Tamogami must be condemned for his distorted view of history, but he represents only the tip of an iceberg in the reactionary trend of political and military thinking in Japan that favors the revision of the war-renouncing Constitution so that Japan can exercise the right to collective self-defense with its major ally, the United States.
Such constitutional change has been overtly and covertly encouraged by Washington ever since the Constitution entered into force with the enthusiastic endorsement of most Japanese people. The Constitution was, in a way, an expression of the Japanese people's remorse over the war and the devastation caused not only to Japan but also to the rest of Asia.
Who's to blame for this reactionary trend? Tamogami and those of his ilk must be strongly rebuked. But one must not forget Washington's behind-the-scenes intrigue trying to transform the SDF into a full-fledged military power, making it an integral part of America's global war machine and thus creating the feeling among Japan's rightwingers that Japan has been exonerated of its past misdeeds.
The U.S., therefore, is most responsible for the rise of Japanese rightwingers who play with a twisted view of World War II history.