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Tag Archives: Japan

US and Japan Forge Historic Defense Cooperation Agreement

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida

Emerging from talks in a New York hotel, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced revised guidelines for Japanese-US military cooperation, bringing the two countries closer together than ever before as defense partners.

The new rules agreed upon call for the possibility of Japan helping US forces who may be threatened by a third party. Japan could also be called upon to send minesweeper ships in the Middle East. The agreement comes at a time when Japan and the US are anxious over actions taken by China to move on to some disputed regions of the South China and East China Seas, although officials deny this is what is motivating them.

The statesmen did however mention North Koreas as a potential source of instability in the region.

Secretary Kerry emphasized that the US takes the Japanese position on the disputed Senkaku Islands, which China refers to as the Diaoyus, stating that the islands are completely under Japanese control.

The US “commitment to Japan’s security remains ironclad and covers all territories under Japan’s administration, including the Senkaku Islands,” Kerry said.

“Today we mark the establishment of Japan’s capacity to defend not just its own territory, but also the United States and other partners as needed,” Kerry told a joint press conference. “This is a historic meeting. It’s a historic transition in the defense relationship between our two countries.”

Naoki Tanaka: Japan May Pull Out of Multi-Billion Dollar Deal with Lockheed Martin

Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka told the Japanese parliament that Japan may be forced to back down from a deal with Lockheed Martin for the purchase of 42 F-35 stealth fighter jets if prices for the state-of-the-art craft continue to climb or if manufacturing delays adversely affect their delivery date. Last year Japan announced its… Continue Reading

The Return of the Millionaire

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Doom and Gloom Ahead for Global Economy?

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Economic Health Track

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Stressed-Out Euros and Plummeting Yens

Asia and Europe Not surprisingly, shares in Japan have dropped amid a backdrop of attempts to recover from the “world’s worst nuclear crisis in decades.” But Japan’s tragedy didn’t impact shares in Europe which steadied following a statement made by the region’s Central Bank chief, Jean-Claude Trichet on its decision to raise interest rates in… Continue Reading

Global Budgetary Issues

Portugal Remains Silent Things aren’t looking so great for Portugal right now, either politically or economically. The country’s recent crisis has led to an attempt on the part of its government to “rein in the budget deficit.” In turn, this has resulted in markets once again shifting their focus to Europe’s sovereign debt crises. Given… Continue Reading