Japan will host respective women's Olympic and men's World Cup qualifying matches against North Korea in February and March at National Stadium in Tokyo, the Japan Football Association announced Wednesday.
The 2024 Paris Olympic women's qualifier at the venue on Feb. 28 will mark the first visit to Japan by athletes from North Korea since 2017. The match takes place four days after Nadeshiko Japan is scheduled to play North Korea away.
The Japanese men's national team is set to host an Asian second-round World Cup qualifier against North Korea on March 21 before playing the reverse fixture away five days later.
North Korea imposed strict border controls on its citizens amid the coronavirus pandemic and skipped the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021. It eventually resumed international sports participation at the Asian Games, which were held in September and October this year in Hangzhou, China.
Citizens of North Korea effectively remain banned from entering Japan in retaliation for the country's missile launches and other activities, but a Japanese government source has indicated that an exception will be made for the upcoming matches.