LifeofthisWorld

World Japan Sees Chinese Groups Backing Okinawa Independence Activists Bloomberg   9 hours ago   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email Chinese universities and think tanks are forming ties with Okinawan independence groups in a bid to divide public opinion in Japan, a Japanese government agency said in an annual report. There was no immediate response to a request for comment from China’s foreign ministry. Asia’s two largest economies are in dispute over the ownership of a group of uninhabited islets near Taiwan, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Official media in China have also suggested that Beijing should refuse to accept Japanese sovereignty over the main islands of Okinawa, which maintained ties with both countries prior to annexation by Japan in the 19th century. Tensions between Okinawa and mainland Japan ... Read more

Defense Department Says China Seized U.S. Navy Vehicle Bloomberg Video   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email Defense Department Says China Seized U.S. Navy Vehicle Dec.16 -- China unlawfully seized an “unmanned underwater vehicle” in the South China Sea while it was being recovered by a U.S. Navy oceanographic survey ship, U.S. Defense Dept says in e-mailed statement. Bloomberg’s John Fraher reports on “Bloomberg Markets.” World China's aircraft carrier to drill in Western Pacific Reuters   Sun, Dec 25 5:49 AM PST   Comments   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first aircraft carrier will carry out drills in the Western Pacific, in what the navy called part of routine exercises, amid renewed tension over self-ruled Taiwan that Beijing claims as its own. The navy said in a statement late...

World Turkish officials identify assailant who shot Russian ambassador as off-duty riot policeman Catherine Garcia, The Week (RSS)   19 hours ago   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email Officials have identified the assailant who shot and killed the Russian ambassador to Turkey on Monday as Mevlut Mert Altintas, a 22-year-old off-duty Turkish police officer. He gunned down Andrei Karlov, 62, as the ambassador gave a speech in Ankara. The attack was filmed and shared widely on social media, and the shooter was heard shouting, "Don't forget Syria and Aleppo!" He was later shot and killed by security forces. Russia is an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and has intervened militarily in the country's civil war; Turkey has backed some groups of opposition forces. In a televised statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the murder a "provocation" meant to harm ... Read more

World Iranian vessel points weapon at U.S. helicopter: officials By Idrees Ali, Reuters   1 hour 15 minutes ago   Comments   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A small Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard vessel pointed its weapon at a U.S. military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, two U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Monday, an action they described as "unsafe and unprofessional." The incident is the latest in a series of similar actions by Iranian vessels this year, but the first reported since Republican Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8. During his campaign, Trump vowed that any Iranian vessel that harassed the U.S. Navy in the Gulf would be "shot out of the water," if he was elected. Trump is due to take office on Jan. 20. There was no immediate Iranian comment on the incident. Trump's transition team did not immediate...

Why Japan’s Soryu-Class Submarines Are So Good The National Interest   Sat, Oct 1 1:00 AM PDT   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Tweet The Second World War taught Japan valuable lessons. The first—don’t start wars—is an obvious conclusion that has been taken to heart. Other lessons were the result of the wartime Allied air and naval blockade of the country, which brought it to the brink of starvation. For Japan, poor in resources and arable land, to survive the next war, the air and sea lanes must stay open, and for that to happen, Japan must have top-flight air and naval forces. Japan’s postwar submarine fleet is one of the best in the world. With an authorized total of twenty-two submarines, the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s submarine fleet is also one of the largest. Japan builds its own submarines, with the work split ... Read more

Ocean warriors unveil new high-speed ship against Japan whalers Sophie Mignon, AFP   11 hours ago   Comments   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete grey Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marine conservationists and Japan's whaling fleet. "The one thing that we were missing in our fleet was a vessel with speed and endurance," said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global. "With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas," said Cornelissen, also the captain, giving AFP a tour of the ship before its departure from the Netherlands this weekend bound for Australia. "We are now able to follow them anywhere they go and even run away if they become too aggressive." Bought at a cost of 8.3 million euros($9.3 million) funded by public lotte...