Defense Minister Gen Nakatani on Tuesday downplayed a news report that some senior officers in the Self-Defense Forces are demanding a bigger role than the civilians in drafting the next three-year overall operation plan.
Nakatani sought to stress that the principle of civilian control over the SDF is still in place in response to the report, but he admitted that such a discussion is in play.
He said both the civilian officials and uniformed officers are still deciding who will take part in drafting the plan, which will reflect the new security laws taking effect in March that will expand the SDF's overseas role.