Expectations are high in Japan that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who will visit Pyongyang on Saturday for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, will return with the families of the five repatriated abductees.
Yet it is unclear whether the two leaders will be able to clear a path toward the normalization of bilateral ties, as was initially hoped when Koizumi made his historic first trip to Pyongyang in September 2002.
Government officials have stated that there must be progress in resolving North Korea's nuclear arms threat before normalization talks can restart.