U.S. Warships Sent to Japan As A Warning Signal To Asian Countries
As part of a two-pronged warning, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that the U.S. will be sending two warships to Japan to counter North Korea's threat and to also demand that China respect its neighbors.
Hegel compared Russia's takeover of the Ukraine's Crimea region to the Chinese-Japanese battle over remote islands in the East Chinese Sea.
"I think we're seeing some clear evidence of a lack of respect and intimidation and coercion in Europe today with what the Russians have done with Ukraine," Hagel told reporters after a meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.
"We must be very careful and we must be very clear, all nations of the world, that in the 21st century this will not stand, you cannot go around the world and redefine boundaries and violate territorial integrity and sovereignty of nations by force, coercion and intimidation whether it's in small islands in the Pacific or large nations in Europe." Hagel said.
Hagel will travel to China this week and hopes to tell the Chinese to respect their neighbors and that "coercion ... leads only to conflict."
He hopes that the talks with the Chinese can encourage them to get along better with Japan and its military.
The installment of the two warships is in response to North Korea's threat of missile and nuclear testing.
As South Korea and the U.S. conducts their annual spring military exercises, North Korea has decided to launch rockets and ballistic missiles in protest of the exercises they consider hostile.
North Korea also accused the U.S. of being "hell-bent on regime change", warning that if the U.S. takes any measures to change the regime, North Korea will countermeasure. They also said they will carry out a new form of nuclear test.
Adding to its presence in Japan, the U.S. will now have seven ballistic missile defense ships in the country.
These ships serve dual purposes. They can help defend against missiles and act as offensive weapons if needed for an attack.
In visiting Japan, Hagel wants them to know that the U.S. is committed to protecting the country's security. Although the U.S. doesn't take sides in the China-Japan debate, they do have responsibilities to protect Japan under a mutual defense treaty.
The U.S. would prefer that the nations end the debate peacefully.
The U.S. and Japan have shored up security and have added a "early warning radar" to provide a warning in case of an attack from North Korea.
Additionally the U.S. will send drones to the islands in debate between China and Japan.
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