Japan could station diplomats and police officials in North Korea following Pyongyang's promise last week to reinvestigate the whereabouts of Japanese nationals it abducted, sources in the Abe administration said.
As the two countries have no diplomatic relations and since the North reneged on a similar pledge in the past, the officials would be dispatched to Pyongyang to monitor and verify the reinvestigation. They would also be expected to extend assistance to any surviving abductees.
Initially, they would be stationed in North Korea for a short period of time, but Tokyo is considering making them resident officials and establishing a permanent office in Pyongyang.