Regarding the July 4 article "U.S., SDF face new challenges 50 years on": The relationship between Japan's Self-Defense Forces and America's armed forces would appear to be a marriage of convenience.
Why should China be considered a threat just because it is growing economically? And, for that matter, why should North Korea be considered a threat just because it is bolstering its military defenses? If this argument is pushed, then why not presume the United States to be a threat, since it has many nuclear weapons. Historically, the U.S. and Japan have acted as aggressors against China and North Korea. These two still view Japan and the U.S. in this light.
Therefore, the relationship between the SDF and the U.S. military exists because both the U.S. and Japan harbor fears of revenge attacks by China and North Korea. Neither Japan nor the U.S. has acknowledged, much less apologized for, the crimes they have committed in China and Korea.
For its part, Japan continues to harbor delusions of becoming a world power and ignoring its past atrocities. It continues to be detested by many Asians and others in the world.
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