The government plans to ratify the protocols during an ordinary Diet parliamentary session, which begins in January, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, quoting government sources.

The government separately plans to submit bills to the ordinary Diet session that would include penalty clauses for inhumane acts during armed conflicts, including the mistreatment of prisoners of war.

More than 150 nations have already signed the additional protocols, but Japan has so far failed in the ratification amid arguments that Tokyo is unlikely to have war victims or POWs because its constitution bans the country from being involved in international disputes.

One of the two additional protocols prohibits attacks on non-military targets in international armed conflicts, and stipulates protection for ordinary citizens and refugees.

The second protocol includes stipulations about the transfer of people during civil wars.

WAR.WIRE