ID :
27813
Sat, 11/01/2008 - 00:52
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/27813
The shortlink copeid
Japan air force chief faces dismissal over controversial essay
TOKYO, Oct. 31 Kyodo -
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Friday he will dismiss Air
Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami over his controversial
essay denying Japan's aggression against other Asian countries such as China
and Korea before and during World War II.
It will be the first case in which a top Self-Defense Forces officer has been
be dismissed for publicly stating his personal opinion since 1978 when then SDF
chief Gen. Hiroomi Kurisu was sacked for saying the SDF could take extralegal
action in the event of an emergency.
Hamada told reporters, ''What is stated in the essay includes an assessment of
the last war that is inappropriate. It was improper for a person in his
capacity as ASDF chief to make public an opinion which was obviously different
from the government's position.''
He said it has not been decided when Tamogami's dismissal will take effect or
who will succeed him.
Hamada indicated that Tamogami had released the essay without making it
available to civilian officials of the Defense Ministry in advance.
In the essay released Friday, Tamogami, 60, said that Japan's actions before
and during the war did not amount to aggression and called for authorizing
Japan's use of the right to collective self-defense, an action banned under the
current legal interpretation of the Japanese government.
The essay by a top SDF officer is likely to stir controversy over whether
civilian control of the SDF remains intact and to provoke China and South Korea
as well as other Asian countries.
Earlier in the day, before the defense chief's announcement, Prime Minister
Taro Aso, the supreme commander of the SDF, criticized Tamogami for the essay,
telling reporters, ''It is not appropriate, given his position, even though he
published it in a private capacity.''
Successive Japanese administrations have supported a 1995 statement by then
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stating that Japan inflicted tremendous damage
and suffering on Asian and other countries ''through its colonial rule and
aggression.''
Aso said he supports the Murayama statement in a parliamentary session shortly
after he took office in late September.
In the essay titled ''Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?'' Tamogami, known for his
controversial remarks since becoming ASDF chief in March 2007, wrote it is
''false'' to accuse Japan of having been an aggressor nation before and during
the war.
He described Japan as ''a victim'' that had been drawn into the Sino-Japanese
War by Chiang Kai-shek, who led the Chinese Nationalist Party.
The then Japanese army was subjected to ''frequent acts of terrorism'' by
Chiang's party, Tamogami wrote. ''The Japanese government patiently tried to
bring about peace, but at every turn they were betrayed by Chiang Kai-shek.''
Tamogami also challenged the government's current position on the activities of
the SDF under the U.S.-drafted Constitution, hinting that Japan should be
allowed to exercise the right to collective self-defense and possess
''offensive weaponry.''
Tamogami wrote in the essay, ''Our country is said to have invaded the Chinese
mainland and the Korean Peninsula in the prewar period,'' referring to the
period before and during WWII.
''But surprisingly few people are aware (of the fact) that the Japanese army
was stationed in these countries on the basis of treaties,'' he wrote.
''Even now, there are many people who think that our country's aggression
caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East
Asia War. But we need to realize that many Asian countries take a positive
view'' of the war, he stated in the essay.
''The Japan that fought the Greater East Asia War is held in high esteem'' in
countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, he claimed.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East tried to ''push all the
responsibility for the war (WWII) onto Japan,'' Tamogami wrote.
''And that mind control is still misleading the Japanese people 63 years after
the war. The belief is that if the Japanese army becomes stronger, it will
certainly go on a rampage and invade other countries, so we need to make it as
difficult as possible for the SDF to act,'' he said.
Tamogami said in the essay that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 after being
caught in ''a trap'' set by then U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.
The general also questioned Japan's heavy dependence on the U.S. military for
its defense.
The essay was made public Friday by the hotel and condominium developer Apa
Group, which announced Tamogami had won the grand prize in a competition
organized by it. The prize came with an award of 3 million yen.
In April, Tamogami was rebuked by then Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba for
using a popular comedian's signature phrase when commenting on a court ruling
that judged the ASDF's mission in Iraq was unconstitutional.
==Kyodo
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Friday he will dismiss Air
Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami over his controversial
essay denying Japan's aggression against other Asian countries such as China
and Korea before and during World War II.
It will be the first case in which a top Self-Defense Forces officer has been
be dismissed for publicly stating his personal opinion since 1978 when then SDF
chief Gen. Hiroomi Kurisu was sacked for saying the SDF could take extralegal
action in the event of an emergency.
Hamada told reporters, ''What is stated in the essay includes an assessment of
the last war that is inappropriate. It was improper for a person in his
capacity as ASDF chief to make public an opinion which was obviously different
from the government's position.''
He said it has not been decided when Tamogami's dismissal will take effect or
who will succeed him.
Hamada indicated that Tamogami had released the essay without making it
available to civilian officials of the Defense Ministry in advance.
In the essay released Friday, Tamogami, 60, said that Japan's actions before
and during the war did not amount to aggression and called for authorizing
Japan's use of the right to collective self-defense, an action banned under the
current legal interpretation of the Japanese government.
The essay by a top SDF officer is likely to stir controversy over whether
civilian control of the SDF remains intact and to provoke China and South Korea
as well as other Asian countries.
Earlier in the day, before the defense chief's announcement, Prime Minister
Taro Aso, the supreme commander of the SDF, criticized Tamogami for the essay,
telling reporters, ''It is not appropriate, given his position, even though he
published it in a private capacity.''
Successive Japanese administrations have supported a 1995 statement by then
Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama stating that Japan inflicted tremendous damage
and suffering on Asian and other countries ''through its colonial rule and
aggression.''
Aso said he supports the Murayama statement in a parliamentary session shortly
after he took office in late September.
In the essay titled ''Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?'' Tamogami, known for his
controversial remarks since becoming ASDF chief in March 2007, wrote it is
''false'' to accuse Japan of having been an aggressor nation before and during
the war.
He described Japan as ''a victim'' that had been drawn into the Sino-Japanese
War by Chiang Kai-shek, who led the Chinese Nationalist Party.
The then Japanese army was subjected to ''frequent acts of terrorism'' by
Chiang's party, Tamogami wrote. ''The Japanese government patiently tried to
bring about peace, but at every turn they were betrayed by Chiang Kai-shek.''
Tamogami also challenged the government's current position on the activities of
the SDF under the U.S.-drafted Constitution, hinting that Japan should be
allowed to exercise the right to collective self-defense and possess
''offensive weaponry.''
Tamogami wrote in the essay, ''Our country is said to have invaded the Chinese
mainland and the Korean Peninsula in the prewar period,'' referring to the
period before and during WWII.
''But surprisingly few people are aware (of the fact) that the Japanese army
was stationed in these countries on the basis of treaties,'' he wrote.
''Even now, there are many people who think that our country's aggression
caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East
Asia War. But we need to realize that many Asian countries take a positive
view'' of the war, he stated in the essay.
''The Japan that fought the Greater East Asia War is held in high esteem'' in
countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, he claimed.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East tried to ''push all the
responsibility for the war (WWII) onto Japan,'' Tamogami wrote.
''And that mind control is still misleading the Japanese people 63 years after
the war. The belief is that if the Japanese army becomes stronger, it will
certainly go on a rampage and invade other countries, so we need to make it as
difficult as possible for the SDF to act,'' he said.
Tamogami said in the essay that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 after being
caught in ''a trap'' set by then U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.
The general also questioned Japan's heavy dependence on the U.S. military for
its defense.
The essay was made public Friday by the hotel and condominium developer Apa
Group, which announced Tamogami had won the grand prize in a competition
organized by it. The prize came with an award of 3 million yen.
In April, Tamogami was rebuked by then Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba for
using a popular comedian's signature phrase when commenting on a court ruling
that judged the ASDF's mission in Iraq was unconstitutional.
==Kyodo
