Politics that made General Tamogami so arrogant

Japan Press Weekly

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Politics that made General Tamogami so arrogant

Akahata Editorial

Not only the defense minister but the prime minister, who is the supreme commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, must be held responsible for the appointment of Ge. Tamogami.

Tamogami Toshio, the chief of staff of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force, was dismissed over an essay he wrote for an essay contest sponsored by a company, in which he said that it is “certainly a false accusation” to say that Japan was an aggressor nation in World War Two.

He asserted that the Comintern was responsible for the 1928 assassination of Fengtian warlord Zhang Zuolin in a bomb explosion on a train. It is a groundless argument that disregards the historical fact that the incident was actually engineered by Japan. It also contradicts the official position of the Japanese government, which apologized for its prewar colonial rule and aggression that caused enormous losses and suffering to China and other Asian countries. Tamogami deserves a dismissal.

In his essay, Tamogami insists that Japan “cannot practice collective self-defense” unless it frees itself from the responsibility for the war of aggression. This argument is tantamount to stating that it is necessary for Japan to deny any remorse for its wartime past in order to participate in wars abroad alongside with the United States, even by violating the constitutional principle of peace.

Tamogami was appointed to be the chief of staff of the Air Self-Defense Force by then Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru under the cabinet of Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. He has made gaffes like the “That’s none of my business” remark regarding the Nagoya High Court ruling that the Self-Defense Forces deployment to Iraq was unconstitutional. Ishiba at the time defended Tamogami by stating, “He made the remark to express his sincere respect for SDF members.”

We must not overlook the dangerous turn to bellicosity by uniformed SDF officers. There is no doubt that they have been urged on by the actions of political leaders.

? Akahata, November 2, 2008