A Liberal Democratic Party panel studying North Korea's abduction of Japanese nationals stepped up the pressure on Pyongyang on Friday by approving an interim report that outlines steps for imposing economic sanctions on the reclusive state.
The report is aimed at prodding North Korea into providing more information about 10 Japanese whom Tokyo believes its agents kidnapped, at the next round of bilateral talks on the issue, which begins Tuesday in Pyongyang.
"If North Korea does not show sincerity in the upcoming talks, we need to step up the pressure by imposing economic sanctions," said LDP Deputy Secretary General Shinzo Abe, who heads the panel.