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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAHA 000094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: JA PREL PGOV MARR
SUBJECT: MEDIA PAPERS OVER OKINAWANS' DIFFERENCES ON MASS SUICIDES 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, 
Science and Technology's (MOE) decision on March 30, 2007 to 
delete references to "military ordered" mass suicides from high 
school textbooks has met a strong reaction in Okinawa, where the 
large majority assumes the over 700 suicides that took place on 
the Kerama Islands in 1945, in addition to mass suicides 
elsewhere in the prefecture during World War II, were the result 
of orders by the former Imperial Japanese Army.  MOE's refusal 
to reverse its position is having a negative impact on the LDP 
in the upcoming Upper House Diet election.  End Summary. 
 
Okinawans Divided on Cause of Mass Suicides 
 
¶2. (SBU) Following a regular screening of 224 high school 
textbooks, MOE told seven publishers on March 30 to revise their 
descriptions of mass suicides during the Battle of Okinawa. 
Texts would be changed from "the former Imperial Japanese Army 
forced civilians" to commit suicide, to "some residents 
committed or were driven into committing suicide."  In a written 
statement MOE said, 'It was not possible to conclude that the 
military ordered civilians to commit mass suicide."  According 
to Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Okinawa's Tsunehiro IHA, on 
June 13 MOE Policy Chairman Yukihiko FUMURA admitted the 
Japanese military connection and responsibility for the mass 
suicides by civilians, but said the issue was whether there was 
a direct military order. On July 4, Fumura again rebuffed an 
Okinawa Prefectural Government petition delivered by Vice 
Governor Katsuko ASATO and other Okinawan prefectural and city 
assembly representatives.  He asked the representatives to 
understand that the decision was made by the textbook screening 
committee and not MOE, and reiterated that questions remained as 
to whether "all" the mass suicides were the result of military 
orders. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Media editorials and anti-revision advocates, who 
represent the majority opinion in Okinawa, claim that the fact 
that suicides occurred only where the Japanese military was 
located is evidence of military coercion.  They also add that 
the military passed out grenades to civilians and instilled in 
them a fear of the American military.  One survivor, Shigeaki 
Kinjo, said the Japanese military passed out grenades to local 
citizens a week before US Forces landed.  Another, Noriko 
Oshiro, said she clearly remembered family and acquaintances 
receiving grenades and instructions on how to use them from 
Japanese soldiers.  Survivor Shoko Oya said Japanese soldiers 
told her group that Americans would rape and kill the women and 
run over the men with their vehicles. Vice Governor Asato told 
MOE officials that "if even one mass suicide was the result of 
military orders, it should be noted in textbooks." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Some dissenters from the majority view in Okinawa have 
questioned whether the military issued orders, or whether the 
horror of war simply produced an environment that influenced 
some civilians to commit suicide. Some Okinawan survivors say it 
was the absence of Japanese military that led to civilian 
suicides.  Sumiko Tamashiro remembered that after two Japanese 
soldiers in the cave where she and others were hiding took their 
own lives, the civilians followed suit.  Another survivor, 
Takejiro Nakamura said Japanese soldiers told civilians they 
could rely on them in an emergency, but fled when US forces 
landed on the island.  Nakamura said civilians choked each other 
to death with their hands.  Some dissenters from the majority 
view have hinted that the real reason that many survivors blamed 
the military was to cover up their own guilt for having taken 
part in the deaths of friends and family members. 
 
¶5. (SBU) A May 2007 public opinion poll conducted by the Ryukyu 
Shimpo showed that 18 percent of Okinawans surveyed supported 
the MOE's textbook revision, suggesting a significant minority 
 
NAHA 00000094  002 OF 002 
 
 
of Okinawans doubt whether the military ordered the suicides. 
The Okinawa chapter of the LDP publicly split in late May 
because some of its members also questioned whether the suicides 
were the result of the environment at the time or orders.  Iha 
said in an interview on June 5 that "what is at issue [within 
the LDP] is whether the Japanese military as an organization 
ordered the suicides or whether in the abnormality of war, these 
were simply actions of members of the organization." 
 
Media Sees Government Cover up in MOE Decision 
 
¶6. (SBU) Few survivors have testified to "direct orders." 
Nonetheless, the MOE's decision to revise the textbooks to omit 
all reference to military involvement in the suicides has 
allowed the anti-revisionists to ignore the lack of evidence of 
direct orders and concentrate on general military culpability. 
Many perceive MOE officials' public acknowledgement of some 
military involvement, coupled with the refusal of MOE to reverse 
its guidance to publishers, as another central government cover 
up of Okinawans' victimization.  June editorials in local daily 
newspapers claimed Japan rejected "the torment of 'negative 
history."  Instead of learning from history, they charged, 
Japanese society decided to erase any history of bad behavior by 
Japanese.  June letters to the editors said the Japanese 
government and MOE were trying to fool people, and linked the 
government's stance on military involvement in mass suicides to 
its denying military responsibility for abuse of comfort women. 
Writers saw the MOE's decision as an attempt to avoid taking 
responsibility for war crimes, revive the honor of the Japanese 
military, and/or lie to Japanese students. 
 
¶7. (SBU) The press has kept a running tally on the town and city 
assemblies that have passed protest resolutions against the 
revision and reformist former upper house Diet member, now upper 
house candidate, Keiko ITOKAZU has made opposing the textbook 
revision a top priority in her campaign.  She stresses that 
Okinawa "must say no to a change that would lead our children to 
war."  While Itokazu's conservative opponent Junshiro NISHIME 
also opposes the revision, and LDP prefectural assembly members 
eventually signed onto a unanimous Okinawa Prefectural Assembly 
(OPA) protest resolution on June 22, both Nishime and local LDP 
have been tarred by what is being perceived as the current LDP 
administration's unwillingness to discuss reversing its decision 
on the textbooks. 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Comment:  The Okinawan media's steady drumbeat on the 
issue, with multiple articles appearing daily in both local 
papers,  is keeping this issue in the forefront, and it appears 
to be hurting the LDP in the runup to the late July upper house 
election, given that polls show 82 percent of local people 
oppose the textbook revision.  Japanese military involvement in 
civilian suicides is assumed by the majority in Okinawa.  What 
is seen by most Okinawans as an attempt by the government to 
whitewash that involvement will continue to meet a strong 
reaction here. End Comment. 
 
 
MAHER 
REICH