Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is set to map out her plan on ministry reform in August, but she faces a tough job satisfying a weary public and proposals from diverse circles on how to put the scandal-tainted ministry on track.

Kawaguchi is also likely to face stiff resistance from ministry officials who, during a standoff with her predecessor, Makiko Tanaka, were often criticized for prioritizing their own bureaucratic interests.

A major road map for reform was set Monday by Kawaguchi's advisory panel, including a specific timetable for implementing proposals such as appointing 20 percent of Japan's ambassadors from outside the ministry within three years.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party and a voluntary group of ministry bureaucrats have compiled their own versions of reform plans.

The LDP's subcommittee on Foreign Ministry reform called for the establishment of a new international cooperation agency by removing the Economic Cooperation Bureau and the Multilateral Cooperation Department from the ministry, and integrating them with other government aid bodies.

Kawaguchi's advisory panel did not include an initial idea of establishing a new aid agency in its final report, due to opposition from some members that it would lead to a bloating of the bureaucracy and not necessarily raise efficiency.

"I will take into account all the reform recommendations in making the action plan, including the LDP's plan and opinions from the general public," Kawaguchi said earlier this month.

What steps Kawaguchi will actually take remains to be seen, but ODA, which the Foreign Ministry calls "the most important diplomatic tool," is one critical factor that will determine the success of the ministry reform efforts.

Ikuko Matsumoto, program director of Friends of the Earth Japan, a nongovernmental organization dealing with environmental issues, said creation of a new aid agency would help gather expertise in one organization.

"Aid strategy and programs must be handled by experts on developing countries' needs and their respective political and economic situations," Matsumoto said. "But gathering such expertise at the Foreign Ministry is almost impossible, because section heads and other staff involved in aid-related work are reshuffled every year."

The Foreign Ministry announced a 15-point ODA reform plan earlier this month, but Kawaguchi has said she will take further steps if necessary.

One of her key plans is to appoint a senior official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as the new head of the Foreign Ministry's Economic Cooperation Bureau, which handles ODA.

Although Kawaguchi has not officially announced her controversial personnel plan, she told a Diet committee Tuesday that her idea is to "break down the walls separating ministries and have ODA work done by 'all Japan' players."

Ministry bureaucrats, who fear losing their say over ODA, have fiercely protested the plan. One official reportedly threatened to resign unless Kawaguchi drops the plan.

Their resistance reflects the traditional rivalry between the Foreign Ministry and METI, which often clash over foreign aid and trade policies. Some officials privately complain that Kawaguchi is pushing for the personnel move because she is a former bureaucrat of METI's predecessor, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

Some NGO members are also critical of Kawaguchi's plan, claiming that such a move may further shift Japan's aid policy away from the local needs of recipients to serving the interests of Japanese businesses.

"We welcome the idea of inviting an outsider, but we're worried about this particular plan because ODA might be used more to serve the interests of enterprises (involved in ODA-related business) who often pay little attention to local environmental destruction," Matsumoto said.

Friends of the Earth and two other NGOs on Tuesday submitted a joint appeal to the Foreign Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation on the need to establish an independent body to check if ODA projects are implemented in accordance with the JBIC's environmental guidelines.

Atsushi Kusano, a professor of international relations at Keio University and an expert on foreign aid issues, pointed out that the trade ministry has long been trying to drive a wedge into the Foreign Ministry's ODA work.

Kusano said a recent bid-rigging scandal involving trading firm Mitsui & Co. is only one example of the widespread dubious practices related to aid projects, and the appointment of an official from METI, which has close ties with the industry sector, may make matters worse. "The personnel plan needs a second thought," he said.

The professor said Kawaguchi should put more emphasis on beefing up the ministry's formulation of foreign policy.

As one step, enhancing the size and responsibility of the ministry's Foreign Policy Bureau is needed, so the bureau can set overall economic aid policy and other international cooperation steps, such as participation in peacekeeping operations, he said.

Indeed, a voluntary group of some 120 ministry bureaucrats, including elite diplomats and clerical workers, have referred to the poor policy formulation mechanism in a recommendation report of their own.

The group admits the ministry is controlled by strict sectionalism, hampering active policy debate across bureaus.

"Our foreign policy cannot gain the understanding of the Japanese public if it is not even shared among ourselves," the group said.

They called for boosting the function of the Foreign Policy Bureau, which would propose alternatives to the policies of each regional bureau.

Hideki Kato, a representative of Japan Initiative, a private policy think tank, also said enhancing the nation's foreign policy functions is important. His group called for the establishment of a new foreign policy strategy council directly under the prime minister, comprising related Cabinet ministers and private-sector experts.

"If such a council is created, the importance of the Foreign Ministry will inevitably decline," Kato said.

As the ministry became further embroiled in a series of scandals, Hiromu Nonaka, a Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight, even suggested disbanding the Foreign Ministry altogether.

"We cannot totally brush aside such an idea," Kato said.