Japan given abductee evidence

Japan's delegation wanted proof that kidnap victims are really dead

Officials investigating the fate of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea have returned to Tokyo carrying items connected with the case.

The delegation was due to brief the prime minister and relatives of those kidnapped later on Monday.

Talks between the two sides were extended over the weekend, indicating they were making progress.

North Korea admitted to some abductions two years ago, but suspicions remain about others Pyongyang says have died.

"Various materials have been presented and I have been told it is important to bring them back while preserving them in their present state," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda told reporters.

JAPAN'S MISSING Snatched in the '70s and '80s Used as cultural trainers for N Korean spies Five allowed home in 2002 Five children now freed from N Korea Eight said to be dead, others missing Heartbreak over Japan's missing

The items are believed to include medical records and personal belongings of those thought kidnapped, according to Japanese officials quoted by Kyodo news agency.

"I understand that the other side [North Korea] has made efforts, but I won't know the substance of that effort until I hear the delegation's report," Mr Hosoda said.

North Korea admits having kidnapped 13 people in all, who were used to train Korean spies. Five have returned to Japan, and Pyongyang says the rest have died.

But Tokyo is sceptical about inconsistencies in North Korea's accounts, and wants proof the others are dead. It also wants information on another two people whom North Korea says never entered the country.

On Friday, Japanese officials met the alleged husband and doctor of kidnap victim Megumi Yokota, who committed suicide according to Pyongyang.

Senior members of Japan's ruling party had called for economic sanctions on North Korea if this round of talks, which began on Wednesday, were unfruitful.

Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said on Sunday that North Korea seemed to be becoming more open about the abduction issue, but that Tokyo still had not ruled out the possibility of sanctions.

"We will fully analyse the outcome of the latest talks and take a necessary policy measure," Mr Machimura told a television news programme, adding that one of the options is economic sanctions.