North Korea has agreed to set up a committee to reinvestigate its abduction of Japanese nationals with the goal of completing the probe by this fall. Japan, for its part, has agreed to lift some of its sanctions against the North simultaneously with the start of the reinvestigation. North Korea should realize that the reinvestigation is a litmus test of its will to be accepted into the international community and, as such, should carry it out in a sincere and speedy manner.

The new agreement describes the reinvestigation as a "total investigation" to find surviving abductees and return them to Japan. The reinvestigation will cover not only 12 Japanese nationals officially recognized by Japan as having been abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and '80s, but also other Japanese nationals who are believed to have been abducted by the North.

Simultaneously with the launch of the reinvestigation, Japan will lift bans on chartered flights and visits by North Koreans officials to Japan. North Korea will inform Japan of the progress of the reinvestigation point by point, including when abduction victims are found, and will also let Japan interview people, visit places and share materials as necessary. Japan should strictly verify the progress of the reinvestigation, and North Korea should remember that if it slows down the reinvestigation or hides facts, Japan will rescind its promise to partially lift the sanctions.