Japan's Pacifist Paradox (Part 1)

[@PolyMatter]

I’ve been looking for a new series since China’s Reckoning and finally found something I think you’ll enjoy. To tide you over before Part 2, you can watch the Nebula-exclusive bonus video for just $15/year with CusiosityStream + Nebula: curiositystream.com/polymatter Hope you enjoy. -Evan

[@shinchan-F-urmom]

You are literally sponsering a war criminal nation that praises people like SS in Yakshuni Shrine

[@zyansheep]

Bruh the cliffhangers i just can't get used to them

[@jzk2020]

I'm gonna guess the real reason is there's no political will, and its political suicide to try to push for those policies so all politicians play it safe and try not to rock the boat, in order to stay in office for as long as possible.

[@StrickerRei-Chn]

This video needs Traditional Chinese and Japanese subtitles....

[@prithvishetty6938]

i have a nebula sub but i like watching stuff on youtube rather than nebula

[@FerrowTheFox]

I agree on a lot of points, but would like to add that the sheer number of troops (especially ground troops) is not a priority for Japan. As an island nation, the single biggest defense and military expenditure is Japan's navy, as it is pretty much it's first and only line of defense. The JMSDF is one of the biggest and finest blue water navies in the world, even overtaking the Royal Navy in gross tonnage. Force projection, protecting the home islands and securing trade routes is what they are about. Also, Japan is not in this fight alone, they're allied with most western powers in the region, especially the US. Since it's pacifist stance is a US decree after WWII, the US is semi-responsible for Japan's protection. Conversely, Japan also has been the US' and NATOS shield against the Soviet Union (and to some extent China). It is those two things that Japan has to trust in: It's JMSDF and it's US/NATO allies.

[@natashagupta4691]

🟠 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@XxXVideoVeiwerXxX]

I think being able to supplement man power via allies would help. India is honestly the wests best bet at competing with china on a numbers fight.

[@maxblanding6949]

How tf he gonna add it, the video is out

[@ComanderSazabi2000]

@@fakeninja4447 The US Navy always swings its Carrier Fleets around Asia whenever someone acts up and they constantly do fly-by mission through China's man made islands to contest China's claim over the South China Sea. The US Navy has shown it's continued interest in the Asia Pacific regardless of the previous Republican or even the current Democratic President. People like to claim that China's has been pushing US' around but the reality is that it's more of a waltz.

[@dxelson]

So, a vassal state?

[@KaelVidos20]

The Japanese pacifist constitution was an imposition of the US after the war and in return the US pledged to defend Japan. The army that has to defend Japan is the American army. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan Article 5 commits the United States to defend Japan if it is attacked by a third party.

[@mnm1273]

But do you really trust the US to act and risk WW3 if China takes some Japanese islands? Doubt it.

[@natashagupta4691]

⭕ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@justanotherfrenchie]

Welp as history has shown, America is unreliable.

[@KaelVidos20]

@@mnm1273 then the United States would be betraying an ally and breaking a treaty that was promoted by the American government

[@mnm1273]

@@KaelVidos20 The US pulled out of Afghanistan this Summer leaving a significant number of their allies to die at the hands of the Taliban. The Taliban is far weaker than China, Afghanistan had stopped being an active war for years and there wasn't the risk of bringing the end of the world. Ukraine lost Crimea and despite signing a direct deal in 1994 with the US and UK promising they would protect their territorial integrity. Of course the US would be prepared to break a treaty with Japan.

[@johnnyharris]

This is a super smart video. Thanks for making it.

[@Jepoy_Aquino]

Why aren't you verified?

[@velucadhirim6725]

Chad Johnny Harris watches PolyMatter

[@chandrakalamundra4152]

It's the propaganda guy !!! 🥳🥳

[@almostcertainlynotapotato6528]

How's Cyprus going?

[@mixinguncertainty]

Ice cream machine

[@chandrahasanand4622]

“Soldiers are made of Humans”

[@samrooney2958]

Oh snap

[@cedriceric9730]

Good point

[@alvislarson7853]

It's hard to argue with his assessment

[@natashagupta4691]

⚪ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@oxide9717]

That was funny

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

Japan: *Starts remilitarizing* All of Asia: Hey I know this one, its a classic

[@mohammaddastageer6950]

old and overdone joke, now it's not relevant anymore.

[@livethefuture2492]

*hehe, lets drop the sun on the land of the rising sun...

[@mYnAME-ww9iv]

King Henry VIII Tudor: decides to have another wife All of England: Hey, I know this one, it's a classic.

[@pepperedash4424]

@@mohammaddastageer6950 Well that's memes for you.

[@jamalisujang2712]

Have you seen the remaining sparks of jingoism in anime and manga? Notthat I hate it, I hate the west more though.

[@ernstschmidt4725]

the biggest elephant of the room of this "pacifist paradox" is the United States. a lot of other comments already said it but japan defence policy hinges on their alliance with US and the military bases that US keeps in japan, also a lot of japanese defence tech benefits from US tech cooperation. so calling japan a US protectorate isn't farfetched. but IMO that has been good for japan, since it freed them from the burden of mantaining a huge military-industrial complex.

[@ryosuaitisi]

I would say that they are a protected state

[@zidbits1528]

Unless I missed it in the video, if another country attacks Japan, the treaty Japan has with the U.S means that the U.S immediately takes control of Japan's SDF and coordinates its defense. It's the strongest treaty between two nations on the planet. An attack on Japan is the same is if you attacked California - you'd find yourself at war with the United States. The treaty is called, "Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security" and has been in place since 1960.

[@Idontknowyou05]

This and the fact they can't go to war so it's all defense forces which is why their navy is super strong, don't have to protect an island if they can't even get onto said island needing protection.

[@Idontknowyou05]

@@zidbits1528 That's incredibly interesting.

[@BaljinderSingh-xy4ik]

It not a burden for big powers, it's a tool to use in geopolitics..

[@imsomewhatcertain1024]

The Japanese military should take the anime approach, giant mech suits controlled by angsty teenagers.

[@taknaknak4957]

🤣 yeah they're more delusional than I expected

[@rasyad9048]

Depressed teens with abandonment issues piloting bio-mechanical humanoid mechas

[@death5913]

@@taknaknak4957 it isn't impossible though

[@whathell6t]

@@death5913 I agree. Japan has a fresh population of teenagers who are suffering mental illnesses, caused by societal pressures and status quo.

[@death5913]

@@whathell6t they can recruit overseas such as gurkha's to make up for the emo teens

[@Trubripes]

An island could potentially have a massive navy comprised of highly automated vessels with very small crew. War require soldiers, but depending on your geography and defense requirement, some countries need more than others.

[@randomlygeneratedname7171]

@@AndenMowe-hh5qk No the cowards were just afraid of death and preferred to bomb the place to submission instead of going on the ground. What difference does it make to China if you’re devastating the country anyways

[@maadtee6281]

@@randomlygeneratedname7171 yeah and those cowards devastated China and Korea

[@1mol831]

But Japan can’t mount an invasion now.

[@tritium1998]

So can countries that aren't small islands.

[@slslbbn4096]

This is exactly why Japan is effectively an American puppet state: it is always subject to the threats of American military force or change of regime through control of the media via proxies. That is why Japan had to revalue it's yen when the US commanded it to in 1984, effectively destroying the Japanese economy, rendering it no longer a threat to American economic supremacy

[@gabrieljosephybanez6361]

Of course they're not ready, they know the world isnt ready for giant mecha battles & chakra-infused H2H combat...

[@dragonstormdipro1013]

Chakra is more of an Indian concept

[@whathell6t]

@@dragonstormdipro1013 It’s doesn’t matter. Chakra is no match against India’s most powerful warriors: Aries Mu and Virgo Shaka. Aries Mu is a Kashmir Alchemist and Virgo Shaka is Anti-nihilistic Buddhist.

[@kalvon]

"Demon lord approaches"

[@swiggyhunter4682]

"We have a Goku."

[@abadyr_]

number of ground foot soldier does not translate to strength nowadays. rather it seems to demonstrate poor management of the army and bad priorities in funding it more often than not. Besides, like the UK, Japan is an island and can afford to have a more specialized and smaller force, since ground invasions would be more difficult for enemies.

[@arvinoo5881]

I agree, but Japan does need to up it's spending as it's currently only spending 1% of it's GDP. That's very very low considering the neighborhood Japan is in. 2% of GDP should be the minimum, and revise the constitution to allow some offensive deterrence.

[@meganoobbg3387]

Japan is not the US - they cannot afford to spend a trillion dollars on a single fighter that isnt even finished. Besides, more expensive projects dont guarantee they're better. If that was the case the US would have already conquered Russia, but they havent. Besides, the US tried to scam Japan with some anti-missle systems, but they wanted Japan to pre-pay them, and hope they get them the next 10 years when they're already obsolete.

[@coygus]

@@arvinoo5881 What exactly does offensive deterrence mean? That's a really shit idea because as your man said it's not only political suicide it will definitely turn the west against them as it's basically a return to Imperial Japan

[@TheJacobshapiro]

Japan is indigenously developing their own 5th generation fighter and was a tier 1 partner for the F-35 program. They are not averse to big spending projects on defense that they judge to be worthwhile (and in F-35’s case it absolutely is, what other 5th gen sells for $77mil a unit? That’s a bargain). Japan was also the first country to develop an AESA radar for a production fighter, among many other things. They’re certainly not as far behind as countries in Europe are in terms of defense. They may have a small ground force, but the JASDF and JNSDF are quite capable forces for a country Japan’s size.

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

Polymatter literally addressed this. Numbers aren't always important and tech can make the difference, but SK, Russia, Taiwan and China all have comparable or even better military technology which makes any single Japanese soldier qualitatively weaker than any of its neighbors' soldiers. Sitting back and defending their island is hardly a doctrine to take up in wartime for the 4th wealthiest country in the world. If it's like Taiwan who has no chance for survival except waiting for coalition reinforcement, sure. But Japan has loads more options than Taiwan and has much more freedom of movement. UK maybe an island, but they had a solid plan in case of war on the eve of 1939, their mobilization plan was quite fantastic from previous experience in WW1 and they fought all over the world and contributed 40% of the Normandy invasion force. Can Japan do this? Currently, absolutely not. It essentially only serves as a floating military base for US soldiers and potential coalition members to mass for an amphibious assault on China. Even if Japan wants to only sit back and defend, it's in range of crapton of missiles from China, NK and Russia. Do they have enough air defense capabilities to counter this? Are their military capabilities actually enough to defend against a potential invasion convoy? Japan's defense capabilities seem more in common with Germany against D-Day than UK vs historical French or German invasion plans.

[@ravenlord4]

Japan is essentially a US protectorate. It is not Taiwan, and there is no "strategic ambiguity" when it comes to the US response should it ever be threatened or attacked by one of its neighbors.

[@John_Lee_]

exactly

[@ravenlord4]

@Daan Yes. The Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training has a wonderful article about the 1951 Treaty of San Fransisco.

[@natashagupta4691]

🔸 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@ravenlord4]

@Daan Actually it is the other way around. By "self" limiting its defense budget to 1% max GDP (and forcing the US to pick up the rest of the tab) Japan poured over 99% of its budget into postwar economic recovery, and wow did it work. It was the foreign policy experts in the US who were the ones complaining about having to subsidize the JSDF. It is all a matter of perspective of who is using whom ;)

[@ravenlord4]

@Daan Canada is in the same boat as Japan. It only spends 1-2% on its military. It does not need more because it knows that the US would never allow it to be attacked, and Canada is fine with that relationship. Basically if the situation ever arises that the US cannot defend Canada and Japan, then those countries and the rest of the world will have bigger problems to worry about.

[@きつねかわいい]

After WWII, the US (GHQ) was afraid that Japan would have a military again. So GHQ banned Japan from having an army, war, and engagement in the Constitution. This is why it is called the "Japan Self-Defense Force" instead of the "Japanese Military".

[@miks_w8945]

we all know that. The problem is that they are rearming and spending a lot more on their military than they should be, breaking the constitution by claiming 'self defence'. China and Korea specifically suffered most of it and SE Asia (specifically the Phillipines, Indonesia and Vietnam) aren't exactly happy about this. The Japanese committed the worst atrocities during WW2 and never properly apologised for it, even censoring it in the media and in education, outright denial of the comfort women in Korea and the Rape of Nanking in China where 300000 died. Thats a big problem, the question of: "were they really sorry? are they allowed to do that?" Mind you, they are the 13th strongest military in the world, so much for "Self Defence" and recently Japan was allowed to go on overseas mission and deployments not too long ago. Welp thats my take on the situation.

[@fukkitful]

According to them, Japan was just visiting friends in neighboring countries. and outa nowhere the US just decided to nuke em... Yes its mind-blowing just how only a tiny fraction of Japanese know about what to place. I dont think they felt sorry. Now i believe Germany did, they were quick to denounce the formal government.

[@きつねかわいい]

@@fukkitful The two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were just nuclear tests. For the United States at that time, it was necessary to see how much damage nuclear weapons could do to humans. Therefore, it is said that they did not use conventional bombs, but only atomic bombs to check the performance of the bombs.

[@きつねかわいい]

@@miks_w8945 As for the apology, please refer to the official statement of Japanese government officials. (If I post the URL, my comment will be deleted.) As you said, some criticize the Japan Self-Defense Force for violating the Constitution. However, it goes without saying that every nation has the right and duty to protect its citizens. Japan is threatened by its neighbors, China, Russia, and North Korea, and their armies and weapons are very powerful. In such an environment, Japan is forced to have a strong military as a means of defense. Nevertheless, it still does not have the power to rival that of China or Russia, and in the event of war, it is inevitable that many Japanese will die.

[@miks_w8945]

@@きつねかわいい i have seen the official statement it still isnt a proper apology... its not explicit enough and theyve avoided mentioning certain things and btw dont know if you know but the constitution explicitly states that Japan must not have an army and that the US will be responsible for Japan's defense. It also doesn't explain why Japan censors so many things regarding WW2 especially about comfort women in china korea and the phillipines and certain massacres, completely leaving it out of textbooks. If you are japanese, your schools dont teach it well like other asian and western countries.

[@Brahmdagh]

"Hellicopter Destroyer" will now be carrying F35s from USMC

[@novat9731]

Yes, and they were explicitly designed to easily attach a ramp. At least the latest two were.

[@PrograError]

tho... it's limited numbers... what can it do with only a few f35? offensive? that's like shooting fish in the barrel... defensive? dark looks from everyone else in the region, except for US...

[@natashagupta4691]

◽ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@TeaDrinkingColonist]

some day japan will build a super carrier and call it an Advanced Aerial Strike Destroyer or something

[@halzan7467]

@@TeaDrinkingColonist troop transport dock. (TTD) (a new class I came up with) it would need though abilities for marines to disembark for it to work which would limit it’s capacity.

[@Amin-js4en]

Who says Japan's defence industry hasn't fared well? Look at Toyota Technicals!

[@mueffe1357]

I think they've been replaced by South Korean's KIA.

[@dwyderdom]

Toyota pickup trucks in the middle east and africa with mounted machine guns

[@natashagupta4691]

🛑 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@cedriceric9730]

They are used all over Africa and the middle East by national forces

[@bez5144]

@@mueffe1357 judging by NCAP tests I think we can vouch for Toyota.

[@EquilibriumTelevision]

The fact Japan’s commercial vehicle industry is so potent speaks to their capability to switch their industry for war in a moment’s notice. That is by in large how the US pivoted during WW2. Also not to mention the US military presence and the recently formed asian alliance between India, the US, Japan, and Australia. Also, as someone mentioned the Japanese Navy is a better indicator of their current strength than their army.

[@GustavoJua15]

@Kijestic Productions Because of more components and materials coming from abroad rather than at home?

[@marcoroberts9462]

@@GustavoJua15 well military technology is much more complex nowadays

[@Croz89]

As James May once said, "To win at cars, you must first lose at war".

[@mma171]

In short, Japan's military defense is the United States military.

[@Breathtaker5000]

Someone 80 years ago would have found that statement very ironic

[@ShohTann]

@@fakeninja4447 Will be fine. Japanese self-defense force aint pussy like Afghan military.

[@doghouse010]

@@fakeninja4447 The US would actually be going to war against a nation with an actual military and long term plans / stakes than trying pacify sectarian rebels like in Vietnam or the middle east with no other plan than to fight for a 100 years if thats how long it takes.

[@doghouse010]

@A Perpetual Guardsman with a flashlight are you not familiar with the Vietnam War? Ho Chi Minh? the Viet Minh? Viet Cong?

[@doghouse010]

@A Perpetual Guardsman with a flashlight If you click on Sectarianism in wikipedia it says: "Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups often related to the form of government they live under." It doesn't only mean religious. You're welcome.

[@ohioguy1946]

The USA - we have a large number of troops stationed in Japan. There’s no reason for Japan to worry about having their own large standing army when the USA would go to war with anyone that attacked them.

[@f.7838]

Occupation of Okinawa

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

@@fakeninja4447 The US Wars in the MidEast actually has done its purpose which were: 1. Downgrade terrorist cells or discourage them from mounting a 9/11 scale attack on US soil lest risking US wrath.(None has happened since) 2. Destroy or discourage any MidEast state from sponsoring such terror cell lest risk US wrath(The Taliban are now smart enough not to do the same shit that led them to be ousted 20 years ago) 3. Make money for the Military Industrial Complex and Defense officials.

[@normalname3623]

@@fakeninja4447 To be fair, now they can focus most of their attention on Japan-Taiwan front to deal with China.

[@jey2275]

Everyone knows what happened in Afghanistan

[@r3dpowel796]

Yeah the real question is how much cost will US take?

[@curumipon7089]

If you want to even dig further, the “U.S.-Japan alliance” itself is a paradox since the end of ww2. Theres been numerous times(specifically with North Korea shooting missiles) when Japan questioned to what extent will the u.s. actually “help out” Japan? The surface to air missiles the JSDF is allowed to have at the moment does not have the technological capabilities to shoot down the newest North Korean missiles that often flies over Japan. The u.s. military does have it in its mainland, but they dont have any intentions of placing them within the u.s. military stations in Japan. Even if Japan were allowed to develop or purchase SAM missiles that are capable of shooting down North Korean missiles, it doesnt have the “right” to act on its own. This means that whenever an enemy ICBM is shot towards Japan, Japan HAS to get permission from the u.s. government if they are allowed to attempt to shoot it down. Thats almost less than 20 minutes to make all of this judgement before the missile finally strikes Japan. And lets not forget about the “Omoiyari Yosan”, the BILLIONS of dollars Japan gives to the U.S. military annually to aid its infrastructure. With the recent u.s. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Japanese people are now even more willing to remilitarize(become more independent). That doesnt mean the alliance with the u.s. is going to end, just means that Japan will be able to act on its own. At this point, revising the article 9 of the Japanese constitution isnt even about nationalism, pride or “wanting to go back to the old days”. Its merely about being able to fully use its defense force for what they originally exist for.

[@carso1500]

You realize that the aegis system the premiere anti ICBM naval defense system of the US is being co developed between Japan and the united states right? And Japan has some ships with aegis capabilities on their fleet that they have all the right to use whatever they want the problem being that modern anti ICBM missile capabilities are very limited so it's not a perfect shield, the other power in the región that the united states is planning to give said capabilities is south Korea with the THAAD system but that is heavily criticized by the south Korean population The US is providing their allies with the required technology is just that said technology has to be build from the ground up because it doesnt exist yet

[@yoman7873]

@@carso1500 Bro China has a Hyper Sonic missiles now and the US doesn't even know what that is. How is US supposed to defend Japan in case China launched hypersonic missiles on Japan? In the next 10 years China would surpass USA both militarily and economically and then Japan would be caught off guard. It is best for Japan to rearm itself as US is falling behind China which is all set to become the new super power.

[@carso1500]

@@yoman7873 for once the declarations that the hyper sonic missiles are operational are shaky, they certainly have invested in the technology but the readiness state of them is unknown and you cant trust anything that the chinese goverment claim also even if they have them then its not the problem of the united states that they dont have the technology required to defend japan, even if japan started to invest heavily on their military its not like they would be able to develop magical anti hypersonic missile capabilities on their own also no, its unlikely that china will surpass the US in 10 years, maybe reach a similar level in certain areas yes but china has its own problems to face both internal and external, like huge societal and ecological hindrances or the fact that they are sorrounded by enemy states, china's progress has basically all but stoped and they are having dificulties growing even more and once again if china were to surpass the united states militarily and economicaly then what can japan exactly do? at that point china would outclass japan completly, idf that situation where to actually happen it would be better to further strenghten the relationship with the US and other potential regional allies like india its better to fight together than to die alone after all and japan doesnt have the population to defeat china on their own which is actually what its happening btw, QUAD is a thing after all

[@hollister2320]

@@carso1500 lmao…hypersonic is nice, but I don’t think you realize the shyt the Americans are cooking up in places like Area51. Smooth-brain move on China’s part for disclosing their secret tech, they’ve already lost because it can now be studied and countered.

[@carso1500]

@@hollister2320 having secreto tech (unless it's something like stealth or shit like that) it's a really bad move, weapons are supposed to act as deterrents not just to destroy your enemy but also to make your enemy know that you can destroy them and keep them on their toes, if you keep your weapon secret until the last secret then the weapon is only half as efficient as it would have been That is the principle of deterrence, just having the capabilities is enough most of the time you don't actually have to use it

[@chandrahasanand4622]

Japan pre-WW2 to japan current day. a character arc worth writing in the history books

[@shotelco]

Humbling of an entire society creates a pivot from conquest based Empire building to Economic based Empire building. * China has entered the chat.

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

From backwater to anime thighs

[@natashagupta4691]

🌕 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@metagde6402]

They were pretty ahole on many issues and keep denying war crimes glorifying war criminals It will be shittiest arc in a history book lol

[@metagde6402]

@TacticalMoonstone you are putting the weebs on a scale more than necessary The weebs didnt sell their soul to japan nor will they be useful they got own nations obligation to fulfill

[@gabbagabbahey4928]

But why would Japan need to spend on military when they have American bases? They also are not passive as you suggest, they get around restrictions by claiming self defense. Is it passive when you have a bodyguard. They have a better navy than China, brown Vs blue water. The natural disasters have meant that Japan's energy sector is adapted for all sources, LNG, oil, nuclear etc.

[@f.b.lagent1113]

American lives aren’t just numbers. if by chance another ww2-ish conflict happen and 50,000 Japanese but 1 million Americans died for Japan, will that be reasonable to the American perspective? and maybe to Japanese? (I‘m aware there’s an agreement that US would protect Japan btw) surely theres a bit of gratefulness with shame when you’re watching from afar seeing allied country’s people dying for your country because your country wont have its own military

[@Falcodrin]

@@f.b.lagent1113 it would about at reasonable as the last year and a half killing nearly a million Americans for the sake of economic stability. That is to say not at all.

[@Baerock]

The USA can't protect the whole world, more and more leaders are beginning to understand that. many doubt Washington's commitment to its allies in the first place so ensuring your entire country's sovereign security on whether a foreign power will support you isn't the best idea.

[@natashagupta4691]

🌫️ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@trndsttr7585]

You lost me when you said Japan's navy is superior to China's.

[@danielniffenegger7698]

“The simplest measure of military readiness is expenditure. It stands to reason that the more a nation spends the more prepared it is likely to be.” I’d like to see a comparison of “expenditures vs. effective expenditures.” For example, the US has received huge criticism for spending huge on high profile R&D only to cancel (littoral combat ship, Zumwalt, etc)

[@nafrost2787]

I don't know the micro details, but I think Saudia Arabia is an example of an ineffective expenditure. They have one of the world largest military budgets, but according to my understanding their army isn't as strong in comparison.

[@weaselwolf8425]

The F-35, yada yada yada. In all honesty many of these are just testbeds, overly expensive at that, but yeah.

[@pingjuaneza2547]

@@weaselwolf8425 hello i think f35s going to town in syrian air space by the IAF israel air force. They use them night and day. So for none of them have ever been shot down by russian installed Anti air systems installed in syria. ( not arguing just saying ).cheers! =)

[@weaselwolf8425]

@@pingjuaneza2547 Well the F-15 still holds the throne but yes the F-35 isn't a piece of shit like many claim it is.

[@wolfenstien13]

US navy is dumb as a boat of coal. My leadership yelled at me because I constantly criticised how dumb Big Navy was. I do agree with your point.

[@user-nw7zj2du9p]

Japan is probably the only country in the world that took the "peaceful, bright future we build together" joke seriously. No blame or cynicism, i actually wish it would've been true.

[@satyakisil9711]

More like the hands are tied. The Japanese consitution formally abolishes war(until recently). Not like they were allowed otherwise anyway. Unlike Germany which is sheltered by France and UK, Japan has nobody to defend from the two nuke powers in the region.

[@fadhil2831]

@@satyakisil9711 the weird thing is japan are the one who make the rule about they never gonna build up military even though usa want them to still have military because they need allies in east again ussr and unlike german where allies are the one who make the rule saying german shall not have military

[@MrDanChandler]

Japan is always late to the party. First they tried colonialism after ww1 when the Europeans decided a League of Nations would be fashionable, now they’re pacifists at the worst possible time

[@KaelVidos20]

Japan accepted a constitution written by the Americans when they lost the war in the security treaty, the United States promised to defend Japan, therefore if a country attacks Japan the American army must defend Japan.

[@natashagupta4691]

🟨 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@BayuAH]

8:47 - "The country hasn’t been able to find enough soldiers since 2014." Oh, that was the reason why Japanese Self-Defense Forces do an official collaboration with "Gate" the anime in 2015. Maybe they should make some kind Film Liaison Unit like Pentagon of the US military do and pay a bunch TVs and films to promote them.

[@LordCoeCoe]

Wait they actually collaborated on GATE?

[@SirRichard94]

all armies do this tho. specially the US army

[@LordCoeCoe]

@@SirRichard94 the US army has an ESports team lmao.

[@eco_k.o_o]

The US military already does this. Any movie that features the US military in a good light, you can bet they gave them a bunch of tanks and equipment to ease the budget.

[@BayuAH]

@@LordCoeCoe If you manage to visit the old website of the Japanese Ministry of Defense via the Archive, you can find an article about it.

[@jololol7158]

When he referenced that time where North Korea fired a missile over an island (Okinawa) in 2017 I was there. Was stationed in Okinawa and the next day was told about the missile launch.

[@everythingisfine9988]

Japan military budget isn't large, but you have to ask what they spend their money on. And Japan has the second best blue water Navy. Blue water Navy can operate around the world versus just staying close to home. Japan would never attack China head on, but they can sail to the Middle East where the majority of east Asian oil comes from and block it. ** Btw, Nebula needs to available in Roku. Love watching this on TV

[@chinguunerdenebadrakh7022]

Japan has the second best blue water navy? I doubt that claim. France has a proper aircraft carrier that is nuclear powered and can operate conventional jets from the platform while Japan has only operated helicopters from their "carriers" and has only recently landed USMC operated SVTOL F-35B (the Japanese can't fly the plane yet). France also has a substantial nuclear powered submarine fleet while Japan has only conventionally powered subs. France has naval bases all over the world left over from their colonial days like Reunion, French Polynesia etc with 2 big logistics support ship that gives them blue water capability. UK meanwhile has 7 big replenishment ships in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Japan has neither the extensive naval base installations nor the massive replenishment fleet. If the Japanese want to operate their navy far from home for any extended period, they're gonna have to depend on US logistics chain which isn't really "second best blue water navy". I'd argue India, Italy and China all have much more power projection capabilities than Japan. And Japanese ships sailing to the Middle East to block off oil supplies? Yeah.... That's not happening. No. Just no. First off, if you want to stop oil shipments to China, you can stop them much more easily at the Straits of Malacca or Sunda which are infinitely easier locations to have sustained operations. Secondly, that's not Japan's role in any potential conflict with China, Japan's role is to serve as a military base and rallying point for a massive coalition amphibious force for invading China and their navy is gonna sit near home to protect their waters. Thirdly, other countries like US and Australia are much more strategically oriented towards blocking off trade, in potential conflicts, they'll be allies, so leave the trade interdiction to those who are more suited for it. Fourthly, part of the reason why USA and Australia are better situated is because their ships aren't at as big of a risk when sailing to chokepoints, Australian ships sailing from Perth or Darwin go into more and more Chinese warship infested waters as they approach crucial combat zones, Japanese ships are already in Chinese warship infested zones when they leave port and they'll constantly be at much more risk of attack than Australian or US vessels simply due to geography. It is way too inefficient to sail from Yokosuka (near Tokyo) at least around Guam to avoid missile threats, through Indonesia and sustain that long, vulnerable supply chain.

[@OptimisticNihilist15]

Yeah the Japanese navy is busy blocking thousands of Chinese merchant vessels while mainland Japan is getting bombarded by the Chinese Air force and their contested islands are being invaded by the Chinese navy This sure makes a lot of sense Japanese navy is very good no doubt but their purpose is not to go to the middle East to choke China's economy and fuel supply, it is to defend the mainland just like the British navy. Also considering Japanese navy has seen no actual combat as polymatter stated since WW2, their modern war capability may be much lower than expected

[@harshjain3122]

@احمد ضياء no. He is probably talking about wreaking oil supplies in the indian ocean, coming from middle east towards china. And india would allow this even.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Japanese navy was tailored by US interests, and it is mostly anti-submarine force . Plus, they would serve to absorb Chinese and/or Russian missile strikes.

[@everythingisfine9988]

@احمد ضياء Not necessarily. They can pick off ships near the straits of Malacca vs. the straits of Hormuz

[@mr.andrew9171]

This makes me think of the movie Patlabor 2, a Japanese animated political thriller. The basic spiel is whether or not Japan can really disassociate itself from war. It argues that Japan enjoys peace because it is a key member of the world hegemony, and the world hegemony enjoys ‘peace’ at others expense. I won’t say much else but I think it fits very much in parallel with the concerns addressed in this video.

[@lagoweyeo4902]

That was a great film. loved the internal conflict. Great sci fi aspect to it as well. Sad that they don't make films like those anymore....

[@mr.andrew9171]

@@lagoweyeo4902 I liked the music too, it really helped nail the tense moments

[@wakkaseta8351]

@Jeff Enfield-Hideyoshi *"Where is Nigeria, China, Mexico etc in thet little ''western supremacist'' circle."* ------------------------------------------ Too busy dealing with corruption, warlords, cartels, and implementing social credit systems.

[@aoeu256]

@@wakkaseta8351 Only local places in China have a social credit systems, the real fact is that China is a lawless country where laws are not enforced.

[@fattytan1377]

@@aoeu256 China is the real life equivalent of Eve online. Chaotic, dangerous, lawless. The ones who made the laws are the top dogs around because they are powerful enough to keep the others in check. Wow

[@KoeSeer]

Japan is like an old assassin who vowed never draw swords again.

[@truthm7271]

@@Jaytip91 lmao what?

[@truthm7271]

@@Jaytip91 u act like japan was the only country that committed war crimes and japan is actually a pacifist and a better country than its neighboring countries that are disturbing peace in that area. Yea japan might have been aggressive 70 years ago but that was the age of colonization okay? Might stop blaming japan all the time and look at what’s happening now

[@truthm7271]

@@baygeebob7536 lmao supporting a war crime

[@truthm7271]

@@Jaytip91 lmao. To answer your question, probably many. And when was that? Which was country is worse right now? Um China. What is china doing in those concentration camps? What is china doing to neighboring countries? Um yea that’s what I thought. What is japan doing that’s harming the peace right now? Yea

[@truthm7271]

@@Jaytip91 u seriously asking that? How pro China can you be. Ur comments make sense now smh. Just look at what they are doing to Taiwan, japan, Philippines, India etc. Going into other countries’ EEZ for example. Yea the answer is clear. China makes more harm than good. U agree with this statement right?

[@BlockStah]

Japan doesn't need Nuclear weapons, they already have anime.

[@WannaComment2]

The weebs will fight their wars for them, and they will be paid in body pillows.

[@tasinbinasghar]

It won't work on North Korea

[@boringbody]

Ummm lol , tbh if it happens ppl will just make cringe tik-toks saying WaR-Is-BaD and stuff

[@whathell6t]

@@WannaComment2 Unfortunately, they’re not a monolith. It’s not united. You have your Anime weebs and then there’s the Tokusatsu weebs. And anime weebs hate Tokusatsu weebs. However, Tokusatsu weeb have existed for over 70 years compared to Anime weebs which barely emerged in the 1990s.

[@philipmolina1114]

China banning femboys will spark a riot like no other in history.

[@furn2313]

This channel showed me there's literally a graph for anything. It's basically a science

[@Melange2]

The reason is "next time"?! I was sure it was gonna be because of "last time" (i.e. WWII)

[@tejaskulkarni8043]

Was planning on going to war against Japan for quite a while now, this video gave me the final motivation to do it. Thanks a lot Polymatter!

[@gz-blaze1108]

Same here

[@baygeebob7536]

XD

[@cleaningfreak801]

Bruhh you know US will protect Japan do you want to mass with US . Go on a war against Japan means go on a war against US ....

[@lly_09]

Have you started yet?

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

Poly mater would make a great teacher.

[@Knakkerman-]

And have you found yet?

[@Knobs_and_Ends]

He IS a great teacher. If you learned it from him, he’s a teacher

[@natashagupta4691]

🔷 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@KreatorSchool]

He has a real name you know..

[@Munchables]

He already is.

[@Chironex_Fleckeri]

Japan is a nation born out of their almost miraculous ability to adapt and overcome. I believe they will be fine. They are a Great Power in their own right. Economically, technologically, culturally, Japan ranks near the very top in terms of their influence. The Japanese auto industry alone proves Japan is plenty capable. Their engineers have done incredible things. Surely with some help from its powerful allies it can quickly catch up.

[@Kelnx]

Japan is currently a nation suffering from a lack of acceptance of the many realities facing them today. The population issue, the suicide rate, and the oppressive groupthink mentalities are examples of internal problems that really add a lot of question marks to Japan's future. Externally, they are within first strike distance of an ever more belligerent Communist China and it's puppet North Korea. Added to that, the geopolitics of East Asia and the Western Pacific are in flux. It really is only a matter of time before a conflict begins. China specifically cannot continue on its current course and not cause war, and there is little reason anymore to believe they do not want war. Japan sits in the middle of all of this and cannot seriously expect the US to be able to protect them, no matter how much the US may want to, from significant enough damage to totally derail Japan for the foreseeable future. Effectively, Japan has its head in the sand. The few in Japanese politics who voice these things are seen as warmongers. And in some cases they may be, which is why anyone should have mixed feelings about a fully militarized Japan. But I really don't see an alternative for them if they actually value their existence over the coming several decades. The time of nuclear deterrence is coming to an end soon. It cannot prevent major global war forever, and Japan sits near the epicenter of the what is likely the first major global conflict since WWII. The time for catching up is almost gone.

[@laur-unstagenameactuallyca1587]

cronge op

[@laur-unstagenameactuallyca1587]

@@Kelnx that is a sad thought

[@wakkaseta8351]

So we're just gonna ignore the fact that Japan would probably still be in the warring states era today if it hadn't been for the Dutch, the Polish, and America?

[@laur-unstagenameactuallyca1587]

@@wakkaseta8351 they like to conveniently forget the western technological advancement brought upon japan only possible due to America forcing them to open up lol

[@TheSMKD]

The graphs on 0:30 - 0:45 seem to be incorrect/confusing. The title says “Active troops”, but the label for Japan says 125M (the entire population of Japan). The bar for Japan also stops around 25-35M. It seems like you meant to say that Japan has 25M troops in that label. The second graph is also confusing without a key. I know you’re kind of explaining it with audio, but its not clear from just the visual.

[@FireSpeed-fi5um]

@Polymatter

[@idzkk]

No its correct but it'll confuse anyone. Left and right corners have troop data

[@TheSMKD]

Also the y label is in .5 million increments? So then should the number of Japanese troops actually be 250,000?

[@PolyMatter]

The numbers refer to population size ("yet with one-fifth the population"). But that could've been more clear

[@TheSMKD]

@@PolyMatter isn’t the graph showing Active Troops though? It’s not showing population, right?

[@gabrielriveros4284]

*x country declares war * Japan: *calls the US*

[@meganoobbg3387]

The US will fight bravely until the last japanese. lol

[@stephenjenkins7971]

@@meganoobbg3387 Kinda. Your lives are not as critical as American lives to the US, but that doesn't mean Americans won't die for it. Also, the best part is that it prevents any aggressive nation from actually considering it. Which is the overall point. Russia would have never attacked Ukraine if it actually had a defensive treaty with the US; which is why Central/Eastern Europe keeps requesting more US troops to begin with. It works quite well. Russia and China are essentially stuck for options lest they invite devastation in the form of war with the US.

[@meganoobbg3387]

@@stephenjenkins7971 Like how they just "devastated" the taliban? lmao

[@stephenjenkins7971]

@@meganoobbg3387 You obviously haven't seen the death toll the Taliban took. Guerilla warfare is kinda hard when you're trying not to kill random civilians too, ya know? But in open warfare between countries, the US just destroys its opponents entirely. So yes, like the Taliban were devastated until they went underground. Unless the US plans to occupy China, it stands literally no chance. But you'd know that, if you ever read.

[@Jeffery3464]

@@stephenjenkins7971 id argue that claim on the us just destroying any other opponent entirely, the last real nation the us fought was Germany decades ago, a war with china will be like no other. I think its extremely foolish to think the us will just destroy china or Russia in an open conflict, never underestimate your enemies I'm sure France and Britain thought Germany wouldn't almost conquer the known world in just 5 years.

[@kobeh6185]

Tanks lacking space for wounded are very common. Its really only the merkava from Israel that is widely known for this capability. The American Abrams, Russian T-72, T-80, and T-90, Korean K2, and German Leopard 2 are all modern competitive vehicles without this capapibility

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Japan has a secret weapon: Shogun Executioners.

[@natashagupta4691]

◽ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@suadrifkoplak]

Die waffen legt an !!!

[@jasonstephen7564]

The Soviets never stood a chance

[@charlie01981]

The only thing this video misses slightly is that most defense manufacturers actually make the majority of their profits through foreign arms sales due to the way cost plus manufacturing works. So basically Japan’s defense industrial base was at even more of a pronounced disadvantage vis a vis foreign competitors since it couldn’t make external sales in the first place.

[@TheSp0kesman]

George Lucas was right to give the Trade Federation Japanese accents. They’re gonna be forced to make a droid army to defend themselves. Or mechas piloted by teenagers. Whichever comes first.

[@TenshoBlades]

I'm just going to sum up what I think PolyMatter is going to say in part 2 as to the reason why Japan doesn't militarize more. The reason is that the constitution forbids it from ever going to war again, and it can only defend itself. The second is that they have a false sense of safety because the United States guarantees them protection from foreign threats (Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty). Why spend money to build and train a powerful military when the US, the most powerful military power in the world, has 50.000+ US troops and countless ships and planes spread over 20+ bases in Japan ready to protect you? Exactly. There's no sense of urgency. I've been living in Japan for 8 years now, and everyone adamantly believes that the US will protect them no matter what. It was only few years back when Japan decided to reinterpret the constitution to be able to defend an ally, but I'll stop here. I'm sure PolyMatter will go into great detail about it all in part 2.

[@talltroll7092]

You also have a weird situation where a fairly large part of the populace wants nothing more than a return to the Good Ol' Days, and would like to essentially recreate the IJN/IJA and everything that goes with that, and another also fairly large part thinks the the JSDF is overly aggressive and provocative as they are now, and should be disbanded (and while all nations have a few people at either extreme, in few other cases does either view attract more than a very small amount of support). Whatever any Japanese government does, a LOT of people will be upset by it

[@kordellswoffer1520]

The us will come to your defense, doesn't mean they will be able to defend you, the us is far and Japan is close to China.

[@banana9056]

@@kordellswoffer1520 But the navy is near and China can't operate ships far.

[@AncientTiger3]

@@banana9056 Some assumptions have to be challenged so that we don't fall into pits of our own making. China couldn't operate ships far in the past. Due to the filtered information and the obfuscation, we don't fully know the capabilities now.

[@banana9056]

@@AncientTiger3 They still can't operate ships from a distance.

[@fiandoperdana8385]

"Japan has no aircraft carriers" Back in WW2, the IJN Aircraft Carriers are among the biggest and best in the world.

[@Xavier_Renegade_Angel]

Japans army seems to have the same as my nation. We once had somewhat forced conscription but when it was stoped the army spending and strength decreased. Around 3 years ago it was reinstated and the spending was increased. The country has been getting Russian submarines in their water for years so it makes sense to try and grow the defense.

[@Battyj]

That was due to lack of competition, the only navies at the time operating carriers were Britain, obviously Japan, the USA and France. France was broke after ww1 and had a couple aircraft carriers which were pretty crap, some cruisers were bigger than them and they could only carry around 30 planes, so yeah the IJN would naturally be better as they had an emphasis on their navy and France really didn't in comparison. British carriers were generally superior to Japanese ones, despite having an armoured flight deck, which made them almost invulnerable to air attacks at the cost of space for planes, they still usually could carry a similar amount or sometimes more planes than their Japanese counterparts and the carriers generally had similar operational ranges. Especially towards the end of the war the royal navy carriers were easily superior to IJN carriers. American Carriers were easily superior to Japanese carriers having the longest operational ranges of any carriers and being able to hold almost twice the number of planes that Japanese carriers could in some instances, American carriers also usually operated more advanced planes than the IJN carriers did and American carriers were just technologically superior. So all in all Japanese carriers got third place out of 4 not exactly that impressive when you put it into that retrospective

[@Youcanatme]

@@Battyj Germany Had an aircraft Carrier too so 3 Out of 5

[@Battyj]

@@Youcanatme it was never put into service or fully completed so it doesn't count

[@Youcanatme]

@@Battyj nah It still counts

[@Penjelajah68]

Japan has build secret robot (eva /gundam) underground, the natural disaster ocured when they are test period

[@Belliger1991]

I like the doomsday device idea but i sincerely doupt it

[@d9zirable]

Evas aren't robots

[@natashagupta4691]

🔸 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@whathell6t]

@@d9zirable IKR. But that still doesn’t change the fact that Evangelion Units are huge deterrent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t bode well with the mainstream anime weebs since they prefer the Colossal Titan, Armored Titan, Hidden Leaf Shinobi, Spiritual Pressure, and Stand-Users over Evangelion Units and 7th Sense Cosmos.

[@titan_fx]

Last time Japan is ready for war, they almost got all of eastern asia.

[@fluffyseal8782]

Japan: starts adjusting a few gears to start up the military equipments The US: *BOOOOOOOOM*

[@fluffyseal8782]

@@h4pp135t *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

[@Raul_Menendez]

Japan: Crank up those gears cuz the empire is coming back! US of A: You ready for a "third times the charm" Japan: The wha- *bright flash*

[@enzodapan5016]

Man, the last time Japan went full-on prepared for war. It went brutal and backfire on them.

[@utkarshg.bharti9714]

That's because they went to the other extreme of savagery. They can militarize and be a decent nation at the same time you know. You don't see us marauding one country after another despite being the 3rd largest military by expenditure on the planet.

[@angrydragon4574]

Different times. The world was still backwards back then, the Japan was ruled by an emperor, eugenics was a things, Hitler was running wild and the US was still an ethnostate amd the USSR still existed.

[@enzodapan5016]

@@angrydragon4574 good point

[@Willys-Wagon]

I am not sure if Japanese budget works the same, but generally disaster related expenses does not form part of departmental budget, often times a pool of funds is set aside at federal level. Would be nice to get some clarification on that point.

[@hiroshitanaka5771]

As a Japanese, I agree with this video. Japan was fifth in the global firepower rankings in 2021, but it is clearly overrated. I don't think the JSDF is stronger than the Turkish and Israeli forces. Japanese media also refers to our defense system, which is often unnecessarily expensive and flawed.East Asian neighbors are much more powerful.

[@TusharSharma-cy9xo]

I am an indian and if you ask for my input, the japanese navy is still more strong than other south east asian countries navy that face a credible challenge from china, South korea for example. But S-korean land army is no joke, they are better trained and have better preparedness as they have been training for land based invasion for a long time. But given the japanese economy and their scientific capabilities, if the govt of japan allows it, japan can mount a strong army within i say 3 to 4 years or so.

[@BuRsTiNxMLB]

Japan doesn’t necessarily need a strong military because any nation that attacks Japan will get nukes to hell by the United States

[@matpk]

@@TusharSharma-cy9xo Compare 1930s Nazi Germany Vs 2020s Communist China IN YOUR NEXT VIDEO Project before it's too late

[@pranavgandhar4604]

They don't consider only military power, impact on world too, Japanese industries are core of worlds tech !! They have put indian air force above china, But I don't think that rankings too fair, china have 5th gen fighter whatever will be quality, but they will improve with time, Indian 5th gen fighter is under development, trails will start from next year !!! China have hypersonic missile,. But I don't india lag hypersonic missile like Us ,, Cause already indian Astra mark 1 can nearly goes upto 4.8 mach !! Indian defence industry is developing 20no Astra mark 3 missiles for trails this year, and they are hypersonic which will surpass world class mateor missile both in range and speed.. Bramhos 2 hypersonic missioe trials are delayed due to ukraine-russia war !!

[@miraphycs7377]

There are several mistakes in this video. "Its lack of infrastructure meant it could only promise one submarine a year" Then why does Japan have the 4th largest submarine fleet in the world after US, Russia, China, and more than France and/or UK combined(NK/Iran bunch of midget subs don't count)? Also that deal fell off because Japan didn't want to build it in Australia implying that it indeed has a competent infrastructure at home. They also have the third largest destroyer fleet in the world after US and China. "Having never fired a bullet in combat for 70 straight years" They did fired at a North Korean spy boat which sank them and killed all the North Koreans on board. As for the defense companies, you might also want to do some more digging because for example in 2020 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was ranked 21th largest defense company in the world terms of revenue/profit right after Huntington Ingalls of US which builds and services a lot of US Navy ships. They were ahead of big names like Rolls Royce, Safran, Honeywell, Rhinemetal. Also MHI's revenue from defense industry is around 20%. Yes they mostly rely on government contract and sometimes build, design and supply parts to big name Western companies. Either way, untested or not one trick they got up its sleeve is their weapon's dispatch and sortie rate. The Japanese take an excellent care of them Indeed, Japanese have one of if not the highest weapon dispatch rate in the world consistently in the 90%s. They scrambled their fighter jet over a thousand times last year to counter China and Russian incursion (both of which have more planes of course) sometimes 5 times a day. That is more than all of NATO scrambling combined.

[@dragonstormdipro1013]

It has 5th largest fleet, after South Korea. And soon India will surpass Japan in number of Submarines.

[@miraphycs7377]

​@@dragonstormdipro1013 no actually Japan has 25 in service, one is undegoing major repair and the oldest two is currently refit. South Korean number include midget submarines that will be retired soon. India in the near future will have 20, so not quite there yet.

[@dragonstormdipro1013]

@@miraphycs7377 Fair point.

[@bonfiresgt]

"They did fired at a North Korean spy boat which sank them and killed all the North Koreans on board." No, the JSDF has not faced combat. It was the Japan Coast Guard which saw engagement against the North Korean special operations ship. Also, Japan's dispatch rate is not as high as it used to be, and it's only getting worse. Their F-15s are having to react to constant scrambles, taking precious hours off their allowed flight times. It will get even worse because China has recently started flying UAVs into Japanese ADIZ, which China owns a huge fleet of, and costs less to fly. Japan on the other hand, has to intercept them with manned fighters that are being worn down every day. There is no easy way to solve this issue at the moment.

[@chriscarlone527]

The United States would never let anyone touch Japan after the end of the Second World War. They're probably one of the only successful examples of nation building that we have. Hell, I'd go there and volunteer to fight for them myself. They gave us anime for Gods sake

[@stephenjenkins7971]

You're kinda missing West Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Belgium, and arguably France and the UK.

[@WorthlessWinner]

they certainly won't let someone touch it while they have so many bases there, bases with tactical nuclear weapons may i add. It's absurd this guy thinks Japan needs conscription to get more troops, as if any country that wouldn't be deterred by nukes would be deterred by some teens with guns.

[@chriscarlone527]

@@stephenjenkins7971 West Germany sure. I don't know enough of the rebuild post WW2 with Belgium and elsewhere. South Korea wasn't a success in my view. We forced ourselves on them. A bit differenr.

[@stephenjenkins7971]

@@chriscarlone527 First of all, the US forced itself on Germany more than South Korea; South Korea requested US aid, and the US bombed Germany down since it was at war with it. What matters isn't how the US got there, its whether the US "nation-builded", which it did in all the cases I mentioned.

[@stephenjenkins7971]

@@fakeninja4447 US is still in the Middle East; and staying in a specific area indefinitely for no gain is stupid. US defense agreements are essentially the perfect shield; which is why no one violates them.

[@donkeyking8727]

I watch 5 minutes of ads to support this guys channel! Keep up your great work man!

[@hashxz]

Your thumbnails are pieces of fine art, keep up the great work

[@bencns]

6:53 dude totally just cut the chicane there 🤣

[@natashagupta4691]

⚪ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@bobsemple3268]

He cut the chicken and he got only 5 seconds penalty what a yoke A YOKE

[@ka-boom2083]

What?

[@bingliang1189]

They have the power of anime, everyone else loses

[@blackdragonriver2804]

Curious to know where you got China's defense expenditure numbers at 1:35. Most experts agree China's published defense expenditure numbers are an underestimate that leave out certain expenses. For example, PLA volunteers are in some cases given a one-time lump sum of around 9,000 RMB for joining up-- this usually isn't included in the PLA budget..

[@angrydragon4574]

Don't forget that they're also making themselves appear like they have less than they actually do. Also don't forget the maritime militia.

[@arforafro5523]

Hearing about the "defensive helicopter destroyers" and the scuffed ass Mitsubishi tanks just makes me think Japans that friend that theorycraft's his loadout for 2 hours and ends up running an SMG kited out for long range and an LMG.

[@natashagupta4691]

🔳 AFRO, GARRY, SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@plasmaxl8626]

Relatable lol

[@champ7619]

Great video! Slight editing error at 0:35, where you added an extra "1" to Japan's number of active troops.

[@ablorenz]

First of all, one thing threw me off.. Russia an "East Asian" country? Seriously? If we follow geography, then Russia's Asian part falls in the north of the continent. This is the first time, I have seen, somebody include Russia in East Asia. Its always considered a part of Europe, even though, it is trans-continental, for obvious reasons.

[@natashagupta4691]

🟨 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@alvinlin8140]

It’s a European country with territory and interest in other places out side of Europe. Much like the say British empire. It was a European country that owned land all over the world but no ones going to call it a African or Indian country

[@danielchen1178]

"Many began to wonder, is Japan's "laughable" devotion to pacificism compatible with the challenge of twenty-first century".

[@meganoobbg3387]

Whos gonna attack Japan though? China? China is already Japans biggest trading partner, why would they attack them?

[@meganoobbg3387]

@x XGeneric420X x China is Japan's, so its clear they wont attack them considering their economy is already highly dependant on China. If China becomes hostile, they would simply impose an embargo and that would harm Japan plenty.

[@overdose8329]

@@meganoobbg3387 China constantly threats Japan with nuclear annihilation in their propaganda

[@meganoobbg3387]

@@overdose8329 too many chinese survival depends on japanese anime already, so it cannot be done in practice. lol But you shouldn't be surprized at the anti-japanese santiment - both Koreas and both Chinas agree they hate Japan for their ww2 shenanigans. Indochina and the Phillipines included.

[@hughjanus3591]

I can’t imagine why Japan wouldn’t want nuclear bombs, not a single reason comes to mind. Not even two reasons

[@xygdra]

When wars are fought with robots, Im gonna guess Japan might be the authority figure

[@11andy]

*Everyone's Gangsta until Japan builts it's imperial army again!*

[@arifurr]

Like he said They're generals and equipments don't have any experiance.

[@yoloswag6242]

That's not happening any time soon. The only hope the "allies" have is flooding their countries with refugees to increase the birth rates, in effect replacing their native population. And then just hope those people will want to join the military when shit hits the fan.

[@europeansovietunion7372]

@@yoloswag6242 Like Germany importing Turks. Then these Turks turns against Germany because their allegiance goes to the Ottoman empire-in-the-making... More like "You can't invade us if we willingly become your colony instead..." big brain move.

[@rudeegruenberg9184]

japan has not imperial army just self defense force

[@Legion849]

Not gonna happen like he said the generals lack combat experience and equipment is up to mordern standards.

[@holydiver6570]

This dude doesn't know about the secret Defensive Gundam Project lmao.

[@tonkotsuramen8453]

Keyword: "secret"

[@matpk]

@@tonkotsuramen8453 Compare 1930s Nazi Germany Vs 2020s Communist China IN YOUR NEXT VIDEO Project before it's too late

[@user-nq5hy7vn9k]

I think Japan could at least have a ambitious goals/efforts in electronic/IT warfare and hackers at the very least, as being able to malfunction equipment via hackers could do the trick as well

[@death5913]

NordVPN: Am I A joke to you?

[@fangslash]

Issue is Japanese software department is horrendously bad. Its mind boggling why their website and associated services feels like its still the early 2000s.

[@ILoveTinfoilHats]

@@death5913 it's funny because Nord hot hacked and didn't say anything and they're the laughing stock of the VPN industry (oh wait they all are)

[@makuru.42]

@@death5913 yes, yes you are

[@Kacperrr22289]

The driving skills at 6:52

[@natashagupta4691]

🟤 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@aduckchicken2]

The katakana text in the thumbnail ポリマタ― reads porimataa. (Polymatter) Very nice detail

[@hmm2928]

Japan has weebs all around the world. The weebs will fight for them if needed. 😂

[@CatholicWeeb]

I imagine an army of femboys with cat ears welding samurai swords chanting in Japanese. The weeb army would be awesome & possibly terrifying depending on the person.

[@fadhil2831]

Dude weeb will be burn by sunlight like vampire because they never go outside

[@whathell6t]

@@CatholicWeeb Unfortunately, it’s not monolith. You have your Anime weebs and then there’s the Tokusatsu weebs. And anime weebs hate Tokusatsu weebs for being political.

[@robertabella1806]

That's called soft power and its no joke

[@dafeels3085]

Don't worry M'Japan, I study the blade

[@startuptrevor]

I don't know why, but for the first few seconds of seeing PolyMatter's maps pop up on the screen I always see them in the inverse. My brain tells me that the shading he uses for the water should be for the land and vice versa.

[@Buckshot99]

Smaller carriers that can hold 20 F35's and subs as well as a coordinated land based air force can pack a mean punch.

[@novaboy1174]

Hey, they called Taiwan a country...LETS GOOOOOOO

[@angrydragon4574]

Hell yeah!

[@rejvaik00]

_"If you ever wondered why US military spending is so high it's because the US has to jump in for allies who themselves don't meet their own commitments"_

[@tritium1998]

It's common for an occupying force to spend more.

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

And if you ever wondered why it's allies don't meet their own commitment, it's because US military spending is so high.

[@rejvaik00]

@@blakejohnson3864 if the allied nations met their own commitments there would be no need for the US to invest so heavily in their own military Industrial complex But the allied nations would rather NOT spend their money on defense they'd rather spend it on social welfare programs and outsource the job national defense to the Americans

[@MichaelDavis-mk4me]

@@rejvaik00 Well, they love being the world police, so we sure as hell are going to exploit that fact. France and the UK have nukes too, so it's not like they need a big military anyway, just destroy the Earth in case of an invasion. If your country is losing the war, there is no reason why you should let someone win.

[@j.p.vanbolhuis8678]

True, However, at the same time the US has also sabotaged effective military devolopment in its allies. It has diplomatically sabotaged several attempt to come to an effective european fighting force. (Whether such an initiative would have succeeded is a different question, but USA through NATO has effectively discouraged such initiatives). USA wants more expenditure in Europe, and i (a european) do agree that we are riding coattails. But the USA seems to be more interested in european armies integrating into a US command structure. More like Europeon armies. I am not familiar how this would apply in other theatres, but this is what i have observed on in europe: Reluctunce of European nations to fork out the money. Reluctance from the USA to let it develop to an independent and effective fighting force. I guess there is a reason why the USA accepts Europeans still dragging their feet on the expenditure front, and not pushing as hard as it should, if that were its only ambition.

[@jascrandom9855]

In the event of a kinetic conflict in East Asia, Japan would likely have three roles: -Using its formidable Navy to choke China. -Using its advanced industrial base to manufacture and supply the equipment and weapons for allied troops. -Being an unsinkable aircraft carrier.

[@utkarshg.bharti9714]

Right now both PLA and JSDF don't have any battle experience.,... can you imagine how awkward it would be if the two soldiers come face to face and there is a long, awkward pause on what to do next.....😁

[@jascrandom9855]

@@utkarshg.bharti9714 Right now, no Navy has real experience in large scale combat with a near-peer adversary.

[@tritium1998]

Island nations can be choked easier when they have less land, less resources, less industry, less navy, less aircraft, less land routes, and less trade (it's not like you would have conflict with only one end if it was blocked).

[@jascrandom9855]

@@tritium1998 In most case yes. But in the case of Japan, that would be easier said than done. The geographical position of both China and Japan favors the later. Japan can box China in the East China Sea while keeping its east coast open for trade and resupply with allied nations. China's gigantic population will be its achilles heel as even in peace time they have a hard time supplying their population with water, and its a net importer of food and fuel.

[@mirzahamzabaig5667]

@@jascrandom9855 Well BRI exists so and they have ports through our country so....

[@googane7755]

Number of ground forces doesn't really mean much. A lot of them are held in reserves and having huge active numbers is generally a waste of funds which could be better spent acquiring new hardware. Plus during a war, conscription can easily bolster those numbers very quickly and historically nations could usually field over 10% of their population which if any major country does this today they are likely to easily to surpass the current largest active militaries by multiple folds.

[@andreisouzabento7506]

This is more complicated.....

[@CountingStars333]

Really. Tell that when you're in Asia., bordering china.

[@Battyj]

@@CountingStars333 Japan doesn't border china, Japan doesn't need a large number of infantry, they need a large navy and airforce which they do have, the only outlier to this was aircraft carriers but now they have one, so I really don't see any major problems with Japans armed forces especially when they are being backed by the USA

[@HiroyaFujimiya]

If you all interested, there's an anime movie called Patlabor the Movie 2 that criticize this Japan military stance and how fragile its "peaceful state" is.

[@banana9056]

I think PolyMatter and alot of other people don't realize that Japan needs BIG SHIPS and anti missile tech, not troops.

[@overdose8329]

@@banana9056 antimissile tech is saturable. The only real solution in addition to the 2 you mentioned is nukes

[@banana9056]

@@overdose8329 nukes can always be countered by defense systems. and even if antimissile tech is saturable, it's better than nothing cuz china has alot of missile boats

[@markj.a351]

I’d argue that laws can indeed help the falling population. Specifically laws which strictly enforce working hours and work conditions that allow young people to have the energy to raise a family without expecting the woman to quit her career.

[@charles8769]

Sounds like exactly what China is doing

[@hochmeisterjer]

also Japan is famously hostile to immigration, the tool most western countries use to increase their population.

[@ShinSheel]

We can see on stat it doesn't help, countries with the lowest working hours and best welfare are still deeply in decline. Actually Japan now has working hours below developed countries average and it doesn't help.

[@TheDarkArcherz]

@@hochmeisterjer That's because Japanese society and culture is, to a lot of people, too complex and intricate to understand, resulting in them being singled out for extremely minor issues (karoshi and suicide being an example, despite having a lower suicide rate than the US and South Korea). Having to dumb down your ancient cultural practices, which will affect society, just so you can import a crap ton of low-skilled, low-educated individuals from third world countries is *not* fair. If I was Japan, I'd rather watch the population slowly die out than watch it become a shell of its former self. However, the population decline will solve itself eventually, with some estimating it to be around 2050 or, in the worst case scenario, 90-100~ million people remaining, so there's no need to take drastic measure. Multiculturalism isn't for every country or culture and should not be lauded as the be all, end all because it's worked a handful of times.

[@hochmeisterjer]

@@TheDarkArcherz I agree, I'm just saying the issue with Japan's aging population isn't unique to the country. It is the same with every developed nation. Whats unique about Japan is its decision not to remedy it. They have the full power to solve the issue if they wished, but they have other priorities.

[@shmaltz88]

9:44 typo: Taiwan has gradually ELIMINTATED conscription

[@augustus331]

Us in the Netherlands have also hosted American nukes since the Cold War.

[@drpepper3838]

Yeah at airbase volkel, and the stupid thing is we have no say in them at all.

[@zeanamush]

@@drpepper3838 Being an occupied power during world War 2 is a bitch yes

[@robertabella1806]

@@drpepper3838 they are not yours

[@natashagupta4691]

🏮 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@novusregnum]

@@drpepper3838 doesn’t the Netherlands WANT to keep nukes in its country?

[@randompastahandle]

you know it's economics when you say "solders are made of humans"

[@furn2313]

Japan and Germany: sneeze * The world : 👀

[@keqing311]

Japans navy is basically one of the blue water navies together with USN When you are too pacifist but your neighbor was aggressive and threatened you with nukes The cliff hanger bro😭

[@sini0071]

It's almost as if you have a history of violent war crimes

[@southjerseysound7340]

Their submarines are some of the best in the world and as a former submariner in the Navy I was damn glad they're on our side. There's a lot of inaccurate assumptions in this video because Japan's self defense forces keep a very low profile. But rest assured they're a sleeping giant that China doesn't want to awaken. As it is now China can't detect their subs with any degree of accuracy and in a war they would only know after shots were fired at them. I wish I could go into detail but I can't......just know that China would struggle to do anything on the water in a true war.

[@angrydragon4574]

@@southjerseysound7340 Problem is that the CCP has a geopositional advantage as the only route in is through the water. But they also know that's they're not a blue water navy, and if we stop the CCP now, they'll never have one.

[@southjerseysound7340]

@@angrydragon4574 I agree but right now boycotting China might be a good start to avoid a war.

[@angrydragon4574]

@@southjerseysound7340 Hence why we should've done it after Tiananmen.

[@ETS186]

Japanese government has a program inviting foreign born japanese descendants to come back to the motherland. My friend is the grandson of one of the Japanese soldiers who decided to stay back in Indonesia to help fight returning Dutch soldiers after WW2 ended (I believe 5,000 of them did so). They always get invitations to "return" to Japan despite being Indonesian citizens. If they decide to return, housing is provided and monthly allowance is guaranteed until they find a job, and the whole immediate family is encouraged to come as well. His dad did so alone but he was in Japan only to work for a few years. My friend is an AVP in a tech startup here, so he's still thinking about it.

[@dvf1736]

Well long story short, Japan has the US acting as their military anyways, and any action of building up a military would risk countries like China, both Koreas, US, and many other nations to either have a justification for war or a justification to break ties. Especially in Asia, many countries like China, NK, SK, Taiwan, Philippines, etc still bear the scars from WW2 and Japanese imperialism. Despite being allies, South Korea and Japan still have a very rocky relationship.

[@fukkitful]

Exactly, America guarantees it will always defend Japan. In return, they aren't allowed to have a standing army, just a sorta national guard. And cant start a war, only defend itself.

[@angrydragon4574]

@@fukkitful A Coast Guard that's better than the PLA Navy? That's pretty damn good.

[@nerdlingeeksly5192]

"The best defence is a good offense" Napoleon.

[@argha-qi5hf]

@Blake Johnson based

[@argha-qi5hf]

@Blake Johnson based

[@AmateurHEROduelist]

59 year old soldier: “sir North Korea is invading us”. General: “load the cannons!” Soldier: : “we don’t have any ammo” General: “what do we have?” Soldier: “Hentai” General: “load up the hentai see how they like that!!!”

[@AureliusLaurentius1099]

General: That should distract them til the Americans arrive

[@kalvon]

@@AureliusLaurentius1099 Soldier: Sir, what kinda Hentai should I load up sir? The classic tentacles or Vanilla?

[@maxmazza2987]

"Soldiers are made of humans." So like a human Megazord/ Voltron situation instead of with machines?

[@TheXeno10]

But Japan has the most powerful weapon of all. The anime release deterrence. The world will starve if it stops.

[@j-fries4611]

Japan is well prepared, they have Gundam and Godzilla.

[@furn2313]

Japan plays defense not offence that's the art they are trying to perfect

[@Darth8304]

Best defense is offense.

[@natashagupta4691]

🟩 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE-HE ALSO MAKES INFORMATIVE CONTENT LIKE POLYMATTER

[@ericme5715]

wait until Japanese introduce their robot armies 😂

[@kordellswoffer1520]

We can't perfect defense against hostile nations in the region.

[@rayyansagheer6]

China: My ancestors are smiling upon me, Samurai. Can you say the same? Japan: Uwu

[@reinalto]

Japan and pacifist in the same phrase. Asians must be confused

[@HSamee]

"Soldiers are made of humans" PolyMatter 2021

[@rentristandelacruz]

Japan has the power of god and anime on their side.

[@whathell6t]

@Ren Tristan dela Cruz Don’t forget Tokusatsu

[@Napoleonic_S]

Yeah who needs tanks and nukes when you have goku, saitama, naruto, seiya and other shounen characters to fight for you? lol.

[@whathell6t]

@@Napoleonic_S Pegasus Seiya is actually an absolute overkill. Better reserve him as a last resort. Just use Son Goku and that’s it.

[@wakkaseta8351]

Just anime. They're still staunchly anti-Christianity.

[@whathell6t]

@@wakkaseta8351 *Anti-Abrahamic They targeting anyone who worship the God of Abraham.

[@tobiadebutu6727]

please drop more videos, this keeps me alive

[@CaptainTripppz]

Japan is converting it's ASW flat-tops to serve as carriers for fixed-wing aircraft, specifically the F-35B. On October 3rd, 2021 two USMC F-35Bs made vertical landings on, then horizontal take-offs from the JS Izumo making the first time in 75 years fixed-wing aircraft have operated from a Japanese flat-top. Japan is expecting delivery of 18 F-35Bs in late 2023/early 2024.

[@kalvon]

So, is it a bad news or a good news?

[@CaptainTripppz]

@@kalvon Judge for yourself.

[@sushifooshy4418]

Why are we worried about a country being unprepared for war and not more worried about countries whose entire business model is perpetuating war? You know, the senseless sacrificing of working class or poor working class bodies.

[@swiggyhunter4682]

Bring this to the top of the page folks.

[@martianargonautttt]

Japan is like Fire Nation staying away from conflicts as much as possible.

[@J_X999]

I would love to see this lad talk about AI and technology and how it will shape the future of work and countries

[@psmonish8735]

I would say the neckbeards would be able to replace the amount of people being born in Japan but the neckbeards can barely walk to their fridge

[@MoonatikYT]

Was expecting you to say "only one has ever been hit by nuclear weapons" in the intro lol

[@jaredgup6537]

Reminds me of the movie Patlabor 2. The role of the JSDF is at much as question in that movie as it is here. The contrast being the backdrop of film set in the late 90s and the early 2000s. The military of Japan, nay the self defense force is an odd topic especially to those like me who observe it from outside. It is a self contradictory force. Meant to protect the peace via violent means, yet not given the teeth or political effort to do so. The Japanese government and by extension the self defense force has done more campaigns to improve its public image than to train and ready itself for war or even the idea of fighting anything more than lax morals and waning readiness levels. Owing to the personal experiences of those who are stationed there alongside the JSDF which they have relayed onto me. Perhaps Japan's so called pacifism is not expressed by a demographic issue, lack of defence spending or even external threats. But a delusion of peace that has lulled it into this state. A state of malaise of which the SDF and the political establishment of Japan seek to preserve in the belief that an unjust peace is better than a just war. Could be just me talking BS though, go watch patlabor 2 it's worth it.

[@PrograError]

some reference if anyone wanna watch : kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5OvfKCFarCka6M the main reference for OP: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ-yl4GHbruKpZI

[@jaredgup6537]

@@PrograError great reference. Really loved the theme of an unjust peace vs a just war dynamic in the movie.