Even though the Defense Agency failed to win ministerial status under Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto's new administrative reform plan, agency chief Fumio Kyuma says his agency at least deserves a more worthy English title to allow him to save face when meeting foreign counterparts.

"I'm thinking of asking the government to discuss whether the term 'agency' could be replaced by some other English word," he said at a news conference Thursday, adding that the role of his agency, unlike others such as the Meteorological Agency, is extremely close to that of a ministry. "I'd like the government to take a closer look at the examples of other countries and reconsider the English name," he said.

This may sound like a joke, but in practice "such a change may be possible," said one Foreign Ministry official. The official cited a recent case in which the Foreign Ministry gave the new title of "State Foreign Secretary" to Masahiko Komura, whose Japanese title is parliamentary vice foreign minister. It was meant to give an upgraded image to Komura's status, since he had earlier served as a state minister in charge of the Economic Planning Agency.

The National Government Organization Law stipulates that the Defense Agency is placed as an extra-ministerial bureau of the Prime Minister's Office. Technically, it is obliged to refer to the Prime Minister's Office when submitting items to a Cabinet meeting and when requesting budgetary allocations. But since the Defense Agency has a state minister as its chief, it is given virtually the same status as a ministry, according to an official at the Administrative Affairs of the Prime Minister's Office.

Still, observers warn that upgrading the Defense Agency to full ministerial status may offend other Asian countries, as well as people of Okinawa, because of the memories of what the Imperial Japanese military did during World War II. Currently, there are no legal rules defining the English names of governmental ministries or agencies, the Foreign Ministry official said.

"How such an English title may sound is a matter of individual taste," he added. "In any case, there is no reason for other foreign governments to look down on the Defense Agency simply because of its English title."