Wikileaks Japan: THE TRUTH BEHIND JAPAN-U.S. TIES

[Jeffrey Thomason]

So it begins: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105040063.html

The following special package of articles is based on classified data The Asahi Shimbun obtained from WikiLeaks. The Asahi Shimbun has confirmed the credibility of the diplomatic cables and decided to publish these articles based on those documents according to the journalistic principles explained in a concluding article by Yoichi Nishimura, managing editor of the newspaper.

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Despite the pledges and formal studies of the Democratic Party of Japan, Japanese government officials were never committed to relocating the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma outside of Okinawa Prefecture.

Between late 2009 and early 2010, a number of high-ranking officials of the Yukio Hatoyama administration told their U.S. counterparts that Japan would seek alternatives to the 2006 agreement to relocate Futenma to the Henoko district of Nago in Okinawa Prefecture. But they also secretly said that, in the end, Japan would go along with the 2006 agreement if the United States rejected the proposed alternatives.

[jocund]

So it begins: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201105040063.html

Hey JT, could you briefly expound on the "so it begins" comment you made? I'm rather ignorant on US/JPN "stuff" like this.

[Chocolatier]

Hey JT, could you briefly expound on the "so it begins" comment you made?

It's a necessary prelude to "buckle up, we're in for a wild ride" and "something wicked this way comes". Both time-honored expressions for Doomers everywhere, even though they don't actually mean anything.

[Jeffrey Thomason]

Hey JT, could you briefly expound on the "so it begins" comment you made? I'm rather ignorant on US/JPN "stuff" like this.

Like Choc said, it's a stock phrase. Mostly just saying that it should be interesting to see what other details emerge and how it affects relations. The Okinawan base has been a sore spot for a while, really looking forward to seeing how this plays across Japanese media.

[Chocolatier]

Like Choc said, it's a stock phrase. Mostly just saying that it should be interesting to see what other details emerge and how it affects relations. The Okinawan base has been a sore spot for a while, really looking forward to seeing how this plays across Japanese media.

Yep, I see some seriously pissed Japanese over this. It'll be up to them whether they spin it up or down.

[jocund]

It's a necessary prelude to "buckle up, we're in for a wild ride" and "something wicked this way comes". Both time-honored expressions for Doomers everywhere, even though they don't actually mean anything.

Like Choc said, it's a stock phrase. Mostly just saying that it should be interesting to see what other details emerge and how it affects relations. The Okinawan base has been a sore spot for a while, really looking forward to seeing how this plays across Japanese media.

HA!! Please give me a little credit fellas. I know what the phrase means...I meant for Thomason to please explain what he meant by it in the Japan context.

Jeesh!!! I'm embarrassed for my perceived level of smarts now.