Name: Is Japan quietly reasserting its military power?
Uploaded: 2014-01-06T19:31:07.000Z
Duration: 17 min 28 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Basic passive voice

They were known as the divine wind - the suicide pilots called "kamikaze". More than anything

else, they came to symbolise all that was feared about the military might of Imperial

Sixty years on, those young men are being immortalised.

This is the set of a new film being made about the kamikaze. It's called "I Go to Die for

You". The movie's director says it's a tribute to a generation that was prepared to lay down

its life for the country. Of course, war is not good. I'm not admiring

the war as an event but it is a historical fact that there was

a group of young people between 18 and 20 years old, who died. I want viewers to think

about them. Japan is now enjoying peace because of those people.

Victims of Japanese aggression in Asia,  would argue with that

sentiment but the fact that the kamikaze are being glorified, is evidence of a new wind

After World War II, reeling from the atomic bomb attacks and under American occupation,

Japan turned to pacifism. Its Imperial military was dismantled, a new constitution imposed

to enshrine peace. But the Cold War changed that. Fears of communism inspired the United

"At dawn the Sea of Sagami reflects the twilight glow..."

It looks a lot like a military force but technically

it's not. This is Japan's Ground Self Defence Force, military-light, legally restricted

to never fire in anger, only ever in self-defence.

My friends were surprised when I said I wanted

to join the SDF. Of course, they thought I would go to university, study hard, and go

to work at an ordinary company. When they found out I wanted to join the SDF where I

would drive myself relentlessly, they were surprised and worried about me.

Eighteen year-old Takuma Matsu joined up after finishing high school last year.

For many years a life in the force was a fairly

unattractive career. Today it's turning away recruits.

comfortable conditions. For others, the idea of serving the country has never gone away.

I liked the SDF, because my two grandfathers were in the military. Its well regulated life

and purpose of duty are very noble, defending the country.

Since being set up, the SDF has served more as a natural disaster cleanup squad but change

is coming so that by the time these trainees earn their stripes, they may be soldiers instead

of public servants in uniform. "Of course I am ready. To die is not an easy

matter but if that kind of situation happened to me I wouldn't hesitate to offer my life

in order to defend what I should protect."

I'm visiting one of Japan's Aegis destroyers, one of the world's most advanced fighting

ships. Showing me around the Kirishima is the man in charge of its advanced weapons

systems, Haruhiko Kannaka. "This ship is the most critical ship in the

fleet. If we don't survive the first strike our side won't be able to fight off the enemy.

We need to prevail to defend the country at the front line.

The Kirishima is a measure of how well equipped Japan's military is. A ship like this is worth

nearly two billion dollars. These two are Spy-One radar. They can search,

detect and identify targets. This warship detects all targets in the air.

There are four like it in the Japanese fleet. Only the US Navy has more.

This is the VLS -- Vertical Lunch System. The anti-air missiles or torpedoes are stored

and launched from here. The Kirishima and ships like it will form

part of a controversial US plan known as the missile defence shield. It will use missiles

launched by America's allies around the world to shoot down missiles from other countries

that threaten the western alliance. Things are not heading in a positive direction.

Terrorism can be found in every country in the world. I think things are heading in a

bad direction. Under the current circumstances we have to have practical power to avoid the threats."

Those threats, perceived or real, are being

used to persuade Japanese citizens of the merits of a re-militarised Japan.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the international situation has changed drastically. Of course

the terrorism is everywhere. In our case, North Korea is kidnapping people - people

know that - and they shoot missiles towards our territory. So now people are getting more

and more concerned about the national security."

Those discussions are becoming more robust.

If fuelling is completed at the launching pad and if we can confirm the target is Japan

it's possible for us to attack their missile base.

Japan will not attack, will it?" MP Yoichi Masuzoe is leading the Government's push for change.

The target is Article Nine of the Constitution,

which prohibits the use of war and the existence of the military. "Having won a commanding majority

in Parliament, the Government is well placed to push ahead with a referendum to change

it. As an independent sovereign country it's not

normal that we heavily depend on our national security on other countries.

Japan has already tested the limits of Article Nine in Iraq. Its troops are about to finish

up there after their first deployment to a war zone in sixty years. They've served as

part of the US led Coalition, providing humanitarian aid projects but having to rely on Australian

and British soldiers for their security. It's very frustrating and embarrassing, so

that's why people want to change. But the fact is that if you are attacked by

terrorists the Americans, or Australians or British will come to help us. But we cannot go.

While the political debate goes on, the defence

force is trying to win hearts and minds. The generations growing up since World War II

have been kept ignorant of Japan's military attacks in Asia in the 1930s and '40s.

These young women are on a weekend trip to experience life in the Self Defence Force.

For the next 40 minutes I want to beat this into your heads. I want you to march beautifully.

If people understand us more we think we can achieve our aims.

As I said before, the Defence Agency and the Self Defence Force belong to the people.

We want the people to think of us as being theirs."

This is a country where consumerism and kitsch

are bywords for modern culture. Even the name of this tour -- the Parsley Chan tour -- comes

from the name of the female half of the SDF's cartoon mascots. The soldiers don't always

have such an appreciative audience. Just a little exposure to the military, has got some

"At first I thought our military forces in Japan were strange.

But then I suddenly thought Japan  should revise Article 9 of the constitution

That's the kind of radical notion that highlights

The generation that experienced Japan's last war, finds itself

"Opposing the constitution has become a very radical issue

I mean, ten years ago it was very normal. Now, opposing the revision of

the constitution has become a very radical issue.

Makoto Oda is a veteran of Japan's anti-war movement, a novelist and poet, Oda is one

of the founding members of the Article Nine Association -- a group of old rabblerousers