The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) response to Taiwan President Lai’s inauguration highlighted Beijing’s regional assertiveness and military capabilities. That same week, China’s ambassador to Japan implied that the Japanese would be “brought into the fire” over their support for Taiwan’s independence. Both activities underscore why Japan is worried about a potential Taiwan contingency, and Tokyo’s unease is not limited to Beijing’s threats to Taipei.
Continue reading “How China’s Expanded Operations in the Sea of Japan are Troubling Tokyo”
On November 2, 1942, Phil’s crew climbed aboard Super Man (B-24 LIBERATOR) and readied to go to war. They were heading into a desperate fight. North to south, Japan’s new empire starched five thousand miles, from the snowboard Aleutians to Java, hundreds of miles north of the equator.
Continue reading “Unbroken”
In the months leading up to the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, few voices within the U.S. Navy spoke out with the clarity and conviction of Admiral James O. Richardson. As Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet (CINCUS) from January 1940 to February 1941, Richardson was uniquely positioned to assess the strategic posture of the Pacific Fleet. Yet despite his experience and reasoned objections, his warnings about relocating the fleet to Hawaii were ultimately disregarded—decisions that would have profound consequences for the United States and the course of World War II.
Continue reading “The Ignored Warning Before Pearl Harbor”
Japan is facing its most severe security environment since World War II as three potential adversaries in East Asia – China, Russia and North Korea – ramp up military activities in the region, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday.
Continue reading “China, North Korea and Russia represent biggest security challenge since World War II, Japan says”
TOKYO (AP) – Japan raised strong caution against China’s rapid acceleration of military activity in extensive areas from its southwestern coasts to the Pacific, describing the moves as the biggest strategic challenge.
Continue reading “Japan Warns of China’s Military Moves as Biggest Strategic Challenge”
Advanced intelligence helped the Allies turn the tables on Japan in this crucial World War II naval battle.
In May 1942, U.S. and Australian naval and air forces were facing off against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Battle of the Coral Sea in the South Pacific. But in a windowless basement at Pearl Harbor, a group of U.S. Navy codebreakers had intercepted Japanese radio messages suggesting Japan was planning an entirely different—and potentially far more damaging—operation in the Pacific theater.
Continue reading “How Codebreakers Helped Secure U.S. Victory in the Battle of Midway”
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