Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) speaks to reporters at his official residence in Tokyo on July 3, 2014. Japan will revoke some of its unilateral sanctions on North Korea, the prime minister announced on July 3, after talks on the Cold War kidnapping of Japanese nationals. Abe said Tokyo judged Pyongyang, which pledged to re-investigate the disappearance of missing Japanese citizens, had shown sufficient willing in resolving the decades-old row and that this needed to be reciprocated. JAPAN OUT AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS (Photo credit should read JIJI PRESS/AFP/Getty Images)
Japanese PM demands answers for abduction
01:21 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Japan's Shinzo Abe says he plans to "reward an action with an action"

He plans to lift some sanctions after North Korea agreed to investigate abductions

North Korean operatives kidnapped at least 17 Japanese citizens in the '70s and '80s

Japan is expected to lift some of its unilateral sanctions but to keep multilateral ones

Tokyo CNN  — 

Japan on Friday eased several of its sanctions on North Korea after the two countries made progress this week in talks about Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North Korean regime during the Cold War.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that after the negotiations between diplomats from the two sides this week, North Korea has agreed to set up an investigation into the abduction cases.

“Based on the principle to reward an action with an action, I would like to lift a part of sanctions that Japan has taken,” he told reporters. Abe added that such a move would be “only a start,” and that he would aim for a “complete resolution” of the issue.

According to the Japanese government, North Korean operatives abducted at least 17 Japanese people in the late 1970s and early 1980s, possibly dozens more.

In 2002, North Korea admitted to the kidnappings for the first time but allowed only five abduction victims to return home to Japan. Information on the remaining 12 was sketchy at best.

Some were kidnapped alone, while walking to and from school. Others were taken in pairs while out on dates, including a couple snatched from the beach after walking to see the sunset.

Japan is expected to lift some of its unilateral sanctions on North Korea, but to keep to multilateral ones in line with U.N. resolutions.

Japan’s unilateral sanctions include entry restrictions on North Korean citizens, limits on North Korean ships in Japanese ports and a requirement that money sent to North Korea be reported.

The easing of the sanctions will coincide with North Korea’s establishment of an investigation committee into the abductions, which is likely to happen Friday, said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

His government said Friday that it would remove the entry ban on North Korean citizens and partially lift the embargo on North Korean-flagged ships, allowing those on “humanitarian” missions to dock in Japanese ports.

The families of the kidnapped Japanese citizens, meanwhile, are waiting to see whether the diplomatic maneuvers will bring them any answers about what happened to their missing relatives.

CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki reported from Tokyo and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN’s Will Ripley contributed to this report.