The Japanese Mainichi Shimbun reported Saturday that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party had begun crafting draft legislation of a North Korean human rights law that seeks to crank up the pressure on Pyongyang in the wake of a diplomatic row over the Japanese abductee issue.

The paper pointed out that Japan's main opposition party had already undertaken establishing its own version of a North Korean human rights law aimed at increasing assistance for defectors from the Stalinist North. That bill is slated to be submitted to the regular Diet session next year.

The human rights legislation being explored by the ruling Japanese party is also reported to contain clauses offering aid to both North Korean defectors and any Japanese nationals previously abducted to the communist state by Northern agents.

The ruling party's deputy chief secretary, Shinjo Abe, added that his party would craft the law in such a way as to establish increasing international pressure on the Pyongyang regime in concert with Washington’s North Korea policies.