Dec 25 08:54 AM US/EasternTOKYO, Dec. 25 (AP) - (Kyodo) — The Defense Ministry on Thursday proposed a series of measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents similar to the case of former Air Self-Defense Force chief Gen. Toshio Tamogami's controversial essay.
Tamogami was removed from his post in late October after the essay was made public arguing that Japan was a benevolent colonial ruler and not an aggressor before and during World War II -- a stance rejected by the Japanese government.
In the nine-page report, which was submitted to a government panel on Defense Ministry reforms, the ministry concluded that the former top ASDF officer's case resulted largely from "an insufficient self- awareness about his social standing."
Concerns have grown that historical views similar to Tamogami's have made inroads among the ranks of ASDF personnel, but the report did not refer to this point.
It described the case as a "grave case that has damaged confidence inside and outside the country in the Defense Ministry and the Self- Defense Forces and is not appropriate from the aspect of civilian control."
To prevent any recurrence of such a case, the ministry proposed to provide ranking Self-Defense Forces officers with further training opportunities to "deepen their understanding about the means of expressing their opinions to outsiders and about civilian control."
In the report, the ministry said it will also conduct "a more appropriate selection" process in appointing SDF personnel to high- ranking posts, but stopped short of specifying criteria to be used.
The ministry also plans to provide SDF personnel with education in accordance with unified principles to offer them a broad perspective while maintaining civilian control.
Regarding a course on "views on history and the nation" launched by Tamogami at the Joint Staff College in 2003 as the principal of the academy, the ministry said only that its lecturers were not impartial and that it will "review" the course.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told parliament earlier that he will consider changes, including abolition of the course, which he says has included lecturers "biased toward the extreme right."
Additionally, the ministry proposed requiring personnel to report to their supervisors in writing when they express opinions related to their duties to outsiders even in a private capacity.
The notification requirement had initially been imposed on the SDF personnel, but Tamogami did not report to the ministry that he submitted the essay to a contest sponsored by a condominium and hotel chain operator. He won first prize in the contest.
Thus the ministry enhanced the requirement in the latest proposal.
An additional 97 ASDF personnel submitted essays to the contest after the education section chief at the Air Staff Office faxed information on the contest to ASDF units nationwide, according to the ministry.
The ministry reviewed the essays following the scandal but did not find any problematic content, a Defense Ministry official said.
On Thursday, the ministry reprimanded the section chief and his then supervisor for failing to pay sufficient attention to the latent impact on society that participation of SDF personnel in such a contest would generate.
After he was relieved of his duties, Tamogami was forced to retire, though without an official reprimand.
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