Families of those believed to have been abducted to North Korea welcomed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's plan to visit the Stalinist state next month as an opportunity to make some headway on the thorny issue.
But some families also expressed doubts over whether any real progress will be made.
Shigeru Yokota, whose daughter, Megumi, was allegedly abducted to North Korea from the Sea of Japan coast in 1977, said he hopes North Korea is prepared to settle the abduction issue.