The U.N. pact aims to stop future looters like former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Japan plans to take steps next week to stop tyrannical leaders and their henchmen from bleeding their nations dry.

Specifically, the government will sign a U.N. treaty to fight corruption. It allows the government to seize and return assets of senior foreign officials accused of bribery and other illegal activities in their home countries.

The signing of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption will take place during a conference in Merida, Mexico, from Dec. 9 to 11, officials said.

The convention was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in October. During the lead-up, officials talked about the looting attributed to Ferdinand Marcos when he was president of the Philippines.

Japanese authorities would be able to act when assets of illegally gained funds are transmitted to Japan.

The Justice Ministry is considering new legislation or a revision of the law to go after organized crime and setting up criminal procedures to fulfill the convention's requirements -a step needed for ratification, according to the officials.

Under current law, illegally gained assets seized by the government at the request of another country end up in Japan's state coffers. There are no provisions for transmitting such funds back to other nations.

Developing countries, however, have long sought an international system to oblige foreign governments to return assets, citing past examples of their autocratic leaders lining their pockets with state assets and foreign aid by transmitting the funds overseas.

Several hurdles must be cleared before establishing a procedure to meet the convention's requirements. Practical difficulties include pinpointing illegally accumulated assets and determining who to return them to in the country from which they were looted.

Besides asset recovery, the convention obliges signatories to cooperate in prevention and prosecution of embezzlement, bribery and other financial crimes by corrupt officials, especially in the public sector.

It will take effect when 30 nations have ratified it.(IHT/Asahi: December 5,2003) (12/05)