Japanese and North Korean diplomats have agreed to work toward resuming formal intergovernmental talks that have been halted since November 2012, an official said Thursday.
If resumed, the talks would also mark the first time since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inherited power after the death of his father in December 2012.
The agreement was reached during informal talks between diplomats on the sidelines of a two-day meeting of the countries' Red Cross societies that started Wednesday in the Chinese city of Shenyang, the Japanese official said on condition of anonymity.