LDP’s Norota: Pacific War helped Asia

Mainichi Shimbun, Monday 19 February 2001

AKITA—Former Defense Agency chief Hosei Norota of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tried to justify Japan’s waging of the Pacific War during speeches on Sunday, saying the war helped stamp out Western nations’ colonialism from Asia.

Norota’s remarks will likely cause a stir in political circles, as opposition parties will probably grill him about the true intention of his speeches in the current Diet session.

Because he attempted to justify Japan’s wartime past, his stance on history may also incur the wrath of China and South Korea.

Aside from judging whether the war was waged for a just cause, it did root out (Western nations’) colonization policies in Asia, Norota, a House of Representatives member, said in speeches he made in Takanosu and Noshiro, both in Akita Prefecture.

When I visit Southeast Asia, many people still now tell me that Japan helped their nations win independence.