A senior officer in the Ground Self-Defense Force has compiled a draft plan for revising the Constitution to authorize the existence of a "military force" and enable the nation to engage in collective defense, it was learned Saturday.

The officer submitted the plan in October to Gen Nakatani, a former Defense Agency chief who currently heads a Liberal Democratic Party committee tasked with drafting the party's proposal for a constitutional amendment, according to sources familiar with the case.

All of the basic points contained in the officer's draft were subsequently reflected in the outline of the party's proposal for changing the Constitution, which was compiled last month.