The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc will press ahead with a bill for expected Diet passage this session that will allow Japan to inspect vessels sailing to or from North Korea, lawmakers said Wednesday.
The inspections, to be conducted in both Japanese territorial waters and on the high seas, would be in line with a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last week urging member states to engage in such actions.
After a meeting of LDP and New Komeito executives, LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda told reporters the parties will launch a project team Wednesday and make utmost efforts to get the bill passed.