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自衛官の自殺者が急増している。自衛隊の発表によると01年度の自殺者数は59人。02年度は4ー12月の9ヵ月ですでに63人に達した。この勢いでいけば、過去最悪だった98年の75人という数字を上回る見込みだという。遺書もなく自殺の理由はわからん一と自側では言っているが、まったく信憑性がない。
かつて、飲めない酒や好きでもない博打の強要など、いじめを苦に自殺した自衛官がいた。彼の母親の証言によればそれは明らかな事実なのだが、自衛隊側の調査報告書にはこうした記載はまったくなく、自殺者自身の問題ばかりが書き連ねてあったという。仮に、自衛隊内に組織的な問題があっても、客観的な事実が明らかにならないとすれば絶対に認めない。それが自衛隊、すなわち国家や。
では、自殺急増の原因はどこにあるのか。第ーは、経済的な問題である。日本全国で年間3万人以上が自殺しており、その大半は中小企業経営者の資金繰り難による自殺である。自衛官の場合も状況的には近い。借金を抱えている自衛官は非常に多いという。自衛官は肉体鍛錬が仕事という側面もあり体力はもちろん、ひいては性欲も有り余っているのが常や。しかしオンナとの接点は少なく、ストレス解消も兼ねて風俗を頻繁に利用する者が多いらしい。それを借金でひっぱるという話をよく聞く。
「特別職」という前置詞が付くとはいえ、自衛官は国家公務員。身元は確かだから簡単に審査が下りる。結果 、多重債務を抱える自衛官も出てくるというわけや。近所に駐屯地があれば、その周辺を歩いてみるといい。恐らく相当、金貸しの看板があるで。
ただ特別職国家公務員は、給料や定年などについては一般の公務員とは別扱いだ。例えば定年。将補まで出世すれば60歳まで勤務できるが、二曹以下てば53歳で終わリ。 50代前半といえば子供の結婚などを控え、金のかかる時期だ。退職後の再就職先が確保できるなら不安もなかろうが、このご時世である。おいしい天下り先などないで。
この点は警察と非常に対照的だ。警察の場合、さまざまな許認可権を持ち、捜査情報を事前につかむことができるという役得を生かして天下り先を確保する。もっといえば、みずから天下り先を開拓する方法もある。先日、大手消資者金融のサービス残業に関するトラブルで大阪府警が出張ったのも、恐らく狙いはこれやろ。残業代を払う払わんなどといったセコい話は本来、労働基準局の扱い。そこへわざわざ警察が介入するのは、「今後はこうしたことでも警察が動くことになるで。それがイヤなら天下りを取らんがい」と、プレッシャーをかけてたに違いないな。 一方、自衛隊は、いくら災害対策や戦車の操縦にたけているとはいえ、日常生活とはほとんど縁がない。大下り先は防衛関連産業くらいだが、それも98年の武器調達に絡む汚職事件以降、かなり厳しくなっているらしい。再就職はもう八方ふさがりや。
2番目の理由は仕事の「やりがい」である。 憲法第9条があるために自衛隊はいわば日陰の身。社会と融合できない最大の原因はここにある。戦後の誕生から現在まで戦争経験はない。国民のために働いたのは防災くらいやろ。それも阪神大震災では動きの悪さを露呈、「自衛隊は震災時こそ役に立つ」という神話さえ崩壊した。米軍の海兵隊には国民の信頼、ステイタス性さえあるが、自衛隊にそれがあるか? それでいて規律や訓練は厳しいのだからたまったもんやない。
かつては大義名分とはいえ「お国のため」との大命題があったが、今ではアメリカの世界戦略上のパシリや。自分は何のためにいるのか。疑問を持つのも無理はない。有事に備えた即戦力部隊とされる「陸上白衛隊西部方面 普通科連隊」から自殺者が相次いだのも、それが原因や。そもそも現代は、自分が所属する組織への忠誠心や従属意識が急速に薄れている。組織より個人の利益を大事にする風潮や。それ自体が間違いではないが、自衛隊のような体育会ノリがいまだ残る組織では、歓迎されはしまい。
入隊の動機は自動車の大型免許などの資格がタダで取れることだ、と言う者もいる。要するに次の就職のためのステップでしかないのだ。自衛隊側もそれを知っているわけだが、表立っては認めない。あくまでも「キミもお国を守る大事な仕事に従事してみないか?」とリクルートするしかないというわけや。
世の中の風潮や個人の思惑と、現実の自衛隊の乖離。このひずみが心のバランスをむしばんだ、と俺は考える。こうした状況は当然、大きな危険をはらむ。腰掛け入隊者の増加を快く思わないコアな自衛官も一方にはいる。自殺急増の原因を「就職難から大卒者が増えた結果 、体力、精神ともに軟弱な隊員が増えたからだ」と公然と指摘する幹部もいると聞く。いわゆる原理主義的な連中が爆発したらどうなるか。クーデターの可能性もゼロやないで。
日々の厳しい訓練の成果をどこかで腕試ししたい、と考える隊員も少なくはない。オウム真理教(現アレフ)が自衛官を勧誘したのもそれを狙ったのだろうが、実際、かなりの数が乗ったやないか。まあそれは極端な話としても、自衛隊には圧倒的な殺傷能力を持つきわめて暴力的な本質がある。その構成員の中に危険視される者がいることは放置できる問題ではない。政府も有事立法、自衛隊法の改正、と騒いとるが、日常的な部分の解決なしに進めた法整備に何が期待できよう。
今の自衛隊は解散するしかないそれが俺の結論や。軍隊とは仮想敵国があって初めて成立する。東西冷戦構造が終結した今、自衛隊の存在意義砿どこにある？
最大の意義は日米安保、いわば米軍の補完だけや。この曖昧な立場も自衛隊員を苦しめる原因ではないか。逆に言えば、安保関係にある間は自衛隊などなくてもいいやろ。金は出すが国防･防災は米軍任せ、という選択もあるで。むろん、この状態が続くとは限らない。アメリカの庇護の下から離れたほうが得という判断も、いずれは出てくるかもしれん。「これからは自分のことは自分で守ります。今までお世話になりました」と宣言すればいいだけや。
自衛隊をどう位置づければ最も日本の国益にかなうのか、真剣に問い直さなければならない時期にきていることだけは間違いないで。
自衛官の自殺急増
02年度4一2月段階の自殺者は、すでに63人(陸白42、海自12、空白9)。01年度の59人を超え、過去最悪の98年度の75人を上回る勢い。30代前半-40代後半、准尉･曹クラスが主。防衛庁は03年度から悩み相談窓口を設けるなど、対策に乗り出す。
SDF personnels' suicides on the rise
MYAZAKI Manabu
The number of the nation's Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnels who commit suicide is increasing, at an alarming rate. According to the SDF, 59 staffers killed himself(herself) in fiscal 2001. Between April and December last year, the officials said, the number has already accumulated to 63. At this rate, the total number of staffers committing suicide could be record-breaking 75 by the end of fiscal 2002, March this year. The number 75 was marked in fiscal 1998. The officials say that they have no knowledge of written notes left of the deceased, and they had no idea why these personnels killed themselves. However, I am absolutely skeptical about such a statement.
There was an SDF serviceman who had killed himself after suffering continuous bullying from his colleagues. According to his mother, he had been forced to drink alcohol even though he could not drink, and had been forced to participate in gambling. The mother's testimony seems very clear as facts, but the SDF's investigative report on the matter contained none of these facts, but it consisted of the serviceman's personal problems at the time of his suicide. The SDF--or the national government--would never admit any wrongdoings even if there is some kind of structural problems within their organizations. The only case they would have to admit their fault would be when there is a material proof.
There are a few possible reasons why the SDF personnels kill themselves. First would be financial. In Japan, more than 30,000 people commit suicide every year, most of them financially strapped owners of middle to small size companies. People in the SDF resemble their fate. According to sources, there are numerous number of debt-ridden SDF personnels. Being in the Self- Defense Force service require building up physical forces, which consequently results in the build-up of their libidos. However, most of them are stationed in bases where they have little contact with women. As it turns out, many servicemen become frequent customers of local sex shops, to release their stress from work and their sexual drive. As their number of visits increase, so do their debts to those shops.
Although they are categorized as "special service," SDF personnels are members of the national public service. Financial firms would be more than eager to extend loans to SDF personnels, since their status is guaranteed by the national government. As a result, there are number of SDF personnel with multiple debts. If there is an SDF facility near your neighborhood, I recommend you to take a walk around it. I am sure you would see a number of financing firms' advertisement billboards. However, a personnel who belongs to the special service of the national government has different rules on their status compared to national government officials who belong to "regular service."
For example, their retirement age is set at 60, but only if you are promoted to major general. If your rank is lower than sergeant first class, the retirement age is 53. Most people in their early 50s would have children in their 20s. This means that they would have to be prepared to provide certain amount of money, for their children's wedding, for example. As the nation continue to suffer sluggish economy, few could find a second job after their retirement. There would likely be no cushy "amakudari" job. Amakudari, or descent from heaven, is a practice which a company appoints retired government officials as its executives in return of securing stable relationships with the government.
From this point of view, the SDF draws a sharp contrast with police forces. Japan's police forces possess a large quantities of rights to authorization and licensing. Also, they make full use of information acquired under investigation and have managed to secure amakudari jobs in wide variety of industries. Furthermore, a police official could actually produce a cushy job for him after retirement.
There was a case a few weeks ago which Osaka prefectural police searched a major financing firm on suspicion of forcing its employees to work without paying overtime. Such a case is usually dealt by a local Labor Standards Office. I suspect that Osaka police had put strong pressures to secure a few post-retirement jobs for its retirees against the financing firm in exchange for police to NOT investigate similar allegations again in the future. Meanwhile, the SDF personnels are professionals in rescue maneuvers during natural disasters and could be a genius in operating tanks, such skills are mostly useless in daily life. I believe their major amakudari jobs have been secured in the defense-related industries. However, there had been a bribery scandal in 1998, which SDF officials were convicted for receiving bribes for extending special favors in SDF's arms procurement. After the incident, the defense industry is believed to have offered little in terms of amakudari. A retired SDF personnel has little chance of securing a post- retirement job.
The second reason why people choose to commit suicide would be their willingness to serve. The SDF has been "a bastard child" ever since its creation, mostly because of the Article 9 of the Japanese constitution which "renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes." This is the main reason why the SDF has never managed to make a healthy fusion with the Japanese society. They have never had actual combat experience since it was established after WWII.
Most Japanese people have believed that the SDF was useful for disaster relief operations. However, the SDF managed to tarnish its reputation in Great Hanshin Earthquake of Jan.17, 1995 for their slow start in relief operation. The earthquake left more than 6,000 people dead and tens of thousands of people losing their homes. The earthquake not only destroyed homes and highways, but also destroyed the myth that "the SDF should be useful for disaster relief." I believe that the U.S. Marines have achieved confidence from American citizens and being a marine earns some kind of social status. I doubt there is any kind of positive social status for being an SDF personnel. Nevertheless, rules and training for being a member of the SDF is demanding. Once upon a time, there had been a cause, "for the nation," even though it was only principle. But today, the SDF has turned into a petty subordinate of the United States' world defense strategy. It is not difficult to imagine some personnels begin doubting themselves why they have taken part in such an organization.
The suicide rate was especially high at the Infantry of the Western Army of the Ground Self-Defense Force, based in Kyushu and Okinawa, with 25,000 soldiers. It is believed that the soldiers are supposed to be best trained against a national security emergency. I believe many in the infantry lost their cause. We must face the fact that in today's Japan, people's loyalty and dependency to organizations they belong, are deteriorating at a fast rate. People tend to respect individual's right against the organization's. The tendency is not wrong in general context, but such way of thinking would likely to face hostile rejection in the SDF, an organization run by a classic way of thinking, where someone superior, in ranks and position, has an absolute power over its minors.
I have interviewed some SDF personnels, and one person said he had joined the SDF because they would be able to acquire a number of licence free of charge, for example, a driver's license for large vehicles. In short, joining the SDF is only a step for your next career opportunity. The SDF management knows this, but never admits the fact in public. So they continue to recruit young people, stating "Don't you want to take part in a very important job to defend our nation?" Obviously, there is a wide gap between how the SDF is operated and modern Japan's general trend and its way of thinking. I am convinced that this has made some personnel tipping over the edge, and the situation nests even greater peril.
There are a certain number of "hard-core" SDF personnels, who are not comfortable with recruits who considers working for the SDF as a temporary career. I have heard from sources that some SDF executive officials publicly concluded the rapid increase in suicide as "because the number of college educated recruits have increased. They are inferior in their physical and mental strength, who reluctantly joined the SDF because they could not find jobs elsewhere." Such a remark shows that some hardballs, or fundamentalists, could seriously backfire, meaning there is even a possibility of a military coup.
I have also learned that quite a number of SDF servicemen are eager to try their skills, accumulated with their hard days of training. We must not forget Aum Shinrikyo had recruited a number of SDF personnels as the cult's members--and many actually decided to join it--to make full use of their military experience. Although the example is too radical, we have to be aware of the fact that the SDF potentially possesses devastating destructive force. We should not be letting the situation untouched, if some members of such an organization are actually ideologically dangerous.
The national government is eager to pass a new legislation for contingency and emphasizing in amending the Self-Defense Force Law. However, what could we expect from these new policies if the structural problem plaguing the SDF is left unsolved? I believe that the Japan's Self-Defense Force has to dissolve sooner or later. Military Forces could only exist where there is an enemy they must fight against. As the era of Cold War had ended, I do not think there is no longer a meaning for the SDF to exist. Only reason I could come up with would be they exist for the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty--in another words, to reinforce the U.S. Forces in Japan. I also suspect such an ambiguous "raison d'etre" is also making SDF personnels to feel uncomfortable. In sarcasm, as long as the security treaty is valid between Japan and the U.S., SDF is not necessary.
There is an option, to rely heavier to the U.S. military for the national security plus disaster relief--of course we would pay them more. I don't believe the current situation would go on forever. In the future, the Japanese government could come up with a political and diplomatic decision to leave the protection of the U.S. military. We would only have to declare:" We could protect ourselves from now on, thanks for everything." Anyhow, the time has come when we have to seriously discuss how to institute the SDF to best promote Japan's national interest.
Rapid increase in SDF personnel's suicide
The SDF personnels who had committed suicide in fiscal 2002 (from April to December 2002) was 63. 42 of them from the GSDF, 12 from MSDF and 9 from ASDF. Most of them belonged to ranks between sergeant and warrant officer. The Defense Agency has announced that they would take the matters seriously and taking measures. One of the measures include counseling service, starting fiscal 2003.
(2003/1/30 ）
題名には必ず「阿修羅さんへ」と記述してください。