Japan approves record-high budget, focusing on defense, economic recovery

[GhostZ06]

TOKYO — The Japanese government approved a record defense budget Tuesday as new laws went into effect, easing restraints on Japan’s military and permitting Japanese troops to defend the United States for the first time since World War II.

The $44 billion defense budget is Japan’s largest ever and is the fourth straight annual increase under conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"The security environment surrounding our country is increasingly severe. … In a world where no one nation can protect themselves by themselves alone, this legislation will help prevent wars," Abe said told reporters after Japan’s parliament passed a record $853 billion spending plan for the 2016 fiscal year, which begins Friday.

The security law allows Japan's military to fight alongside U.S. and other allies under foreign attacks under an arrangement called "collective defense."

Abe is scheduled to meet in Washington this week with President Obama and South Korea President Park Geun-hye to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs and China’s increasingly assertive territorial claims in the region.

Abe and Park also will take part in the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit that will include Obama and leaders from 50 other countries.

The new defense budget will continue a restructuring of Japan’s armed forces — still officially called “self defense forces” in deference to Japan’s pacifist constitution — that will include increased surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and an amphibious warfare unit modeled on the United States Marine Corps. Abe’s defense agenda has drawn domestic opposition but has been welcomed by the Obama administration, which looks to Japan for help in countering a resurgent China.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...nt-defense-budget-economic-recovery/82376314/

 

[Rod1]

With China as neighbour qho wouldnt

 

[Orgasmo]

There is no economic recovery for Japan. All they can hope for is a slow decline, which is already the best case scenario considering their debt and population problems. Abenomics have not been paying off at all.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Damn Japan,

This announcement
Leading edge next-gen robotics
Efficient public transportation
Automobile sector that exports 2/3's of whatever it rolls off
Getting rid of the humanities and Liberal Arts
Keeping a homogeneous culture

Those guys sure know how to run a country.

 

[Rod1]

Damn Japan,

This announcement
Leading edge next-gen robotics
Efficient public transportation
Automobile sector that exports 2/3's of whatever it rolls off
Getting rid of the humanities and Liberal Arts
Keeping a homogeneous culture

Those guys sure know how to run a country.

To the ground you mean

 

[M3t4tr0n]

They should try to increase their output of waifu pillows and used panty vending machines.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

To the ground you mean

Their protectionist policies have hurt them, as well as other stagnant issues - but they will open up on trade soon enough and that should help open up some market room

I know they'll up their sales tax next year and then probably again in 2020 as well as lowering their corporate taxes.

This is actually a massive year for them to rebound

 

[Rod1]

Their protectionist policies have hurt them, as well as other stagnant issues - but they will open up on trade soon enough and that should help open up some market room

I know they'll up their sales tax next year and then probably again in 2020 as well as lowering their corporate taxes.

This is actually a massive year for them to rebound

A little too late with Korea and China moving into high tech and heavy machinery, areas where Japan enjoyed a lot of prestige.

Also the homogeneous culture could had been fixed by importing small amounts of immigrants so they could be absorbed slowly into the culture, its more likely that they will need to import a massive amount unless they manage to create an elderly care robot which is doubtful.

Some Philipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese in small numbers, or even ethnic japanese from latin America.

Its their country after all, but their future is grim and sad.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

A little too late with Korea and China moving into high tech and heavy machinery, areas where Japan enjoyed a lot of prestige.

Also the homogeneous culture could had been fixed by importing small amounts of immigrants so they could be absorbed slowly into the culture, its more likely that they will need to import a massive amount unless they manage to create an elderly care robot which is doubtful.

Some Philipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese in small numbers, or even ethnic japanese from latin America.

Its their country after all, but their future is grim and sad.

They are actually working on the elderly care robotics and if any country has ability in actual autonomous robotics - its them - but its a ways off.

The cant adopt the pay as you go health care the US uses - so that will be a burden as well. This is a case of a safety net causing problems.

Japanese ingenuity is still strong - probably the strongest in the region - opening up trade will help with food costs - they just need small programs to start the inflation train rolling. There best bet is standard of living in Korea and China goes up and Japan exports can be competitive again - but yes, they are going to have to open up

 

[loyalyolayal]

Japanese ingenuity is still strong - probably the strongest in the region

Then China just copies them & sell them for a quarter of the japanese version's price.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Then China just copies them & sell them for a quarter of the japanese version's price.

Thats true - but every company that trades with China faces that risk. I love how China always request source code in tech deals; who do they think they are fooling?

 

[Ruprecht]

...permitting Japanese troops to defend the United States for the first time since World War II.

That's an odd way to put it...

 

[WrestlinganJudo]

Then China just copies them & sell them for a quarter of the japanese version's price.

China will start losing the ability to do that due to how much foreign currency they hold that is not the.

 

[loyalyolayal]

China will start losing the ability to do that due to how much foreign currency they hold that is not the.

When China does lose that capability, the damage would've been done.

 

[InternetHero]

Thats true - but every company that trades with China faces that risk. I love how China always request source code in tech deals; who do they think they are fooling?

Who does C/hina think they are fooling?

Fucking all of us.

How much complaint do they get when they kidnap Hon/g/K/ong tabloid journalists or rig the system further for foreign businesses in the Mai/nland? Slowly destroying Hon/gK/ong's media and institutions, ditto Tai/wan, ditto Singapore, ditto every thumb up the ass of everything and everything, there is nothing good coming out of Be-ijing or the toxic political or social culture they represent.

C/hina is making a dark future for the Pacific, and David Cameron/Barak Obama, and all of the Western corporate world are falling over each other to look the other way at every weekly provocation... because 1.4 billion consumers of our shit trumps the "quaint" beliefs in d-emocracy and human rights

 

[InternetHero]

Doubles*

 

[Rex Kwon Do]

"The Japanese government approved a record defense budget Tuesday as new laws went into effect, easing restraints on Japan’s military and permitting Japanese troops to defend the United States for the first time since World War II."

Either they know something I don't or they desperately need an editor.

 

[Abezal]

Why don't they just pay people to have kids, massive tax breaks and handouts for anyone with 3 or more.

Good, better a chance their stealth gets build if they keep upping the budget.

 

[superpunch]

There is no economic recovery for Japan. All they can hope for is a slow decline, which is already the best case scenario considering their debt and population problems. Abenomics have not been paying off at all.

Well, they're doomed to economic decline over the coming decades because of age demographics if they don't change their immigration policy.

Japan is focusing on the long-term picture though.

Europe is solving their age demographic problem by opening immigration. This will help their economy in the short-run. In the long-run, though, their peoples and cultures will be replaced.

Japan is still 98% ethnic Japanese. In a few hundred years, no one will care about how Japan's GDP was low for a few decades. However, their people and culture will still exist.

A German in 2200 will be a minority in his 'own country'. So, he won't really have one. He will have to go to Little Germany or Germany Town inside the actual Berlin to find bratwurst. In 3000, the German people and culture simply won't exist anymore. Not even as a minority in their 'own country'. Europe is wiping its peoples and cultures out of history by short-sightedly chasing a few decades of GDP growth.

Japan's PM Abe, who you deride, has acknowledged this. He's openly admitted that his xenophobic immigration policies are bad for Japan's economy. Abe says that the preservation of the Japanese culture and people is more important.

 

[superpunch]

Some Philipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese in small numbers, or even ethnic japanese from latin America.

Its their country after all, but their future is grim and sad.

Japan actually has a future past a few decades from now. I don't know what Germany and France will be in 2200-3000 but they definitely won't be German and French. Japan will still be Japanese. Focusing on a few decades of GDP growth at the cost of destroying your culture and people for the rest of history is ridiculous.