ABSTRACT
The Constitution and the fundamental laws provide the basic legal provisions for the Japanese central organization of defense. The Japanese central organization of defense, having dual functions of operations and administration, consists of two structures, which naturally overlap with each other. The civil-military relations in the central organization of defense are in acceptable condition, although in several critical areas the relationship appears tense. The problem is that the civilian members of the Defense Agency feel that they have to maintain control over the military officers in order to prevent any repetition of the pre-war high-handed behavior of the military, whereas the officers feel they are receiving undue disrespect. The National Defense Council meetings and Joint Staff Council meetings are usually little more than ceremonial procedures. Administrative matters for the “Self-Defense Force” are being managed both by civilian sections of the Defense Agency, which are called “internal bureaus”, and by the general staff offices of the three services.
