The Japanese government on Friday approved a bill during a
Cabinet morning meeting to upgrade the Defense Agency into a
ministry and will submit it to the House of Representatives, Kyodo
News reported.
The proposed legislation, the first of its kind by the
government, passed the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its
coalition partner, the New Komeito party on Wednesday, and went
through on Thursday a Security Council meeting, chaired by Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi, government sources said.
As there is little time left in the current Diet session ending
on June 18, passage of the bill will be likely in fall when the
parliament's next extraordinary session convenes, officials were
quoted as saying.
The bill proposes revising a set of laws to upgrade
peacekeeping, relief and other international cooperation operations
into the Self-Defense Forces' essential duties, and integrate the
Defense Facilities Administration Agency into the prospective
"Defense Ministry", which would be headed by a minister.
The Defense Agency, established in 1954, has been restricted
within Japan's war-renouncing pacifist Constitution. Its main task
now is defense of the nation and disaster relief at home.
As an affiliate of the Cabinet Office and with one of the state
ministers as its director general, the agency is under the direct
control of the prime minister.
(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2006)
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