A North Korean ferry will dock at a Japanese port Wednesday for the first time in five months.

The Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun said local authorities approved the entry of the Mangyongbong-92 after it cleared requirements under a revised law that took effect in March.

Ships weighing one hundred tons or over that enter Japanese ports must now have insurance against oil spillage or running aground.

The revision was prompted after several uninsured North Korean ships recently went aground in Japanese waters, forcing cleanup of oil spills at taxpayers' expense.

The vessel will enter the northwestern port of Niigata Wednesday morning and leave the following day, and will dock six more times there through next month.

Measuring one-hundred-20 meters long and weighing nine thousand-600 tons, the vessel is the only passenger link between the North and Japan, but is suspected of smuggling drugs and missile parts.