Japan’s new Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) stood up on March 27, with a ceremony taking place April 7 to formally activate them. This is quite an accomplishment—the word “amphibious” having been taboo in Japan until as recently as 2011. But it’s only the end of the beginning, as Winston Churchill might have […]
It’s seven years since the 3/11 Great Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami that killed over 18,000 people. It left an impression on anyone who was in Japan at the time. I was living in Tokyo then. The day after the earthquake I was asked to return to active duty with the United […]
President Donal Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Defense Secretary James Mattis have all visited Tokyo to reassure Japan of America’s support as China and North Korea turn up the pressure. Officials of both nations claim to be in lockstep—continuing the tradition of U.S. officials describing the U.S.-Japan relationship as “the most important […]
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gets called a “fascist” almost as often as does Donald Trump. Abe’s critics appear worried that, following his overwhelming election victory, and after downing a few well-deserved shots of schadenfreude, Mr. Abe’s next step is to militarize Japan. This ignores the fact that Japan re-armed […]
