Delegates from Japan and North Korea met in northeastern China for talks on the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents decades ago.
During the one-day meeting in the city of Shenyang Monday, Junichi Ihara - Japan's top diplomat in charge of Asian affairs - urged his North Korean counterpart, Jong Il Ho, to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the Cold War abductions and report the results promptly.
North Korea's first report on the findings of the probe was to be released by now, but Pyongyang informed Tokyo that the investigation is still in its early stages and North Korea will not be able to provide details at this time.
North Korea has admitted to kidnapping Japanese citizens during the 1970s to train its spies. The North has repatriated five Japanese citizens but claims a dozen more have died.