Japan accuses Russia of incursion

[Admiral Valdemar]

I'm pretty sure Japan's AEGIS cruisers would make short work of sub-sonic cruises.

[Darth Raptor]

Wow that's funny. So technically, japan and russia are still at war.

I have to wonder if the change of government in Russia would also mean a technical end to formal hostilities.

I'm surprised Japan's adoption of the pacifist postwar constitution didn't do that.

[K. A. Pital]

I have to wonder if the change of government in Russia would also mean a technical end to formal hostilities.

No. Government of Russia changed multiple times, but never formally made a peace treaty. Why should we, anyways? Japan wants to redraft post-WWII aquisitions of Russia/USSR - what kind of right does it have to that?

As for diplomatic relations and cessation of hostilities with Japan, someone should know their history. The hostilities are ended and diplomatic relations are restored since 1956 and work quite okay (how else would we have so much diplomatic contact with a country we're "at war"?), so why really should we work towards a formal paper? The only goal of which is the return of "northern territories" to Japan?

If Germany would now start claiming the eastern territory which the USSR drafted for Poland, I don't think Poland would be so eager to give that back, no? Why should Russia treat the Japanese any differently - because they're so cuddly pacifist? Bah.

[AniThyng]

Maybe the Russians don't like the pussy pacifistic Japanese attitude and want to see what happens when you piss of a $4 trillion high-tech economy into heavy militarization.

Pussy Pacifists are a minority in the political realm. There are plenty of militarists who have been pushing very hard to remilitarize Japan, and they have only abated of late only because the so-called Japanese economy hasn't done as well as you might think.

So how what is the whole debate about resuming a logistics mission in support of US naval forces in the gulf really about then?

[Vympel]

I'm pretty sure Japan's AEGIS cruisers would make short work of sub-sonic cruises.

Sure, if they saw em coming. Which they won't.

[Warsie]

If you've watched some anime or read some manga, you'll realize the Japanese idea of pacifism is to use military might to beat down supposed opponents of peace, e.g., the US. Those idiots do NOT want world peace, they want Japan to dominate the world and force other nations to be peaceful.

LOL WUT?

Sources (some Anime/Manga) sources Please?

[CJvR]

Idiots waving flags and maps should be shot on sight. If there is one thing that can open Pandora's box it is re-drawing borders.

The German Ostgebit was, IIRC, thoroughly ethnicly cleansed long before it became a fashionable phrase. I doubt there are any ethnic Japanese left on those Islands after all this time.

If the nations that lost in WWII needs more revenge on the Russians then they should consider that on the average they lived a longer far better life with more freedom and wealth than their conquerors.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

So how what is the whole debate about resuming a logistics mission in support of US naval forces in the gulf really about then?

A constitutional technicality fought between the militarists who want more cooperation with the US (and weapons) and some (the Opposition) who are wary of the US.

[Kwizard]

Forgive my general ignorance of military logistics, but given that the airspace violation lasted such a short time (three minutes according to the article), could this not have been a navigation error?

[Admiral Valdemar]

Forgive my general ignorance of military logistics, but given that the airspace violation lasted such a short time (three minutes according to the article), could this not have been a navigation error?

I doubt that. Bears routinely fly into the fringes of foreign airspace to test interceptor reaction time. It's a game played since the Cold War, much like hunter-killer subs playing cat and mouse without anyone knowing.

[Enigma]

Forgive my general ignorance of military logistics, but given that the airspace violation lasted such a short time (three minutes according to the article), could this not have been a navigation error?

I doubt that. Bears routinely fly into the fringes of foreign airspace to test interceptor reaction time. It's a game played since the Cold War, much like hunter-killer subs playing cat and mouse without anyone knowing.

Has anyone tried the reverse and test Russia's response?

[Admiral Valdemar]

We're not that bored.

[Vympel]

We're not that bored.

That's code for you don't have any bombers with the range to do the same.

[[R_H]]

More Russian naughtiness, this time in Norway

Spying in Norway reaches ‘all-time high’

Russian agents in Norway have reached levels as high as during the Cold War, warns the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST).

Many other countries also have spies in Norway, climbing to a record number following a quiet period during the 1990s.

"I’m not going to comment on individual countries, but there are more countries active [in espionage] in Norway than people would think," PST chief Jørn Holme told Norwegian daily Aftenposten.

Holme said unnamed sources indicate that Russian espionage activity is at an "all-time high", and other countries have also stepped up their activities in Norway.

Russia and other countries are said to be interested in Norway because of its strategic geographical position and its offshore technological expertise.

Also said to play a role are unresolved border issues between Russian and Norway regarding natural resources.

However, researcher Jakub Godzimirski of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) says Russia does not view Norway as a military threat.

"Seen from Moscow’s perspective, Norway is interesting because it is a member of NATO and the Kremlin sees Norway as an American outpost," Godzimirski told Aftenposten.

"In addition, Norway is a significant gas and oil exporter," he said. "In the gas sector, the two countries compete in the same markets in Europe."

Godzimirski says that while modern technology is used to get access to technical expertise, classic spy methods are also being employed, in which foreign agents actively recruit Norwegians through personal contacts.

"One of our functions is to stop good Norwegians before they get pulled into these agents’ networks," said Godzimirski.

Recruitment can occur without the person being aware of it, according to PST chief Holme.

He also confirms that foreign countries are engaged in industrial espionage in Norway.

Meanwhile, press attaché Jevgenij Kolesnikov at the Russian Embassy in Oslo denies the accusations about increased spying. He says the relationship between the two countries has improved greatly and calls the PST statements "ungrounded and a repeat from the Cold War days."

I know what we're all wondering...Spin Echo - New Zealand's spy in Norway?

[HemlockGrey]

If you've watched some anime or read some manga, you'll realize the Japanese idea of pacifism is to use military might to beat down supposed opponents of peace, e.g., the US. Those idiots do NOT want world peace, they want Japan to dominate the world and force other nations to be peaceful.

Do you also take your cues on U.S. foreign policy analysis from DC Comics? Can you tell me what the death of Captain America means for our Caribbean policy? If Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude, what does that mean for American-Nigerian trade relations?

[Sea Skimmer]

That's code for you don't have any bombers with the range to do the same.

Don’t need em, since freedom proved much more able to win overseas airbases then communism. The communist also shot down similar US flights on several occasions (not talking about U-2s here), in some cases even when the aircraft were clearly known to be over international waters.

[Sidewinder]

If you've watched some anime or read some manga, you'll realize the Japanese idea of pacifism is to use military might to beat down supposed opponents of peace, e.g., the US. Those idiots do NOT want world peace, they want Japan to dominate the world and force other nations to be peaceful.

LOL WUT?

Sources (some Anime/Manga) sources Please?

Watch The Silent Service (available at Amazon.com). Try to wrap your mind around the idea the crew of a Japanese submarine can declare themselves a sovereign nation, make the US a pacifist nation by threatening it with nuclear weapons, and NOT get their ship sunk by a USN task force consisting of three subs, one destroyer, six cruisers, two carriers, and their accompanying LAMPS.

[Warsie]

Has anyone tried the reverse and test Russia's response?

We're not that bored.

yes the US has. Thst's why the USSR mistaken that South Korea airplane as a military craft/test and shot it down

[Warsie]

Watch The Silent Service (available at Amazon.com). Try to wrap your mind around the idea the crew of a Japanese submarine can declare themselves a sovereign nation, make the US a pacifist nation by threatening it with nuclear weapons, and NOT get their ship sunk by a USN task force consisting of three subs, one destroyer, six cruisers, two carriers, and their accompanying LAMPS.

thank you

[Tanasinn]

The USSR and the Russian Federation are (ostensibly) two entirely different nations.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Last I checked, there's not even an equivelant of a Law of the Sea Treaty, so Japan's 'National Airspace' is as high as they can and are willing to enforce, just like the rest of us.