The Defense Agency and defense policymakers in the Liberal Democratic Party hope to take advantage of the bid-rigging scandal at the Defense Facilities Administration Agency to achieve their goal of elevating the Defense Agency to a ministry.
Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga said Wednesday on a TV program that he will integrate the facilities administration agency, now a separate unit of the Defense Agency, into the agency to prevent any more bid-rigging, although he did not specify how the long-running illegal acts themselves would be halted.
Nukaga had said earlier he would make a fresh start with the entity. Stressing he will reform the workings of the facilities administration agency, Nukaga appears to be trying to head off charges of systemic corruption.