The recently replaced civilian head of the Navy was very low on both officers' lists of favorite people.
And she's already the civilian head of the Navy.
Technically, neither the uniformed officers nor the civilian heads of Japan's military have any role in debating defense policy.
On some occasions, the office has been under a civilian head of state.
For some time, the military rulers refused to appoint civilian political heads.
The civilian head is the Prime Minister, who by law also holds the defense ministry portfolio.
In the February 1986 presidential elections the veteran socialist became the country's first civilian head of state in 60 years.
From 1972 to 1974, he was the first civilian head of planning and policy analysis for the Police Department.
"I'm sure the civilian head of the drift station would've barged right past these two."
Though initially called inspectors, the civilian heads of the districts changed their titles to superintendent.