Japanese Reading of WWII History Stirs Debate

Toshio Tamogami draws a full pension, gives lectures, appears on TV talk shows and is treated with respect.

In this Nov. 11, 2008 file photo, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio...

In this Nov. 11, 2008 file photo, Japan's Air Self-Defense Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami testifies before an upper house committee at parliament in Tokyo. Tamogami, 60, was dismissed on Oct. 31, 2008 for writing an essay saying Japan has for decades been falsely accused of being an aggressor in World War II and has been unjustly subjected to "the history of the victor." (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)

(AP)

Not bad for a general who two months ago was fired for writing an essay justifying Japan's entry into World War II.

The case of the ousted air force chief reveals how the idea that Japan's war was justified still lives on in the minds of many Japanese, including powerful ones.

When Japan went to war, the nation was told it was for self-defense, to free Asia from Western colonial powers, and to deter the United States from attacking Japan.

Japan officially abandoned that view of history after its crushing defeat in 1945, but every so often a Japanese high-up would roil the waters by justifying Japanese conduct in the war and treatment of its neighbors. Not until 1995 did a Japanese prime minister acknowledge his country was an aggressor that had brought about great suffering in Asia.

The air force chief's essay shows that Japan's argument with history isn't over.

It was entered in a contest sponsored by a commercial company and conducted by Toshio Motoya, a right-leaning businessman. Motoya said 235 essays were submitted, one-third by air force officers, and most shared Tamogami's views.

"We should review our perspective of history and become a truly independent nation, or our future is at risk," Motoya said. "I'm confident Mr. Tamogami will get credit some day for sacrificing his job by what he wrote."

Tamogami called his essay "Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?" and wrote that Japan has been unjustly subjected to "the history of the victor."

He also said his country deserves praise for building universities in Taiwan and Korea when they were Japanese colonies before the war.

The affair made headlines and stirred debate in parliament.

While Prime Minister Taro Aso has been circumspect, saying only that Tamogami's public expression of such views was out of step with government statements, former Trade Minister Takeo Hiranuma praised Tamogami for his frankness.