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It wasn't just blind conviction though, he was a professional soldier. It was war time, and his commanding officer sent him in to conduct guerrilla warfare in t

by coryl 16y ago

It wasn't just blind conviction though, he was a professional soldier. It was war time, and his commanding officer sent him in to conduct guerrilla warfare in the jungles. He was expected to be there for a long time and operationally independent. "You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand. It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens, we’ll come back for you. Until then, so long as you have one soldier, you are to continue to lead him. You may have to live on coconuts. If that’s the case, live on coconuts! Under no circumstances are you [to] give up your life voluntarily."

varjag 16y ago
There's no mention he was professional though. EDIT: "When he was 20 years old, he was called to join the Japanese army." He was in fact a conscript.
- Tichy 16y ago
  And he had never even seen Rambo I and II...
chrischen 16y ago
It was obvious his conviction that his country could not lose was based on faulty reasoning. Japan was inevitably going to lose, nuclear bomb or not. So I think his persistence was fueled by his blind allegiance to his country, most likely because he believed that his country was superior to all other countries because he was born in it. Professional or not, I think the primary motivation was his country, and not his training. Doing something that dedicated requires a firm belief in the purpose (unless you were retarded to some degree). Of course he may have been lied to, or misled into thinking his country was greater than it was. In any case this would be why blind allegiance is bad.
hernan7 16y ago
Actually, if his orders included killing civilians, then those were unlawful orders. And if he was obeying them that would make him a war criminal, no?
- sliverstorm 16y ago
  I don't think he was ever ordered to kill civilians. He figured the proliferation of 'civilians' on the island was a ruse, and they were actually soldiers in disguise.

by coryl 16y ago

varjag 16y ago

There's no mention he was professional though. EDIT: "When he was 20 years old, he was called to join the Japanese army." He was in fact a conscript.

Tichy 16y ago
And he had never even seen Rambo I and II...

chrischen 16y ago

It was obvious his conviction that his country could not lose was based on faulty reasoning. Japan was inevitably going to lose, nuclear bomb or not. So I think his persistence was fueled by his blind allegiance to his country, most likely because he believed that his country was superior to all other countries because he was born in it. Professional or not, I think the primary motivation was his country, and not his training. Doing something that dedicated requires a firm belief in the purpose (unless you were retarded to some degree). Of course he may have been lied to, or misled into thinking his country was greater than it was. In any case this would be why blind allegiance is bad.

hernan7 16y ago

Actually, if his orders included killing civilians, then those were unlawful orders. And if he was obeying them that would make him a war criminal, no?

sliverstorm 16y ago
I don't think he was ever ordered to kill civilians. He figured the proliferation of 'civilians' on the island was a ruse, and they were actually soldiers in disguise.