Government officials from North Korea and Japan have held late-night talks on the issue of Japanese abductees.

Japan's chief delegate, Mitoji Yabunaka, told reporters after the meeting Tuesday that the two sides had exchange sincere views on the matter, but stopped short of disclosing any details.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said that Tokyo promised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi would make another visit to Pyongyang and promote bilateral economic cooperation if the North hands over the family members of five kidnapped Japanese who were repatriated to Japan in October 2002.

The daily added that at the same time, the Japanese delegation had also
put forth a hard-line stance by stating that it would push forward the legislation of a law banning the entry of North Korean ships to Japanese ports if Pyongyang does not resolve the abductee issue.

Another daily, the Sankei Shiumbun, said Tokyo had implied that Koizumi would personally go pick up the abductees