Japan to send delegation to DPRK over abduction issue

TOKYO - Japanese government is considering to send a delegation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to investigate the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, local media reported Tuesday.

The delegation, headed by director general of Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Junichi Ihara, is expected to stay in DPRK for four to five days, government sources said, adding that Japanese government has sounded out DPRK but the concrete schedule hasn't been determined.

In order to make progress over the deadlocked abduction issue, Japan in July gave a green light to ease some of its unilateral sanctions imposed on the DPRK in return for the launch of a new round investigation by DPRK's special investigation committee into this issue.

The committee, which groups about 30 officials, has been given a special mandate from the country's National Defense Commission to investigate all institutions and mobilize relevant institutions and people concerned for the investigation when necessary.

However, Pyongyang said last month that the probe is still at an early stage and it is only able to provide initial findings, which is far from what Japan expected.

The abduction issue has soured relations between the two countries. Japan officially listed 17 nationals as abducted in the 1970s and 1980s, while Pyongyang admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens.