日本隐形军队揭秘

    澳大利亚和越南已经表示有兴趣从日本购买一些更先进的军事技术。华莱士说，日本的潜水艇尤其受到青睐，而且将特别适合在西太平洋可能发生的那类意外事件中使用——应对一些小规模战斗，而不是核战争。他说：“外界认为日本最新的柴电潜艇苍龙号（Soryu）是目前最好的非核潜艇之一。”

    日本喜欢昂贵的国防硬件，这一点在它的高科技军备中也有体现。最典型的是日本顶尖的驱逐舰，搭载国内研发了20年的最先进技术作战系统（ATECS）。此外，一旦日本领导人需要，它能在6个月内能拥有核武器（有些人相信日本已经秘密地做到了这一点）。日本能够迅速成为世界顶级军事力量，只要这个世界第三大经济体把头从土垛里探出来，不再隐身。

    Already Australia and Vietnam have voiced an interest in purchasing some of Japan's more advanced military technology. The country's submarines are especially admired, says Wallace, and will be particularly appropriate for the types of contingencies we are likely to see in the Western Pacific. Small skirmishes, not nuclear war. "Japan's most recent diesel-electric E submarine, the Soryu, is considered one of the best non-nuclear submarine systems around," he says.

    Japan has a taste for pricey defense hardware which shows in its high-spec armaments. Typical are the Japanese first-class destroyers, with the latest advanced technology developed combat system (ATECS) that spent 20 years in domestic development. Add to this the knowledge that Japan could be nuclear capable given six months (something a few believe it has secretly achieved already) should its rulers wish it. Japan could quickly become one of the top military powers in the world. All it would take for the planet's third-richest nation is to stick its collective head above the parapet and cease being, well, invisible.