Japan’s Kyodo News says Japan and North Korea held a secret contact in China on Monday, marking their first meeting since the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

The news agency said Japan was represented by Hiroshi Nakai, a former Japanese state minister in charge of issues concerning Japanese abductees in the North, while North Korea was represented by Song Il-ho, who is charged with North Korea-Japan talks on normalizing bilateral relations.

Kyodo said the two sides are believed to have discussed the issue of the North's abduction of Japanese nationals.

The report also said the two sides likely discussed conditions that the North’s new leadership has laid out to resume official dialogue between Japan and the North.

The two sides have not held official talks since August 2008.