TOKYO, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Almost half of the Japanese support the upgrade of the Defense Agency to a full-fledged ministry, according to a Japanese daily public opinion poll.
The Yomiuri Shimbun said Friday its survey showed 46 percent of people support, while 39 percent of those polled did not support the change in status, which went into effect on Jan. 9.
In a similar survey carried out in September 1997, only 24 percent of the Japanese favored a potential upgrade, while 52 percent opposed the agency becoming a ministry, the newspaper said.
The Defense Agency has gained full ministry status for the first time since its establishment in 1954, part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's strategy to end the pacifist "postwar regime" after World War II and build a new Japan.
