An advisory panel on Foreign Ministry reform on Monday called for appointing 20 percent of ambassadors from outside the ministry within three years to increase competition for overseas postings.

In its final report submitted to Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi on Monday evening, the panel also urged the government to consider ways to integrate official development assistance work now handled by various ministries but fell short of clearly calling for the establishment of a new aid agency.

Kawaguchi thanked Yoshihiko Miyauchi, panel head and Orix Corp. chairman, saying she will make sure the panel's recommendations are reflected in her action program on reform to be mapped out in August.

"We will take (the report) seriously and base our action program on it," Kawaguchi said.

Opinions had been divided over whether to set a numerical target for outside appointments of ambassadors, but the panel ultimately agreed that 20 percent of ambassadors should be appointed from the private sector and other ministries, and another 20 percent from so-called noncareer-track diplomats.

Noncareer-track diplomats include regional specialists with special language skills, while career-track diplomats are generalists who entered the ministry by passing the first-class foreign service exam. The majority of some 120 ambassadorial posts are currently held by career-track diplomats.

Some members had claimed that establishing a numerical target may make the personnel system more rigid by focusing too much attention on filling the quota, according to Miyauchi.

But the members agreed that setting some kind of "target," and not a "required quota," would be a good idea initially, he said, adding the system would be reviewed after three years.

Whether to call for the establishment of a new aid agency was another major focal point of debate as Japan's huge foreign aid has been criticized for being inefficient.

The idea of such an agency was included in the panel's interim report submitted in May, but the wording was toned down in the final report, which only called on the government to "consider establishing a more desirable organizational structure" to integrate ODA work.

Miyauchi told reporters after submitting the report that some members were opposed to the idea of creating a new agency as it would lead to enlarging the bureaucracy and may not result in a rise in efficiency.

"We could not agree that establishing the aid agency would be the sole answer," Miyauchi said. "Some members said the Foreign Ministry would not function if ODA, as the most important diplomatic tool, is taken away from the ministry."

The 13-member advisory panel, made up of academics, business leaders, former diplomats and representatives of nongovernmental organizations, was created in March following a series of scandals involving lawmaker Muneo Suzuki. Suzuki exerted strong influence over the ministry and has been arrested for taking bribes from a lumber firm.

To eliminate "inappropriate pressure" from politicians, the panel recommended the ministry keep written records of conversations between bureaucrats and politicians regarding personnel and money-related matters.

The panel also called for strengthening consular works by upgrading the consular affairs section to a bureau, in response to the ministry' s handling of an attempt by North Korean asylum seekers to enter the Consulate General in Shenyang, China, in May.

Other recommendations include extending the term of vice foreign minister to at least three years, establishing a unit of outside advisers to the foreign minister on policy options and enhancing the training system of ministry staff. Vice foreign ministers currently serve between one and two years.