An adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe secretly visited the northeastern Chinese port city of Dalian, not far from North Korea, for about four days in late October, diplomatic sources said, adding fuel to recent speculation that Tokyo has resumed delicate negotiations with Pyongyang.

Given that the Chinese city has been used as a venue in the past for secret meetings between Japan and North Korea, it is possible that adviser Isao Iijima made contact with North Korean officials there.

His visit to Dalian was confirmed by several diplomatic sources in Beijing after Japanese senior diplomats were found to have traveled to Vietnam in late January for a possible meeting with North Korean officials.