TOKYO —

A government panel on Defense Ministry reform endorsed a nonbinding report Tuesday featuring proposals such as keeping bureaucrats away from the operation of the Self-Defense Forces so uniformed officers can manage SDF units more efficiently. The panel under Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura also proposed that an SDF officer lead a group of bureaucrats as chief of a division of the ministry while maintaining the current structure of the ministry involving both bureaucrats and SDF officers largely intact.
   
Tokyo Electric Power Co adviser Nobuya Minami, who heads the panel, presented the report to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Other panel members include academics and retired defense bureaucrats. If realized, it would be the first drastic structural reform of the ministry since its predecessor Defense Agency was launched in 1954. The agency was upgraded to a full ministry last year.
 

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5 Comments

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  Sebarashii at 10:22 PM JST - 15th July

  Maybe I'm mistaken here, but wouldn't that impose on civilian oversight over the military?

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  RepublicofTexas at 10:28 PM JST - 15th July

  Though it bears some parallels to pre-war Japan where the armed forces had free reign, times have changed and there is no worry that such a thing will happen in Japan again. Also the Japanese bureaucracy is a little excessive.

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  teck at 11:34 PM JST - 15th July

  As long as "civilian control" is still adhered to... sometimes, too much red tape does get in the way of efficient execution of operations. However, remove too many civilians from the chain, and you lose proper accountability.

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  RepublicofTexas at 11:36 PM JST - 15th July

  I agree with teck,

  It's all about achieving a balance between efficiency and control.

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  Molenir at 07:07 AM JST - 17th July

  I have no problem with this, so long as they're talking about direct orders and efficiency as opposed to removing civilian oversight. Improving efficiency is a good thing, lack of civilian oversight is a very, very bad thing.

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