Japanese defense officials punished over war essay

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's Defense Ministry punished several top officials for failing to supervise the air force chief fired after claiming his country was not an aggressor in World War II, but rather was tricked into involvement by the United States.

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and three other senior officials were taking partial pay cuts and two bureaucrats had been reprimanded over the essay by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Toshio Tamogami, the ministry said Tuesday.

It said the measures were meant to address the officials' lack of supervision and responsibility for hurting the public trust in the military.

(snip)

Japan's wartime aggression remains a sensitive topic. China-Japan relations nose-dived earlier in the decade over Japanese leaders' visits to a Tokyo war shrine honoring war dead, including convicted war criminals but ties have improved markedly over the last two years. On Monday, China welcomed Tamogami's dismissal.



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