Indiscipline in Japanese army

Ulhas Joglekar ulhasj at bom4.vsnl.net.in
Sun Apr 30 04:44:51 PDT 2000


Friday 28 April 2000

Indiscipline in Japanese army TOKYO: Two Japanese army generals were set to resign rather than face unprecedented suspensions for their roles in an alleged cover-up of a military criminal case. A total of 24 officers were being punished in connection with the incident, in which a colonel broke the law in 1994 by allowing his three civilian friends to fire a military rifle at a practice range. Military sources have said it was the first time top-level Japanese military officials had faced such severe reprimands. ``I apologise deeply for the fact that this resulted in serious public mistrust in the management of the Self-Defence Force (military),'' defence minister Tsutomu Kawara said in a parliamentary committee Thursday. ``I will make every effort to thoroughly enforce official discipline and prevent the occurrence of scandals.'' Generals Yoshiharu Amano and Michihiko Suzuki expressed their intent to resign after being notified of their punishments and the colonel -- who was arrested by military police last month -- was set to follow suit rather than face a disciplinary dismissal, a military official said. Domestic media said senior ground self defence force officials had known of the matter but kept it among themselves fearing it would degrade the army if it was made public. The military has been no stranger to public criticism. Last summer, the naval branch of the self-defence forces found itself in hot water after mistakenly firing live ammunition over a town and then failing to report the incident for four months. In a routine equipment test, a destroyer fired several rounds over a residential area, but no damage or injuries were reported. The self-defence force is one of many government agencies in trouble for allegedly covering up violations by employees. Calls for law enforcement reform are mounting following a string of scandals that have tarnished the reputation of Japan's police force, once famed for its probity.(Reuters) For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
|Disclaimer|
For comments and feedback send Email © Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. 2000.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list