Tokyo and Pyongyang are working to convene a formal meeting possibly at the end of this month over stalled talks on North Korea's past abductions of Japanese nationals, sources close to bilateral relations said Saturday.
If realized, the talks would be the first between the two countries since October 2014, when senior Japanese and North Korean officials met in Pyongyang. Those discussions resulted from the North's proposal that Japan send a mission to learn details of Pyongyang's investigations into the fates of Japanese nationals abducted decades ago.
Junichi Ihara, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, is expected to attend the upcoming talks, while North Korea is likely to be represented by members of a special committee investigating the abductees issue, according to the sources. Song Il Ho, North Korea's ambassador for negotiations to normalize relations with Japan, could also attend the talks.
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