Were U.S. Sailors Exposed To Radiation From Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant?

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan wash down the flight deck to remove potential radiation contamination while operating off the coast of Japan providing humanitarian assistance in support of Operation Tomodachi on March 22, 2011. Nicholas A. Groesch / Reuters file

US Sailors Sue Japan's TEPCO For Post-Quake Radiation Exposure -- NBC

A group of U.S. Navy personnel involved in the humanitarian effort after Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami have filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo Electric Power Co. for more than $200 million in compensation, punitive damages and future medical costs for exposure to radiation that leaked from the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant at the time.

The plaintiffs include eight troops serving on the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier — one of whom was pregnant at the time of the alleged exposure — and her daughter.

They charge that the utility, known as TEPCO, "knowingly and negligently caused, permitted and allowed misleading information concerning the true condition of the (plant) to be disseminated to the public, including the U.S. Navy Department," according to the complaint filed on Dec. 21 in a U.S. federal court in San Diego.

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More News On US Sailors Suing Japan's TEPCO For Post-Quake Radiation Exposure

8 US sailors sue Japanese utility over radiation exposure from nuclear reactor breakdown -- Washington Post/AP
U.S. sailors sue Tokyo co. over radiation -- Air Force Times
US Navy sailors sue Japan's TEPCO over radiation -- AFP
U.S. sailors sue Tepco over radiation -- UPI
US sailors sue operator of Fukushima nuclear plant -- The Australian
US sailors sue Japanese utility over radiation exposure -- Stars and Stripes
Japan's Tepco sued by US sailors over radiation -- BBC
US Navy sailors sue Japan for lying about Fukushima radiation -- RT

Is Japan Having A Free-Ride On American Military Strength

Twenty-six ships from the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, including ships from the George Washington Strike Group, steam together after the conclusion of exercise Keen Sword 2013. Keen Sword 2013 is a biannual exercise held in order to enable the United States and Japan to train in coordination procedures and heighten interoperability needed to effectively defend or respond to a crisis in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jennifer A. Villalovos/Released)

Say No To Tokyo -- Doug Bandow, National Interest

Faced with an increasingly bitter territorial confrontation with China, Japan wants a stronger U.S. defense guarantee. So much for the Democratic Party of Japan’s promise to make Tokyo a more independent international player. Washington should say no to war with the People’s Republic of China over a worthless pile of rocks claimed by Japan.

Whether animated by economic success, weakened political control over the military during the ongoing leadership transition, or perception of Western weakness, China has been playing an increasingly assertive role throughout the Asia-Pacific.

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My Comment: Japan definitely has the means to build-up (very quickly) a military that everyone in the Asian region would take notice very quickly .... especially China. Fortunately .... Japan does not have the political will to do such a build-up for the simple reason that everyone is expecting the U.S. to fulfill the regions defense needs. Is this a sound policy .... definitely not. Will it happen .... if I was a betting man I would say yes. But there will come a time when the U.S. cannot play that role anymore, and as the U.S. prepares to face it`s debt crisis, that day may come sooner rather than later.

Japan Wants Greater Security Guarantees From The U.S. In Their Confrontation With China

Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) destroyer Kurama (R) leads destroyer Hyuga as a Japanese naval flag flutters during a naval fleet review at Sagami Bay, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo October 14, 2012. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Japan Seeks Tighter Pact With U.S. to Confront China -- New York Times

TOKYO — Japan’s defense minister, Satoshi Morimoto, said on Friday that he wanted to revise his nation’s security alliance with the United States to place more emphasis on the threat from China to islands at the center of a territorial dispute.

Mr. Morimoto said he wanted to update a set of guidelines that govern how the two allies’ militaries would cooperate during a crisis to include the potential for a maritime clash with China. Tensions between Japan and China have risen in recent months over the contested islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

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My Comment: Japan does not want to spend the money that they need to spend to counter China's growing military forces .... hence .... they are now running to the U.S. for support in their dispute with China. The U.S. is already under treaty obligations to help defend Japan .... but I guess the Japanese want to make sure on the details.

U.S. And Japan Call-Off Naval Exercises Over Fears Of China's Reaction

Japan, US Call Off Naval Drill For Fear Of China’s Reaction -- RIA Novosti

Japan has decided to cancel its planned joint naval drill with the United States fearing that it would provoke a negative reaction from China, the Japan Times daily reported citing an unnamed source in the government.

According to the scenario of the drills, slated for November, the forces of Japan and the United States were to “recapture” an uninhabited Irisuna Island, a remote island in Okinawa Prefecture.

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Update #1: US and Japan scrap naval drill in bid to ease islands tension with China -- South China Post
Update #2: Japan, U.S. abandon drill to 'retake' isle -- Japan Times

My Comment: The Japanese have blinked first, and by making this decision they are hoping for a quid pro quo from China. What`s my read .... the Chinese are not going to accommodate Japan`s wishes.

In A Message To China, U.S. And Japan Military Exercises To Include Retaking An Island

GSDF members take part in an amphibious assault exercise on Guam in September, 2012. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Japan, U.S. Plan 1st Drill In Japan To Retake Occupied Isle -- Asahi Shimbun

Japan and the United States will conduct a drill to recapture an island occupied by enemy forces in what would be a warning to China, which has taken a hard-line stance over the disputed Senkaku Islands.

The drill, the first of its kind in Japan, will be held on Irisunajima Island in Okinawa Prefecture during the latter half of a broader joint exercise scheduled for Nov. 5-16, sources said.

The Ground Self-Defense Force’s Western Army Infantry Regiment, based in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, and the U.S. Marine Corps’ 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in Okinawa Prefecture, will take part.

Uninhabited Irisunajima Island hosts the U.S. Air Force’s Idesunajima Range.

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More News On Planned U.S. - Japan Military Exercises To Include Retaking An Occupied Island

U.S., Japan troops consider joint-drill to retake captured island -- Japan Daily Press
Japanese, U.S. Troops Mull Drill To Take Island: Reports -- Defense News/AFP
Japan, U.S. may conduct joint drill to retake remote island -- Daily Yomiuri
Japanese, US troops mull drill to take island -- Business Recorder
Japanese, US may drill on retaking an island -- East Day
US, Japan planning joint military drill to ‘retake’ Okinawa island -- Truth Dive
China would be wise to accept Japan's olive branch over the Senkaku Islands -- Peter Kirby, The Guardian

Will The U.S. Go To War For Japan

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Sept. 19, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

Is The U.S. Committed To Defend The Senkakus? Text Of Article 5 Of The U.S.-Japan Treaty -- Stephen Harner, Forbes

On Sunday, September 23, NHK news broadcast a video of U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta seated next to and speaking with Chinese Vice Chairman and soon-to-be supreme leader Xi Jinping on September 19 in Beijing. During that meeting, reported NHK, Panetta told Xi that U.S. policy is that the Senkaku islands (claimed as Chinese territory by Beijing) are covered by the U.S.-Japan security alliance. If there is military conflict, the U.S. is obliged under the alliance to intervene.

The September 21st Yomiuri Shimbun, cited testimony of Assistant Secretary of State for Asian Affairs Kurt Campbell to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the day before confirming that the Senkakus come under Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. Campbell said that U.S. policy on this has been clear since 1997.

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My Comment: I am of the opinion that the U.S. will defend Japan .... but what will U.S. forces exactly do is what is many are now starting to question. For example .... when it comes to the disputed islands the U.S. will do everything to help Japan short of actually engaging against Chinese forces with our own. But if Japanese territories that are not in dispute become targets for Chinese aggression ... that is when all gloves are off, and the U.S. forces will engage.

This is frightening stuff .... because military conflicts always tend to have a life of their own that befuddles even the best planners and strategists. My worry is that the Chinese will miscalculate .... and in this miscalculation will destabilize the region, create an arms race, wreck the global economy, and create tensions that will last for generations. On a positive note .... fortunately .... I have noticed that all of my Chinese friends and contacts are aware of this "disaster scenario" .... and this general awareness in China is probably what will stop the Chinese from pushing their claims on these islands.

Update: China surveillance ships enter waters near disputed islands -- Reuters