Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said Tuesday he wants a bill submitted to the Diet that would allow Japan to carry out strict inspections of North Korean cargo, despite Pyongyang's recent conciliatory moves.
Okada's remarks came after Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano had earlier indicated his reluctance to give the bill fast-track treatment. Hirano later told reporters the government is in "final considerations" about what to do with the bill.
Okada said he told an informal ministerial session, "It's wrong to put off submission of the bill on grounds that North Korea is now taking a conciliatory approach."