Many high-ranking officials of the Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Official Residence had urged caution, saying the idea was too risky and too early.
But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and a small circle of aides took the risk of visiting Pyongyang on Saturday for a summit with Kim Jong Il, only to fail to win substantial concessions.
After the summit, Koizumi returned home with five of the eight family members of repatriated Japanese abductees.