>> I might accept that scenario if you could point out any expansion of military presence in Japan NOW.

Exactly. It was actually in the news (Very small, not headline. They had other things to gain ratings off of) America's Military presence in Japan has actually shrank now. Two American bases in Okinawa have been consolidated into one other base there. As well as I beleive another American base in Japan has been closed down.

>> I wasn't serious. But the fact is that we can't hardly handle a hurricane.

Primary difference is that the variables are different. An Invasion is easier to handle, you know what your up against, and you have the ability to stop it. It's a situation in which one can be Proactive. A hurricane is uncontrollable. You cannot stop it from happening, you can try to Evacuate as many people as possible before the storm hits. The wait until it is all over to come in and clean up afterwards. A primarily Reactive situation.

>> if Japanese gov really wants to be tiny, it is needed to sell >> the bonds. but actually it may cause a depression and Bush's >> pet Koizumi wont make that decision.

Japan could infact bring chaos in that sense. If done properly, and without warning the Government of Japan sold off all the Federal Bonds (american) that they control, it would set off a rapid chain reaction that would be hard to stabilize. A sudden run on the dollar would be started, and several other nations would see this as a possible sign of an economic crash. To avoid the American bonds they control from becoming worthless, they would also sell off theirs. The value of the American dollar would plummet rapidly, bringing us dangerously close to a new depression.