A Japanese woman has sought asylum in North Korea after entering the country illegally during a trip to China in August, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.

The officials confirmed the startling report earlier in the day by Pyongyang's official (North) Korean Central News Agency, which said North Korea had informed Tokyo of the woman's existence through diplomatic channels in Beijing.

It is the first time for a Japanese national to apply for asylum in the reclusive state since 1970, when Red Army Faction members hijacked a Japan Airlines jetliner to Pyongyang and remained there, officials said.