Three Liberal Democratic Party panels jointly approved Tuesday an outline of a bill to enable the government to ban North Korean ships from entering Japanese ports.

The bill would give the government more power when negotiating with North Korea over such issues as its nuclear arms threat and abductions of Japanese citizens.

The bill, compiled by junior LDP lawmakers, would allow the government to designate countries deemed a threat to Japan's security and impose a port ban with a specified time limit.

The government would also be able to block the entry of any vessels that called at ports of a barred country during the specified time frame. All aspects of the procedure would require Cabinet approval.

The bill would oblige the government to secure Diet approval within 20 days of formally announcing a ban following Cabinet endorsement.

Captains of vessels from barred countries would only be permitted to enter Japanese ports in emergency situations. Violators would face prison terms of up to three years, a maximum fine of 1 million yen, or both.

The legislation's approval by the LDP panels on diplomatic affairs came a day after abductees repatriated from North Korea and their relatives demanded that the government exert more pressure on Pyongyang to hasten the resolution of the abduction issue.

LDP Secretary General Shinzo Abe said he wants to see the proposed legislation banning port entries enacted during the current Diet session. He said it would help Japan during bilateral negotiations.

He added it is up to the government to decide whether to actually impose the sanctions on North Korea.

The LDP has taken a tougher stance toward North Korea in an apparent effort to win broader public support ahead of the House of Councilors election in July. But the government is also making efforts not to provoke Pyongyang because it wants to keep official negotiating channels open.

Recent talks between North Korean and Japanese officials in Pyongyang made little headway. The North harshly criticized the recent enactment of legislation that would allow Tokyo to stop remittances to North Korea.

Lawmakers are divided over whether further pressure will push North Korea to break off talks or entice it to make concessions.

Prime Minister Junichiro

Koizumi indicated Tuesday that pressure alone would not work. He said Japan will take a comprehensive approach when considering what measures to take regarding North Korea.

Koizumi said pressure and dialogue are equally useful policy tools. "Not only pressure," he said, "and not only dialogue."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Japan agreed on Tuesday to start deliberating the pros and cons of legislation that would allow Japan to impose economic sanctions on North Korea, including the proposed ban on port entries.