Two former top bureaucrats want the government to tell the international community what Japan can do within the limits of its war-renouncing Constitution to help the expected U.S.-led military retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Katsumi TakeokaNobuo Ishihara

Nobuo Ishihara, 74, a former deputy chief Cabinet secretary, and Katsumi Takeoka, 78, a former director of the secretariat at the Defense Agency, also warned in recent interviews against a speedy expansion of Japan's military role without meaningful debate.