User blog comment:Harmonmj13/V-J Day, 70 Years Later/@comment-26482266-20150906181534/@comment-27797576-20150907012544

Oi, even if the military wanted to switch to offensive action, they can't. READ JAPAN'S CONSTITUTION FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. It's been that way since ~1946. The constitution specifically states that Japan's armed forces can no longer commit to offensive action, and will likely stay that way for a long, long time. China on the other hand has no legal restrictions, and can easily write a few bills, increase military spending, and then declare war, WITHIN THE SAME YEAR. Japan has multiple legal restrictions, including being unable to declare war unless provicted, having close ties to the US, and unable to increase military spending without months of debacle. Basically, any ability Japan has to convert to offensive is null and void under it's democracy and constitution.