A North Korean delegation arrived Monday in Japan for a second round of negotiations on establishing diplomatic ties.
The two sides are set to hold two plenary negotiations -- today in Tokyo and on Thursday in Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture.
The North Korean delegation is led by Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa, while Kojiro Takano, ambassador in charge of normalization talks, will head the Japanese team.
The first round was held in April in Pyongyang, marking the resumption of the normalization talks which collapsed in 1992 after eight rounds.
Attention is on how the two sides will handle the two most contentious issues -- the alleged abduction of at least 10 Japanese nationals by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, and Pyongyang's claim for compensation for Japan's 1910 to 1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.
The two sides clashed over both issues in the first round of negotiations.