The Ibaraki Prefectural Government plans to bar ships that are uninsured, in need of repairs or fail to meet safety standards from docking at ports under its control, according to prefectural officials.
The decision for the ban, to be applied to both Japanese and foreign ships, comes in the wake of recent incidents in which ships have run aground or been abandoned in Japanese waters. It is in line with the prefectural government's port authority powers.
Last month, a North Korean freighter ran aground on a breakwater just outside Hitachi port in Ibaraki Prefecture. Japanese authorities have spent nearly 500 million yen removing fuel oil that leaked from the 3,144-ton Chil Song and tire chips from its cargo hold.
The officials said the ban is the first of its kind nationwide, using as its basic criterion a ship's level of compliance with safety standards.