"Japan has dedicated itself to being a non-interventionist country since the end of WW2. "Japan's military (the Japan Self-Defense Forces) is restricted by Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces Japan's right to declare war or use military force in international disputes." (from Wikipedia). So if they don't join - it has nothing to do with their view of Obama and everything to do with them staying consistent over the last 70 or so years." - David Cohn