Bill for inspecting N. Korea cargo put to Diet, passage eyed in July

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TOKYO, July 7 Kyodo -
The government submitted a bill to the Diet on Tuesday for implementing North
Korean cargo inspections called for in a new U.N. resolution, with the ruling
bloc hoping to see it passed this month.
Although the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan has expressed intention
to cooperate in deliberating the bill, its passage by the July 28 end of the
current legislative session remains unclear given the looming possibility of a
lower house dissolution.
The government approved the bill in a special Cabinet meeting earlier in the
day after the ruling bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior
partner, the New Komeito party, endorsed it.
''I expect parties to handle the matter in a way that transcends partisan
interests,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said at a news conference
after the bill was submitted, adding that the legislation is needed to make the
U.N. resolution effective.
The bill is aimed at carrying out the inspection of cargo, including ballistic
missile-related materials, which is called for in U.N. Security Council
Resolution 1874, unanimously adopted June 12 to punish North Korea for its May
25 nuclear test and April 5 rocket launching.
It sets out rules for inspecting ships suspected of carrying banned cargo to
and from North Korea by designating the Japan Coast Guard as its primary agent
and the Self-Defense Forces as a backup in special circumstances.
The bill stipulates that inspections should be conducted on ships if there are
reasonable grounds to suspect they are carrying cargo whose export from and
import to North Korea are banned under the resolution. Such cargo includes
nuclear-related and other weapons of mass destruction-related arms and
material.
The Coast Guard would conduct such inspections on the high seas and in Japan's
territorial waters, while customs authorities would do the same at sea ports
and airports, according to the bill.
If the Coast Guard cannot handle situations alone because, for example, crew
members on a suspect ship are heavily armed, the SDF would take necessary
action under the maritime police action provision of the Self-Defense Forces
Law. Inspections, however, must still be carried out by Coast Guard officers or
customs officials, the bill says.
The approval of a ship's master would be required to inspect cargo on the high
seas and in the territorial waters, according to the bill. But if the master
does not agree to a cargo inspection, the ship may be ordered to go to a
Japanese port.
The consent of the country to which the ship in question belongs must also be
obtained to inspect the vessel on the high seas or to order it to go to a
Japanese port, the bill says.
If as a result of an inspection, banned cargo is found, the master of the ship
in question must turn over the cargo to the authorities, which would then store
it. Failing to turn over banned cargo would result in a maximum prison term of
two years or up to 1 million yen in penalties.
The law would only be temporary and be abolished if the relevant part of
Resolution 1874 lost its validity.
The ruling coalition hopes to have the Diet pass the bill before the July 28
end of the ongoing session so Japan can lead the international community in
enforcing the U.N. resolution against North Korea.
But the bill faces uncertainty because it is unclear whether the DPJ, which
plays a powerful role in the opposition-controlled House of Councillors, will
go along with the coalition in passing it.
On Tuesday, DPJ leader Yukio Hatoyama suggested willingness to begin
deliberating the government-sponsored bill swiftly.
''It's necessary to quickly reach a conclusion,'' he told a news conference,
adding that he would not oppose making the Coast Guard the primary agent for
cargo inspections.
Prime Minister Taro Aso may also dissolve the House of Representatives by the
end of the session. A lower house election must be held by the fall.
The bill will be deliberated by the House of Representatives Special Committee
on Antipiracy Measures, Prevention of International Terrorism, and Japan's
Cooperation and Support.
==Kyodo