Japan set to revive WWII military titles in controversial shift

Japan’s government plans to revive the military ranks used by its armed forces before and during World War II, in a symbolic gesture to please conservatives that analysts warn could stoke regional tensions.The plan, first floated in November after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had struck a coalition deal with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), appeared to have been pushed by senior JIP members, the Asahi newspaper reported on Saturday.The LDP has reportedly agreed to the change on the grounds that it will align with “international standards”, paving the way for legal revisions in the months ahead. If enacted, Japan’s Self-Defence Forces (SDF) would reintroduce the ranks last used by the imperial Japanese military in the 1930s and 1940s.While Japan’s military uses English-language ranks in international settings, the SDF has since its foundation adopted Japanese terms distinct from the imperial era, according to Go Ito, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Meiji University.A Japanese soldier watches the suburbs of Shanghai ablaze during World War II in this undated colourised photograph. Photo: Getty Images“Introducing these ranks is just a case of doing the same as other countries, including China’s People’s Liberation Army,” he told This Week in Asia.