Japan will lift some of its unilateral economic sanctions on North Korea on Friday because of progress Pyongyang has made in setting up an "unprecedented" panel to investigate what happened to Japanese nationals kidnapped and taken there, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday.
It will ease restrictions on travel and the transfer of funds between Japan and North Korea. It will also allow North Korean ships to visit Japanese ports for "humanitarian purposes," which could include the export of goods and medical supplies to North Korea.
"This is just a start" in solving the long-standing abduction issue, Abe told reporters Thursday at the prime minister's office.