Note of discord

It is not unusual for some rightwing politicians in Japan to want to whitewash what invading Japanese forces had done to other Asian countries during World War II. But it is really shocking that Japanese air force chief Gen. Toshio Tamogami in his recent essay brazenly denied aggressions by the country.

It is shocking not only because his view seeks to blatantly deny an established fact and a part of history that have long been recognized worldwide. But it is so also because such an essay by a high-ranking Japanese military officer is detrimental to the country's relations with its Asian neighbors.

We feel relieved that he was dismissed from his position immediately after the publication of his article on Friday. Japanese Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said that the essay he wrote went against the government's official position and contradicted a statement released in 1995 by the then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, which expressed deep regret over the country's past colonization and aggression in Asian countries.