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Hawks in a dovecote; Japan's security.(nuclear testing )
- Article from:
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The Economist (US)
- Article date:
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November 25, 2006
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Copyright informationCOPYRIGHT 2006 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The least we can do is show the flag
A debate over the meaning of constitutional pacifism, and whether to drop it
BALLISTIC and nuclear adventurism by Kim Jong Il this year has not fundamentally changed Japan's calculations about its safety--the North Korean threat, after all, has been around for a while. But it has lent urgency to old arguments for a more muscular security policy. Japan's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who desires a more " normal" (read "assertive") Japan, has, thanks to Mr Kim, a reason to revisit many of the taboos that constrain Japan's Self-Defence Forces--please do not call them the armed forces. Mr Abe favours rewriting the pacifist ...