Kiroku Hanai's Nov. 24 article, "Tamp down the old ways," provides insightful knowledge of the inner thought processes at work within Japan's Self-Defense Forces. It's hard to imagine military figures denying Japan's aggressive actions against Asian countries in the past.

As an outsider making general observations, it is comforting to know that others take it upon themselves to not re-educate, but to simply remind some current defense officials of those past actions and the suffering they caused not only to the Japanese people but also to others.

john coombe