Japan Press Weekly

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2008 November 19 - 25 [SDF]

Defense minister says selection of lecturers for Joint Staff College’s history program was not appropriate

Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu said the selection of the Joint Staff College’s lecturers for the history program may not have been appropriate.

The staff college program, entitled “Outlook of History & Outlook of the Nation,” was established by the then Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Tamogami Toshio, who was recently dismissed over an essay he submitted to a contest. In the essay, he argued against the view that the past Japanese war was a war of aggression,

At a news conference on November 21, Hamada said, “It may be difficult to conclude that it (the selection of lecturers for the “Outlook on History & Outlook on Nation”) was appropriate.” He also said, “We will consider reviewing the subject of ‘Outlook on History & Outlook on Nation’, including the selection of lecturers, so that the staff college can provide balanced and appropriate education.”

The Defense Ministry recently made public five out of six names of lecturers selected for the “Outlook on History & Outlook on Nation” in response to the repeated request, by Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Inoue Satoshi. The list of lecturers provided by the ministry included persons who justify Japan’s war of aggression. One of those lecturers was Fukuchi Atsushi, vice chairman of the Association for Textbook Reform, a rightist group with the peculiar view that the past Japanese war was a war for the survival and defense of Asia against Western aggression.

Inoue has been pointing out that the Self-Defense Forces still maintains the education system that leaves room for creating more Tamogamis and demanding that the staff college change its education programs.