Should the U.S. forces leave Japan?

[EveV]

Originally Posted by Amnell

Insofar as a second Korean war is concerned, the reason we need to keep forces in Japan is because Kadena AFB in Okinawa would serve a logistics hub and stretegic launch point for US forces. We do have an air base in Seoul and several other South Korean cities, but most of these are equipped primarily with fighter/interceptor aircraft and ground forces. Kadena AFB is where our B-2's and other long range bombers--not to mention the C-130's that drop FOOD for refugees--take off from. Pulling out of Japan while North Korea and South Korea want (thier own form of) unification is a VERY bad idea.

Aside from all of that, the U.S. has major bases all around the world. Why? So that we can rapid-deploy our forces in the event of an emergency, i.e. it won't take thrity-six hours for our first brigade of Marines and their fighting vehicles to get to the problem area and deploy. Our stations in Japan are our Asia-Pacific hub. It isn't any different than us having bases in Germany or down in Africa or wherever (and no one's complained about that o_O ).

Haha << I was waiting for someone to post all the info I was to lazy to look up.

[Hatredcopter]

I wouldn't be so against US forces being stationed in Japan if so many of the servicemen there didn't go out and get drunk every time they're on break and terrorize the local Japanese population. Seems like every time you scan the headlines, there's a rape scandal or some story about US servicemen committing crimes. I know the Japanese media likes to dwell on these things and make them more serious than they are sometimes, but unfortunately there are a few bad apples stationed in Japan that gives the Japanese a bad image of Americans.

That combined with the fact that Japan can probably defend itself by now probably means we should pull out. And before anyone gets upset, I know most military personnel behave themselves over there, it's just a few people who ruin it for everyone else.

[xYinniex]

you guys make korea sound terrible
I actually want to go there for holiday, it seems pretty cool. XD

[EveV]

Originally Posted by xYinniex

you guys make korea sound terrible
I actually want to go there for holiday, it seems pretty cool. XD

Which part? << Tourist always have more fun then the people who actual live in the place being visited x.x

[xYinniex]

Originally Posted by EveV

Which part? << Tourist always have more fun then the people who actual live in the place being visited x.x

south,
the north's communist. don't agree with that at all.

[EveV]

Originally Posted by xYinniex

south,
the north's communist. don't agree with that at all.

Ah. Yea, I've heard south Korea is pretty much fine and dandy. ( Besides the whole being next to a communist government thing << )
Someone once told me the guy... ah can't think of his name. The "emperor" has a myspace <<
I think it can be found on google hidden links.

[Amnell]

Originally Posted by xYinniex

you guys make korea sound terrible
I actually want to go there for holiday, it seems pretty cool. XD

Nyahh~, I'm sorry, didn't mean to do that! Lol. Nah, Korea's pretty cool, from what I know. It's just a volatile situation on that peninsula because both countries want unification but have very different ideas on how to do it.

If I could read Hangeul, I might want to go to Seoul sometime :P . (Dunno why, I would just feel real uncomfortable in a place with a writing system I couldn't decipher--hence I have no desire to go to the middle east)

[Ronin4hire]

US forces are there to stifle the Chinese and Russian military influence in the region and to help contain North Korea along with their bases in South Korea.

The Japanese Defence Force is a powerful, typical conventional military force except in name only. It is considered by experts as more powerful and more modern than either the British and French militaries. The naming of the Japanese military as the "JDF" is so that they can have a military while not violating the pacifist constitution which they drew up after WW2.

Personally I'm not for or against US forces in South East Asia as I feel it's an issue for the people of Okinawa, South Korea and to some extent America to decide and I don't feel threatened by Chinese military modernization and expansion of their influence.

[Ramones1976]

Originally Posted by Joedirt

It is very expensive for the United States to keep its military in Japan. Should the U.S. withdraw its troops and leave Japan? I was stationed in Okinawa back in 1989-1992. We took up a lot of space on the island and most people did not want us there anyway.

I think it is too expensive for the United States to maintain a presence in Japan and Korea.

Hell yeah
The us should get the fuck out of there and every other country where it has occupying military forces now

[Amnell]

Originally Posted by Ramones1976

Hell yeah
The us should get the fuck out of there and every other country where it has occupying military forces now

Your reasons?