The Defense Agency said Monday it would maintain the current system that allows only civilian officials to directly advise its director general.

Self-Defense Forces officers and some lawmakers had demanded that uniformed officers be given more say in the operations of the nation's military.

In August, then Defense Agency chief Shigeru Ishiba ordered the agency to review the so-called defense counselor system and other organizational structures of the agency to give the agency chief more effective command over the SDF, whose roles are expected to grow and diversify.

Ishiba's order was criticized as a move to undermine Japan's principle of civilian control for the sake of military efficiency.

"The original purpose of the defense counselor system was to give extensive support to the agency chief on basic defense policy matters," said Yoshinori Ono, current chief of the Defense Agency, in announcing the interim report on the matter. "We did not see a need to change that."

But Ono admitted there were some areas in which the system was not functioning well, and said he would take measures so "the original purpose of the system can be fully recovered."

To prevent the military from getting out of hand, like it did when it led Japan into its last war, postwar Japan instituted strict civilian control over the SDF.

In addition to the final authority of the Diet and Cabinet on defense policy decisions, SDF officers are placed under control of civilian Defense Agency officials.

The law setting up the Cabinet Office gives the top agency bureaucrat -- administrative vice defense minister -- the authority to supervise the SDF's operations in support of the agency chief, who is a Cabinet member.

The Defense Agency Act also designates 10 high-ranking agency officials to assist the agency chief in deciding on defense matters.

The system was criticized by uniformed officers as prohibiting direct communications with the agency chief.

Adm. Koichi Furusho, chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, proposed at an intra-agency meeting in June that the defense counselor system be abolished and that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position that will debut in 2005, should have authority over all SDF operations and not be under the control of civilian Defense Agency officials.

The agency plans to integrate the operations of the three SDF branches under the new Joint Staff Council.

Top SDF officers back the proposal put forward by Furusho, SDF officers and agency officials said.

"We are preparing for joint operations, but without being able to report directly (to the agency chief), that is impossible," said one SDF officer.

The officer said the defense counselor system may not have to be abolished, but argued that at least the new Joint Chief of Staff be included among the defense counselors and given authority to supervise the SDF.

"This is not about civilian control. It is about how to establish an effective system to assist our boss. If the boss thinks something is wrong after being reported (to by us), then he should reject it just like other cases of petitions," he said. "How can one make a good decision without being given information?"