Mitsuo Okada: Debunking War Myths
Many Asian nations criticize Japanese politicians whenever they visit
Yasukuni Jinja, the controversial Shinto shrine in central Tokyo.
The shrine honours 2.6 million Japanese soldiers killed in wars over the past
century.
Tens of thousands people make the pilgrimage to Yasukuni each year, including
small, formalised groups that wear old war uniforms as they march through the
compound to pay their respects.
Former Imperial Navy officer Mitsuo Okada leads one of these groups.
Okada, who now runs an imported car sales business in Fukushima, northeast of
Tokyo, spoke with Takehiko Nomura about his wartime experience, Japan's
Constitution and politics.
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Q-What made you start marching in Yasukuni?
I used to go to there every year by myself. In the 1980s, I remember seeing
groups of people in naval uniforms marching, but they looked weird because
they didn't know what Navy officers were supposed to wear on land. They
should have had things like army-surplus canteens and haversacks.
I heard the emperor [Hirohito] was a person of virtue and fine character, but
you can't protect a country with character.
Also, I saw one character who looked like a seaman carrying the naval ensign.
But that would never happen. Carrying the flag is an honourable thing to do,
and is always assigned to a senior officer.
Anyone familiar with naval tradition would think those marchers were part of
a comedy show.
When my old friends invited me to join their marching group in 1990, I
donated some gear so that we could at least look the part. I created the
current group in 1996.
Whenever we march, visitors to the shrine come up to us and say how much we
look like naval officers. I have made many new friends as a result.
Q-As you know, last week Kajima (a major Japanese building contractor) agreed
to establish a $4.6 million fund for relatives of Chinese labourers forced to
work at a Japanese mine during World War II.
I don't know whether Japan forcibly brought Chinese and Koreans to this
country to work or not.
But as you know, the Soviet Union violated the non-aggression treaty with
Japan, moved into Manchuria and uprooted about 600,000 Japanese [who were
officers, soldiers and paramilitary personnel].
Japan is more like a dependent state of the United States.
And they took them to places like Siberia, where they became forced
labourers. Some of them died there. So if we have to compensate the Chinese,
then the Soviets should be made to pay as well.
As for comfort women, they say Japan forcibly brought as many women as
possible from the Korean Peninsula.
I've read some of these women's diaries and find it hard to believe. One
woman wrote, "There was no fighting on Sundays." That's ridiculous. There
were a lot of blatant lies in those diaries. I think these women are just
trying to get money. It's shameless.
I say dump [the constitution] down the drain and let's create our own.
What about the Japanese women who worked as comfort women? In some cases
their parents sold them, while others did it themselves for the money. But
you don't hear them bleating about compensation.
Q-But there is a lot of evidence and witnesses...
I say there were no comfort women as such.
When you say comfort women, that means the master of a whorehouse takes his
women to places like Nanking to work. There were Japanese, Taiwanese and
Koreans. That was their job at that time.
Q-Speaking of Japan's Constitution, an increasing number of politicians are
advocating constitutional amendment.
I'm opposed to any constitutional amendment. The one we have now is
MacArthur's constitution. I say dump it down the drain and let's create our
own.
Q-Do you believe Japan should be in a state of military readiness?
Is there any independent country without a military?
Japan is more like a dependent state of the United States, spending
taxpayers' money on the US military. We should get out of this dependency.
Q-Why do you think Japan got into World War II?
It was a ridiculous war. We got into it because of the Constitution of the
Empire of Japan [promulgated in 1889]. Hirofumi Ito [who became Japan's first
prime minister in 1885 and a member of the privy council in 1888] drafted the
flawed constitution that gave the emperor enormous power.
The Japanese public should directly elect a head of state with broad powers.
I believe that he drafted this constitution because he wanted to prevent the
shogunate from re-emerging.
After the Meiji emperor passed away, more and more problems emerged. As you
know the Taisho emperor (his successor) suffered cerebral meningitis. Later,
Korekiyo Takahashi [then finance minister] was assassinated (in 1936). These
events led to the monumental tragedy of the Pacific War.
Q-When we talk about the Pacific War, we hear of atrocities committed by
Japanese soldiers. But some Japanese who survived the war often say their
high-ranking officers put enormous pressure on them and they were really
brainwashed. They couldn't control themselves.
You know, I heard about how cruel the Chinese were. When they killed an
enemy, they didn't do it instantly. They first mutilated the victim's nose
and then ears. The Chinese tried to cause as much pain as possible before
killing them.
So after moving into Nanking, Japanese soldiers were fighting mad and killed
around 20,000 Chinese. But when Japan invaded Nanking, the emperor should
have said one word, "Retreat." Because he had enormous power, every one in
the military would have listened.
I heard the emperor was a person of virtue and fine character, but you can't
protect a country with character.
What about the Japanese women who worked as comfort women? In some cases
their parents sold them ... but you don't hear them bleating about
compensation.
Furthermore, the Japanese people had never learned Japan was losing the war
due to propaganda. All reports were completely censored and controlled. There
were a lot of lies. Had the Japanese people been informed of what was really
going on, many would have called for us to surrender.
It might be hard to believe nowadays, but in our childhood we were taught
that Japan was a divine country, just as Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said.
We truly believed we could win the war no matter which country we fought. It
was ridiculous and outrageous education. Everything was out of control.
Q-Some say the emperor played an active role during the war.
Oh, no. He was just ignorant. He was doing as he was told by the military.
Q-There don't seem to be many people who question the current imperial system.
I know many people who do. There are some even in my circle of acquaintances.
I think we should leave him as he is now. But the Japanese public should
directly elect a head of state with broad powers.
Q-The Japanese public is disenchanted with politicians. More than 80 percent
of the public do not support Prime Minister Mori.
He is a guy who just reads in a monotone fashion what's written on a piece of
paper.
Q-Is there any Japanese politician who can lead this country?
I would say Shintaro Ishihara (Tokyo governor) or Yasuhiro Nakasone (a former
prime minister).
Nakasone is the only one who has the determination and the courage to protect
Japan.
December 6, 2000
