The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc plans to revise the relief law for asbestos victims so that people confirmed to have died of asbestos-linked illnesses will be entitled to posthumous benefits, according to party lawmakers. A ruling coalition team will meet as early as Wednesday to discuss the matter. The move comes amid increasing criticism over cases in which the government does not provide relief because victims were found to have been suffering from asbestos-caused mesothelioma or lung cancer only after autopsies were performed. The law, which took effect in March 2006, requires victims entitled to benefits to be recognized as suffering from such illnesses before death. It stipulates that the government will make necessary reviews "within five years" after taking effect. But the law is likely to be revised before then, given the ruling parties' recent decision. The coalition project team will also consider extending the three-year period that next of kin can apply for benefits, set to end next March, for cases in which the victims died before the law took effect.