Japan Not Aggressor in WWII

(Tokyo, Japan) The Chief of Staff of the Japanese Air Force, General Toshio Tamogami, has been fired for writing an essay stating that Japan was not an aggressor in World War II. Furthermore, 78 other members of the Japanese Air Force also submitted essays which expressed views similar to General Tamogami's.

Unfortunately, the views expressed by Tamogami and others directly conflicts with the apology issued by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995.

The controversy regarding Japanese involvement in WWII endures because more than an insignificant segment of the population believes the nation acted honorably in defending itself. Schoolchildren are not taught the truth about the brutal campaigns launched by the Japanese military. The fact that Japan lost the war just serves to mar "the glorious history of Japan."

Understandably, the attitude is a sore point with nations that were invaded by the Japanese during WWII.