Japan is a prosperous nation which has made a remarkable recovery from the effects of World War II, but many of its military leaders still refuse to acknowledge the horror its forces committed during fighting in that global conflict. They reside in a world of denial ignoring the killing of millions of innocent people and the rape of thousands of women. Air Self Defense Force Chief of Staff, General Toshio Tamogami, was dismissed for writing an essay, “Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?” which won a contest sponsored by a businessman. Naturally, General Tamogami denies there was any aggression on the part of Japan and blames other Asian nations for compelling Japanese forces to invade their lands. According to the Japanese general, his innocent nation was “a victim” which was drawn into the Sino-Japanese War by China’s leader, Chiang Kai-shek.
General Tamogami also challenges the Japanese Constitution provisions which require his nation to restrict itself to a self defense force and wants Japan to be allowed to engage in military action and be able to use “offensive weaponry.” In his version of events, Korea somehow invited Japan to station troops in their country by willingly being occupied.
Japan must confront the horror of its actions during World War II if it is ever to find a way to end anger on the part of millions of Asians who were brutalized during the conflict. No one wanted to be invaded by Japanese troops. Perhaps, General Tamogami believes the United States invited Japanese planes to bomb installations at Pearl Harbor.