a

private owner. The problem is, China and Taiwan also lay claim those same islands. Recently,

this territorial dispute has become a volatile issue -- and one that some reporters have

even

suggested could trigger another world war. Obviously, that’s a pretty unlikely scenario,

but it

does raise the question - how powerful is Japan?

Well, Japan is an economic giant - but they also have a stunted military. The CIA reports

that

by design, they spend only 1% of their total GDP on national defense. After World War II,

the

allied forces made Japan revise their constitution and add an article stating that: “the Japanese

people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use

of

force as a means of settling international disputes.”

Then, in the 1960s, to further solidify that mandate, Japan and the US signed the

Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, which gave assurance to Japan that the

United States would defend them against any threats.

It also gave the US access to and control over a few military bases on Japanese

land.So that’s why Japan’s military is currently so small. They have approximately

250,000 active military personnel, which ranks them 22nd in active military manpower.

So does this mean Japan isn’t powerful? No. Economically and politically, Japan is

a global leader. Their GDP, which is valued at almost 6 trillion dollars, ranks third

in

the world. Huge tech and machinery companies like Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Toshiba

produce some of the finest electronics, automobiles, and military gear on the market.

They also have enormous political power. They provide 11% of the UN’s budget,

making them second only to the US in that respect, and they have extremely close

ties with the United States. Plus, their economy has remained strong despite multiple

recessions as well as the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear disaster. If Japan were to expand

their military, they would surely become an international superpower, but as of now

that doesn’t seem like a real possibility, as recent polls show the majority of Japanese

citizens prefer their current military arrangement.