Recently, as my butt was falling asleep editing this pathetic rag, Ty pointed out that China had stopped bulking up its space programs and massive military forces long enough to be concerned at Japan saying it wanted "a bigger role in global military cooperation and a better response to missile attacks."  Ty did this by forwarding along a piece covering China's reaction on Reuters before disappearing behind a Grilled Stufft Fajita from Taco Bell back in his office.  I guess the Ukraine doesn't have very good Mexican because he hasn't stopped eating these things all month.

One can see why China would be shy about Japan becoming a military power again.  You just have to look back to Manchuria in the early 1930s -- *slaps forehead*  no, I don't mean the Sinatra movie -- to see why the Chinese may be a bit spooked about living next to a militarized Japan.  But here's the current PM of Japan: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.  Besides being two-small-degrees of separation from Long Duk Dong of Sixteen Candles fame, Koizumi is a Liberal Democrat who ran on "the ongoing economic recession; reform of the public pension system; the extent of Japan's support of the U.S. in Iraq; Japan's relationship with North Korea; and the privatization of the postal service and Tokyo-area highways," and taking out Godzilla, once and for all, for buddha's sake.

Not exactly Benito Mussolini, is he?  Still, one can certainly see why the Chinese would be scared of Koizumi, since all they have is Sun Tzu and Mao Tse-tung and a few thousand years of war tactics and strategy and a billion more people to defend themselves with.

Then again, the Japanese do have giant lizards and ninja and The Last Samuri going for them.  Still, as nasty as Godzilla can get -- especially when bugged by Mothra -- I think a billion Chinamen trump a nuclear lizard nine times out of ten.

Personally, I find it interesting in these days of pre-emptive war -- or what we used to call "attacking a nation" -- that we pretend to be surprised that other nations want to get their piece of the international arms trafficking pie, as if we assumed we'd be the only ones cleaning up in the era of Occupying Sovereign Nations Who Haven't Attacked Us^TM.  Frankly, I say Japan should go ahead and take care of their own defense.  It's been over 50 years, we wrote their constitution, and they practically own the computer and software industries.  I say it's about time that they use those Super Mario Brothers profits to buy a Howitzer or three.

After all, who do you suppose has a few laying around to sell them?  (i.e., that's code for "buy shares of Lockheed-Martin and General Dynamics NOW, kids.  Right NOW!)