Tokyo expressed displeasure Tuesday with Pyongyang's announcement that Japanese women living with their North Korean husbands in the reclusive state "canceled" applications to visit their homeland.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Kanezo Muraoka described as regrettable the announcement that women who were to make their first visit home in more than three decades voluntarily withdrew from the program.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sadaaki Numata said the announcement by North Korea has made it difficult for the Japanese government to move forward in improving relations with North Korea. He said the extension of food aid to North Korea and the early resumption of talks on normalizing ties have become difficult because of the announcement.