In pictures: Emotional reunion for Japanese

Five Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea a quarter of a century ago are visiting their hometowns for a bittersweet reunion with family and friends. The five were abducted by North Korea to train its spies. Eight others who were abducted are reported to have died.

Kaoru Hasuike (left) was snatched from a beach in 1978, bundled into a sack, and shipped to North Korea.

"I can't express how it feels to set foot in my hometown after 24 years," Mr Hasuike said.

It is a brief reunion - the abductees are to return to their lives in North Korea, where they have children.

Shigeru Soga (right ) held a funeral ceremony for his daughter, Hitomi, 15 years after she went missing.

Following Japanese custom, Hitomi Soga visited the family grave. Her mother, who also disappeared, remains unaccounted for.

Hitomi Soga, who was kidnapped when she was 19, finally received her high school diploma.

Japan hopes the five abductees will return to Japan permanently, but it is not clear if they want to.