Sign of the Times
Military lessons for Japan from Germany and Poland
Currently in rural England, my final destination, I've travelled through Poland, Germany and France in the past 20 days or so with the purpose of visiting European military academies, observing various military education systems to try and re-establish an exchange policy for the National Defense Academy of Japan. Here, I'd like to share with you my impressions from the first half of my trip.
Having departed from Narita Airport as the traces of summer still lingered, the snowstorm raging through Warsaw was a shock to my system. The geopolitical tragedy suffered by Poland as a result of being sandwiched between Russia and Germany hit me anew upon my midwinter visit to the Warsaw Uprising Memorial.
But the once tragic Poland is now experiencing the best fortune it ever has. Having achieved membership in both the EU and NATO and gained military partnership with the U.S., there's the sense that for the first time in history, Poland's national security is not in constant danger.
Benefitting from its position as one of the least developed country among EU nations, Poland has achieved great economic growth, and is expected to be the only country in the recession-struck EU to maintain positive growth this year. No wonder the people seemed cheerful even in the freezing snow.
Paying a visit to an air force academy in Deblin in southeastern Poland, I was struck by the school's specialized training. Japan's National Defense Academy's focus is on nurturing academic strength, spiritual depth and a healthy body -- which are useful to have throughout one's lifetime -- without focusing only on technical training. Meanwhile in Deblin, high school graduates are given five years and three months to complete both a bachelor's and master's degree and also receive full-fledged aviation and air-traffic control training. For budgetary reasons, officials say that the current matriculation term will be cut back, in effect producing top-rate air force officers in four years.
The most important tools in producing well-trained officers in such a short period of time are cockpit and control-tower simulators, allowing students undergo extensive training using realistic situations. The application of such simulation devices has become common also in Germany, France and even China, and I was reminded of how much Japan had fallen behind in the educational use of such equipment.
Japan's sudden rise on the other side of Russia in the early 20th century was divine providence for Poland. The cooperation of Poles who had lost their motherland with Imperial Japanese Army Colonel Motojiro Akashi's anti-Russian efforts is portrayed in Ryotaro Shiba's historical novel "Saka no Ue no Kumo" (Clouds above the slope). Following its defeat by Japanese forces, a revolution erupted in Russia during World War I, which allowed Poland to rebuild itself as a state. Polish Lieutenant Colonel Jan Kowalewski, who succeeded in breaking Russian military codes during that time, visited Japan in 1923 to provide instruction to Japanese cryptologists -- perhaps a display of gratitude for providing Poland with geopolitical providence?
Home to Copernicus and Marie Curie, Poland has long had a tradition of talent in mathematics and the sciences. It is said that three young mathematicians from the University of Poznan were responsible for decrypting German Enigma messages during World War II, and even now, a course on cryptology is offered at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw.
Pondering over Poland's pro-Japan past and present and the earnestness with which its air force academy was engaged in military education, I informed a senior Polish Defense Ministry official at the residence of Japanese Ambassador to Poland Yuichi Kusumoto that we hoped to invite a Polish cadet to participate in the International Cadets' Conference held each March at the National Defense Academy of Japan.
In Germany, the southern cities of Dresden and Munich were frigid, while the weather was fairly moderate further up north in Berlin.
Military academies in Germany are unique. Candidates who have graduated high school undergo a year-long training program divided into three stages. After completing the year, cadets go through a three-month intensive English language program. Afterwards, they receive a four-year standard university education, after which only those who have successfully completed their university requirements are able to continue with officer training.
German officer education is an excellent, logical system in which cadets acquire the qualities and abilities necessary among officers one by one. However, as the National Defense Academy of Japan takes the approach (taken also by U.S. and French military academies) of providing academic education, military training and leadership instruction simultaneously, it is difficult to set up a mid- to long-term exchange program with German military schools. As an aside, I was stunned by the German system of dedicating three months to English language acquisition and believe that it should be implemented in Japan, if anywhere.
In Berlin, my old acquaintance and Japanese Ambassador to Germany Takahiro Shinyo and I had the opportunity to discuss the relationship of cooperation between Japan and Germany. In July 1997, during the uprising in Albania, 11 Japanese nationals were rescued by German troops engaging in rescue efforts -- the first military operation beyond its borders since World War II. As Indonesia was swept by unrest during the final days of President Suharto's reign, then Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto orchestrated a plan to transport Japanese nationals along with some 100 Germans out of the country. During the Kosovo crisis of 1999, Germany, which was pulling its military out of the region, requested that Japan represent its interests in the region by protecting German facilities and nationals in its stead. Then Japanese Ambassador to Yugoslavia Noriaki Owada and other Japanese diplomats acted beyond the call of duty under the circumstances, and received repeated statements of gratitude in German newspapers.
After Japan passed the special anti-terrorism bill and the Maritime Self-Defense Force began its refueling mission in the Indian Ocean in 2001, Germany was one of many countries that benefitted from the mission. In 2008, the German frigate Emden provided assistance to the Japanese ship Takayama-maru when it was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden. While these are all isolated examples, I have been struck by the cooperative relationship between Japan and Germany, one that has been far more sound than the ties we secured in the Tripartite Pact years ago.
On this trip, I was overcome by how much Japan's mission in the Indian Ocean has been appreciated not only by Germany but by other European nations involved. My European tour not only gave me a chance to interact with those at various military academies, it also provided me with the opportunity to get a closer look at the finer qualities of each country, while learning of their thoughts and feelings toward Japan. (By Makoto Iokibe, president of the National Defense Academy of Japan)
(Mainichi Japan) December 12, 2009