Gypsies (posted 3/20/2011) Since I woke up last Friday, I’ve been monitoring the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and watching with horror…

TEPCO’s shady history

In 2002, Tokyo Electric Co. admitted to falsifying its records of nuclear inspections and hiding the facts for more than a decade. Ironically, the information came from a whistleblower at GE, which helped build the plants and has contracted with…

Koizumi insults Asia once again

Japan’s Elvis-loving Prime Minister has visited Yasukuni Shrine for the umpteenth time. The Germans have left behind their Nazi past. Isn’t it about time Japan does the same for its reactionary emperor system and helping to trigger World War II?…