Seven senior Japanese officials were reprimanded Tuesday over their supervisory responsibility for the recent release of a controversial essay on Japan's role in World War II by sacked Air Self-Defense Force (ASDF) Chief of Staff, General Toshio Tamogami, Kyodo News reported.
The punitive measures announced by the Defense Ministry also included a partial salary return by Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Taro Aso demanded that no repeat of similar problems be caused by such controversial essays concerning Japan's wartime role.
At a press conference Tuesday, Hamada said he had been instructed by the premier to tighten control over public expressions of political opinions by Self-Defense Force (SDF) officers and punish relevant personnel in the Defense Ministry and the SDF.
In his essay released Friday, Tamogami said that it is "false" to accuse Japan of having been an aggressor nation before and during World War II.
He said Japan was drawn into the Sino-Japanese War by then Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), who headed the Chinese Nationalist Party, and referred to Japan as "a victim" in the essay, entitled "Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?"
Aso voiced his disapproval of the essay later Friday. Criticizing Tamogami for his views, the prime minister said it was" not appropriate" for an ASDF chief to publish such an essay, even though it was "in a private capacity."
Source: Xinhua
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