North Korea sought a secret meeting in Beijing with Shoichi Nakagawa, minister of economy, trade and industry, as well as his predecessor, Takeo Hiranuma, late last year, sources close to bilateral affairs said Wednesday.
Hiranuma last fall succeeded Nakagawa as head of a group of Japanese lawmakers seeking to resolve the abductions of Japanese by Pyongyang's agents.
The reclusive state has not responded to Tokyo's request for bilateral dialogue following talks in Beijing in August, and Japanese government sources said they see the efforts to get in touch with influential politicians as attempts by Pyongyang to shake things up.