Japan and North Korea are expected to take steps Aug. 21 in Beijing toward allowing Japanese women living in the Stalinist state to visit their homeland.

But Foreign Ministry sources also said that it remains unclear whether the talks will pave the way for the resumption of stalled negotiations on normalizing diplomatic ties.

During the Beijing talks, senior-level officials from the two governments are expected to agree that about 50 Japanese women married to North Koreans be allowed to visit for about two weeks as early as mid-September, the sources said.