Tougher rules eyed for N. Korea trade

The government is seeking harsher punishment for violators of the Customs Law to curb illegal trade with North Korea and increase the effectiveness of economic sanctions, sources said Saturday.

The government wants a new penalty of imprisonment for up to a year for refusal to allow cargo inspections by customs officers, the sources said. The current penalty is a maximum fine of 500,000 yen.

Stricter controls will also be sought on exports of machinery that can be diverted to military programs, including the development of nuclear arms and other weapons of mass destruction, they said.

Currently, exporters who make false declarations about shipments are subject to imprisonment of up to a year or a fine of up to 1 million yen. Under the proposed revisions, this would be changed to up to five years in prison or a fine of 5 million yen.

The government also wants to raise the maximum prison term to seven years from the current five for importing banned goods such as narcotics or guns, the sources said.

The revised legislation would be applied to all shipments in and out of Japan, but the checks would be tougher for trade involving North Korea, the sources said.

The government hopes to present a bill to revise the Customs Law to the Diet for passage during the 150-day legislative session that starts Thursday.

Following Pyongyang's missile launches in July and nuclear test in October, Japan has imposed a series of economic and financial sanctions, including a total ban on imports and an export ban on luxury goods to the North.