The government is looking at authorizing the Japan Coast Guard to order foreign ships to leave the nation's territorial waters without onboard inspections.
The proposed legal change is designed to tighten sea patrols in response to incidents such as the 2010 high-profile clash between patrol vessels and a Chinese trawler they were trying to shoo away from the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, government sources said Tuesday.
Under planned revisions to a law on navigation for foreign vessels and another governing the coast guard's conduct, the service would be able to immediately order foreign ships to leave the nation's waters unless they have a legitimate reason to be there, such as during bad weather.