TOKYO, Jan. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan's lower house of parliament Thursday passed a bill which will enable it to impose unilateral sanctions on other nations.

    The current Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law allows Japan to slap sanctions along with other countries or the United Nations.

    The bill is believed to primarily target the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as the two countries are at odds over nuclear development programs and the abducted Japanese nationals issue.

    In the lower house voting, the ruling coalition -- the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party - backed the bill. The largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan and the junior SocialDemocratic Party also gave green light.

    Japan has been following the United States to pressure the DPRKto abandon its nuclear development programs. In a bid to find a peaceful solution to the issue, representatives from China, the DPRK, South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia held talks last August in Beijing. All parties agreed to hold more such talks.

    At the summit meeting in September, 2002, Pyongyang admitted having abducted 13 Japanese in the late 1970s and early 1980s, butsaid only five of them were still alive. These abducted Japanese were allowed to visit Japan later but have stayed here since then,leaving their family members in the DPRK.

    Tokyo has been asking Pyongyang to grant a reunion, while the DPRK has been accusing Japan of reneging on its promise to return them.

    "It is good to have various cards. When we have no choice but to use it, we will carefully determine the situation," Kyodo News quoted Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi as saying before the voting. But he had said earlier that he is not considering activating the bill against Pyongyang for the time being.

    The bill will be sent to the upper house, which is expected to approve it on Feb. 6. Enditem