The government should consider legislation that would allow it to ban Japanese nationals from traveling to countries it deems dangerous, a senior Foreign Ministry official said Monday.

"There are opinions and discussions that some kind of measures should be taken" to prevent a recurrence of the hostage crisis in Iraq, Administrative Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi told a regularly scheduled news conference. "My impression is that the public has doubts on whether the current system is appropriate."

Takeuchi added that it would not be easy to propose legislation of this kind, as it could lead to accusations that the public is being deprived of the freedom to travel overseas.

Under the current system, the Foreign Ministry can only issue a nonbinding travel warning urging Japanese nationals to evacuate a country if it deems the territory to be unsafe. But the government does not have the authority to ban Japanese from entering these countries.

The ministry issued its highest travel warning in March 2003, asking Japanese to evacuate Iraq. But some reporters and members of nongovernment organizations are still operating in Iraq.

As of Thursday, there were about 70 Japanese in Iraq other than Self-Defense Forces personnel dispatched to the southern Iraqi city of Samawah, the ministry said, although there may be others whom it has failed to keep track of.

Takeuchi said he appreciates the important role played by NGO members in places like Iraq, but he added that people entering risky areas should be responsible for their own safety.

The hostage crisis has spurred some ruling party members to remark that the government should consider mapping out a bill that would allow it to bar Japanese travelers from entering countries whose security situation is perilous.