(KUNA) -- Japan on Tuesday upgraded the Defense Agency to a full-fledged ministry for the first time since World War II, when the US stripped Japan of its right to a military. The move is part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to raise the military's profile, reflecting the military's growing role at home and abroad.At a ceremony celebrating the upgrade, Abe appointed Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma as the first defense minister. "This is a significant step for us to end the post-war regime and lay the groundwork for building a new nation," Abe said in a speech to senior ministry officials and Self-Defense Forces, adding that the national security situation facing Japan has changed dramatically since the end of the Cold War.