Japan govt under fire over general's war comments

By Isabel Reynolds

TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese government fought off criticism on Tuesday over the appointment of an air force general fired last week for saying Japan was not an aggressor in World War Two and urging an end to tight controls on its military.

Air force chief of staff Toshio Tamogami sparked anger in China and South Korea, where resentment simmers over Japanese military aggression before and during World War Two, with comments in a history essay published on a website.

Opposition politicians criticised the selection of Tamogami for a top military position and vowed to press Prime Minister Taro Aso, a self-described defence hawk, to make clear his own views on history.

"If it had been known that Mr. Tamogami was not a suitable person, of course he would not have been appointed," top government spokesman Takeo Kawamura told reporters, reiterating that the government saw his views as extremely inappropriate and at odds with Japan's pacifist constitution.

Aso had instructed Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada to do everything possible to prevent a recurrence and to make it clear who was responsible, Kawamura said.

Hamada told reporters he was considering penalties against senior officials including himself, Kyodo news agency said.

Tamogami's assessment is shared by some right-wing scholars and politicians, and historical disputes have frequently chilled Japan's ties with its neighbours.

Aso himself has sparked anger in the past with comments appearing to seek to justify Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.