Unofficial North Korean overtures that may pave the way for Pyongyang allowing the families of five repatriated Japanese abductees to reunite in Japan have fueled expectations and doubts in equal measure here.
Government officials are still skeptical of the North's motives, suggesting Pyongyang may be attempting to disrupt the united front put up by Japan, the United States and South Korea regarding Pyongyang's nuclear threat.
The offers come at a delicate time, as arrangements are afoot to get Japan, the Koreas, the U.S., Russia and China to again discuss ways to resolve that threat.