2011-10-31 (China Military News cited from AFP) -- Asian countries should work together to encourage China's increasingly assertive military to obey the rules of the sea, Japan's prime minister has told the Financial Times.
Yoshihiko Noda's comments come against a background of rising tensions in the South and East China Seas, where several countries have competing territorial claims.
"(We will) appeal in all kinds of meetings for China to abide by the rules, he told the paper. "Pushing for the rules to be followed should be something done in cooperation with all the countries in the area."
Noda, who took office just two months ago, has previously urged Beijing to act as a "responsible member of the international community".
In September he became the latest senior Japanese figure to express concern over the speed and "opaqueness" of China's military build-up, which has seen huge rises in Beijing's military budget over a number of years.
Earlier this year, China announced military spending would rise 12.7 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion) in 2011 after funding slowed last year.
Beijing has repeatedly sought to alleviate fears over its pursuit of sophisticated missiles, satellites, cyber-weapons and fighter jets, stressing that its policy is "defensive in nature".
However, China has become increasingly strident in its claims over the East China Sea and the South China Sea, most of which it views as its maritime territory, but where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have their own claims.
The sea is believed to be extremely rich in oil and gas deposits, as well as being where shipping lanes link East Asia with Europe and the Middle East.
The area has long been considered one of Asia's potential military flashpoints, and in 1998 Vietnam fought a brief naval battle with China on one of the reefs that left 50 Vietnamese sailors dead.
Tokyo and Beijing, whose ties are often fraught because of differences over history, had a vicious diplomatic spat in September 2010 over disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Japan detained a Chinese fishing boat captain whose vessel had collided with Japanese coastguard ships in waters near the islands. He was later released, but not before relations had been sent into deep freeze.
October 31st, 2011 at 10:05 am
Does he mean the same degree of unity that the Asian countries had shown during the WWII against Japan? I suppose it's a bit hard...
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October 31st, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Thats right Hugo. Dont think any asian countries truly gotten over Japanese atrocities from WWII.
Guess the only way to look at it is its like another political manuevre to get some free brownie points for his party.
In anycase I sincerely hope that the PM is not serious about his comments, especially from a Japanese PM rather than the US. On the bright side it made me choke over my morning coffee laughing. I really am curious what anime series he got his idea from. XD
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November 4th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Japan is a semi mad country.... Before we go further, let's remember the Japs are the ones that attacked USA and China during the WWII and they are the ones that took the Diaoyutai from the Chinese. THEY ARE THE ONES THAT KILLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSAND white boys from USA, and MILLIONS OF CHINESE... the americans DID not KILL the Chinese AND NEITHER DID THE CHINESE KILLED THE WHITE BOYS FROM USA. LOL!!!!
USA had better remember that before they let the Japs prosess Nuclear weapons.!!! It will be the end of Asia and even USA....
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November 5th, 2011 at 9:19 am
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November 5th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
I know Tienfei you don't mean it. You know very well our constitution does not allow us from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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November 5th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
I doubt your constitution means anything. After all, your various governments through out history were all accustomed to kidnap the emperor and use him as puppet to do their biddings. Now it's just a piece of paper.
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November 5th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Btw, what has Japan done since WWII? Did they publicly apologize anything like Germany did? Are they shouldering Asia's economy like the Germans do in European Union? Germany now commands the respect of Europe and for everything good they have done past WWII, German Chancellor calls all the big shots and make all the important decisions in European Union. Japan is no-where near that in the hearts and minds of Asians. Japan now wants to call the big shots again and don't even remotely understand their proper place and real image in Asia.
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November 5th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
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November 6th, 2011 at 8:19 am
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November 6th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
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November 7th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
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November 7th, 2011 at 7:52 pm
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November 7th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
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November 8th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
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November 8th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
China has pop culture as well. But I imagine that the current generation is more in tuned with Kpop culture at the moment. I believe they call it the Hallyu wave.
"MANILA, Philippines - Korean boy band Super Junior lived up to its promise and hype as its members delivered another successful concert for Filipino fans last Feb. 26 at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City".
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November 8th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Oh, I see the misunderstanding. That vid isnt Chinese pop. The video is Sment. Korea's largest music company. Recruiting Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese into the Korean music industry.
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November 9th, 2011 at 7:28 am
The biggest name to come out of the Korean Music contests was Charice Pempengco, from the Philippines. She is No.1 in Japan, SEA and widely popular in the US. Looks like she also has a lineage of the Co family from Fujian China.
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November 9th, 2011 at 7:30 am
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November 9th, 2011 at 7:33 am
Ak- HAHA! She just looks like one!
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November 9th, 2011 at 7:34 am
If it is not the Korean Music contest she will never be found!
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November 9th, 2011 at 7:37 am
That's all you're good for, music. Here in Japan especially the big cities there are so many Filipinos singing in bars and night clubs. Lots of good looking women too! hehehe! Is that part of the package?
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November 9th, 2011 at 9:20 am
Charice Pempengco is popular, but she isnt Kpop.
"Gaon Chart, South Korea’s version of the Billboard charts, has named K-pop boy band Super Junior the bestselling artist in South Korea for 2010".
The biggest are usually employed by Sment.
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
@ James kampilan, you're the brown skin of the Philippines, coupled with inappropriate yellow skin of the Japanese people, I am disgusted by side with the brown skin of the Philippines, you were there at the housemaid level only , while the Japanese at the host level, so once again I remind you not a level, so do not be proud if in treating this, as if I defend the Philippines, I do not want to defend the housemaid level, could fall my degree later , LOL peace fuck you , LOL
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
@ James kampilan, the Philippines faces an average person just monkey LOL
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
@ James kampilan, do not be angry, because I speak the fact that the actual
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
I vowed to finish off the nation the Philippines sometime in the future when the Japanese came to power again, I will be the Japanese troops who invaded the Philippines
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November 9th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
see my avatar with my eyes just a bruise, because of the Philippines
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November 17th, 2011 at 12:57 am
All it takes for China, Korea and Japan to unite is a Hitler version of a mongoloid pride. I think some professors in Asia are already proposing such ideas. Countries like China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, and Japan, (and maybe vietnam) should join since they are more related with each other in blood. I m pretty sure China, Korea and Japan together can take on the world. But white people will be very unhappy to see this.
the filipinos can form their own South Asian union with their malay, indonesian and pacific island neighbors. They are more related by appearances.
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