New Book Release: CONTACT AT FIERY CROSS

In a direct challenge to the People’s Republic of China, the United States Navy has been sent to the South China Sea. They, along with their Japanese allies are there to conduct Freedom of Navigation operations in International Waters near the disputed Spratly Islands chain. But as escalating tensions mount, something extraordinary has taken place. Lurking high up in the clouds at 20,000 feet above sea level, an elusive object of unknown origin or intent has intruded upon contested airspace leaving little room for error. As the geopolitical balance of power inches closer toward armed conflict, it will be up to U.S. Naval Aviator, Lieutenant Commander Eileen Hunter, to push man and machine to avert a war and discover a forbidden truth.

In continuation of the intrigue in ROBOT PLANET, American Mishima author Louis Edward Rosas presents a new high-flying adventure that delves into the current geopolitical tensions taking place in the Far East. Contact at Fiery Cross will not only further question if we are alone in the universe, but if so, to what extent have they influenced our affairs.

This book is now available on Paperback and eBook editions. To order your copy, please click on the following link for: CONTACT AT FIERY CROSS. Thank you!

China Successfully Lands Rover on the Dark Side of the Moon

Seen here is the first image taken by China's National Space Administration's Chang'e-4 Rover. It set down on Thursday in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the moon's largest and oldest impact crater on the Dark Side of the Moon. Communication to ground controllers in Beijing must be done by a relay satellite that orbits the moon launched earlier in 2018. The Chang'e 4 rover is 1.5 meters (5 feet) long and about 1 meter (3.3 feet) wide and tall, with two foldable solar panels and six wheels. Such design is based on the PRC's earlier Jade Rabbit mission. 

This is a big move for the PRC and one we can say to be a positive Scientific venture that could benefit all Mankind. We are hoping the Chinese will take some good high definition photos NASA thus far has not provided. It's crazy to think we have 3-D imaging of Mars, but when it comes to the Dark Side of the Moon, we are still relying on grainy black & white photos from the 1960s. Hopefully, China will change that and help answer some lingering mysteries. And while we have been highly critical of their military expansionism in the South China Seas, we wish the Chinese National Space Administration great success in the exploration of Space.

Calmer Seas: Japan and China to Resume Fleet Visits

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force and the People's Republic of China's Navy have announced they will be resuming fleet visits. They haven't done this since 2011, so this is a good thing. Japanese news sources say that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make the formal announcement with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang when they meet in Beijing this week. By no means does this resolve the crisis in the South China Seas or Chinese claims to the Senkaku Islands, but the unilateral thaw in tensions is a step in the right direction to de-escalate growing hostilities between the two competing maritime powers. We hope this will lead to further talks that result in better cooperation and peace on the high seas.

China's Stealth Bomber Revealed

Seen here is Beijing's latest piece of military hardware, the Xian H-20 Stealth Bomber spotted over a gala held on October 7th. According to sources, this is only the prototype and will not enter service until 2025. Observers will note the striking similarity to the Grumman B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber but the similarities will end there. The Chinese are twenty years behind us in this field of technology and still has much to learn or steal depending on your perspective. Not too much has been revealed by the Chinese but at this rate, that's all we need to know.

Spring Fools - Tillerson Threatens DPRK

This week in Seoul South Korea, Exxon Executive turned U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson openly threatened North Korea. Really? Oh yes he did! He is quoted as saying that the Trump administration might be forced to take pre-emptive action “if they elevate the threat of their weapons program” to an unacceptable level.Worse, he's said "the policy of strategic of patience is over." This was not only foolish, but down right dangerous. We would expect this kind of foolish talk from Pyongyang not from Washington but there you have it. 

While the DPRK lacks the military ability to bring the United States to its knees, they certainly have the ability to start a bloody war that will get a lot of South Koreans and American Troops stationed over there killed and turn the entire far east into turmoil. This is not the actions of a career diplomat. This is Amateur Hour on the world stage and its reckless actions are beneath the dignity of both the Secretary of State and the United States. This is what happens when a non-politician with the temperament of a four year old assumes office. They appoint equally unqualified people into positions of power. Tillerson has no business representing this country and the spineless Republicans who approved this man with no diplomatic experience are equally complicit in their quest for power. With so much scandal plaguing the Trump Regime in its first 100 days, it's likely they want a war just to distract us from the truth. While we don't expect restraint from the Hermit Kingdom, we hope the PRC will get them to listen to reason and ignore our temporary lapse in judgment. Wishful thinking right? In any case, tough talk means nothing without action and with the clowns running the circus inaction will be for the best so no one has to die. But who are we kidding right?

It's sad that Americans who are aware of what's really at stake must endure this embarrassment.  Somewhere out there, Kim Jong Un must be laughing his ass off that he's no longer the world's craziest leader. Good Job America! Not!

Mockery Served Mandarin Style

According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, 2017 will be known as The Year of the Rooster. In response to what some are calling The Year of the Donald, Beijing hilariously erected a 40 foot Rooster with Little Twitter Fingers and a do reminiscent of our new Twitter-happy Amateur in Chief. As we said before, there is no Sun Tzu for Dummies and the Chinese have this man clocked. Normally, we don't approve of foreign nations mocking our leadership but in this case we as a nation have definitely earned it.

All fun and games aside, we would rather see the PRC use humor as a weapon than armed conflict to get Little Twitter Fingers attention. We imagine this man will make it too easy for the Chinese to get under his skin. We suspect they will have many good laughs at our expense. All we can say is WELL PLAYED BEIJING. WELL PLAYED.

China's Dangerous Game

Earlier this week, the Chinese Navy of the People's Republic of China delivered stern warnings to U.S. Navy P8 Poseidon Surveillance planes flying over the South China Sea with calls to 'Go now!" The hostile tone of the Chinese Navy has many scratching their heads as to what are they really up to in the South China Sea. What's obvious is this build up of military forces on the part of the Chinese is escalating tensions and creating a hostile new cold war in the South China Sea that could easily get out of hand. This new dangerous game occurred as American planes flew over disputed waters which the PRC claims as their own based on historical claims. Really? Let's talk about that.

In recent months has been engaging in island building throughout the South China Sea in what has been international waters. They have brought a fleet of dredges to turn submerged atolls into sizable islands which they claim is for civilian use yet is heavily protected with early warning radar, military sized landing strips, and a small flotilla of warships enough to have made the Imperial Japanese Navy of WWII jealous that they hadn't thought of this first. What's really crazy is that the PRC which up until now could be counted on to contain it's influence to the Asian continent is now expanding deep into international waters hundreds of miles from mainland China. This of course is not sitting well with the governments of Japan, the, Philippines, or Vietnam. The deliberate construction of operational military bases in international waters has also posed a navigational hazard for both commercial sea and air traffic as the Chinese Navy now regards these waters to be the military zones of the PRC which poses not only a problem for the JMSDF, but the U.S. Navy who is entrusted to keep the international shipping lanes and air corridors open. Reminiscent of China's clash with our P-3 Orion in the early 2000's, China seems eager to flex it's muscle. Hence another reason why the Japanese Diet needs to scrap Article 9 so the JMSDF can further bolster it's forces as a key ally of the United States. With the U.S. Navy stretched so thin, we need s stronger JMSDF. We hope that PM Shinzo Abe will continue to rearm Japan to meet this growing threat to peace. Until then, we will write about this as time goes on because we are certain this will not be the last hostile incident between the U.S. Navy and the PRC.

一日の画像 - Picture of the Day: Respect

Seen here are Chinese Doctors bowing in respect for an eleven year old boy who had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer who upon his passing donated several of his organs to save other young lives. We don't always have good news to report out of the PRC but this touching moment of humanity caught our eye and moved us enough to share it with you here on American Mishima. While this is a tough choice for any family to endure, we wholeheartedly respect this life saving decision and that of the heroic young boy who will live on in spirit with those he has saved.

The PRC's New J-31: A Stealth Contender or Just Another Chinese Knockoff?

Coinciding with President Obama's visit to the PRC for the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit and to urge officials in Beijing to halt cyber attacks and outright cyber theft, the PLA's Air Force deliberately conducted test flights of its new J-31 Stealth Fighter at an arms show in Zuhai. Its alleged that the design of this 5th Generation fighter is the result of Chinese hackers breaking into Lockheed Martin and stealing the plans for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to which the PLA appears to have produced their own knockoff copy that is missing some key elements or as Lockheed Martin calls "The Crown Jewels" of it's performance ratio & thrust vectoring capability.

While on the surface, the plane looks strangely like an American Stealth fighter (Gee, wonder how that happened?), it is their second Stealth fighter. The earlier J-20 also the product of Chinese hacking also bears a remarkable resemblance to the F-22 & canceled YF-23. Worse, like it's older brother the J-20, the J-31 is powered by a pair of Russian made Klimov RD-93 engines, the same power plant for the MIG-29. The rumor has it that a group of rogue Russian technicians helped them reconfigure these engines for the new plane but Chinese officials deny this. Surprised? Its been observed that this plane bleeds too much power and has to engage its afterburners at low altitude in order to avoid stalling. Nice Try but no fortune cookie!

The mentality behind this lack of originality on the part of the Chinese is difficult to ascertain. You would figure that the people who brought you 4000 years of complex mathematics and medicine could come up with something on their own without stealing someone else s ideas. You would think they would take more pride in their own ingenuity and not ride on the accomplishments of others. But No. If Japan can come up with their own Stealth Fighter (See Mitsubishi ATX-D F3 Shinshin), China has no excuse. This is not being competitive, this is being lazy! ばか!