The ruling tripartite coalition has agreed to submit a bill to the Diet in the fall that would allow the Self-Defense Forces to inspect ships when enforcing U.N. sanctions, government officials said.
The Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party agreed Friday to submit the bill during a meeting of their security project team.
The proposal was originally included in a bill submitted by the government in April 1998, but the clause was removed before its enactment in May 1999. It was one of three aimed at strengthening security ties with the United States by specifying cooperation with the U.S. military during crises near Japan.