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.