Japan and North Korea on Wednesday held their first face-to-face talks in four years, in an attempt to lay the groundwork to overcome decades of mutual distrust. Ties between the two countries have long been strained, though they periodically try to resume dialogue with the ultimate -- and so far elusive -- goal of establishing formal diplomatic relations. The talks, which Japan has described as preparatory, came as governments and analysts seek clues about the emerging foreign policy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who took over the communist state after his father Kim Jong-Il died in December. After the meeting, held in Beijing, a Japanese official described the discussions as "matter-of-fact and frank." The official, who could only be identified as being connected with Japan's foreign ministry, said the two countries would be reporting back to their governments on the discussions. They had yet to decide if they would meet again Thursday though were working in that direction, said the official, who declined to provide details on the positions expressed at the meeting. The issues that have long bedevilled Japan-North Korea relations remain largely the same as before the death of Kim Jong-Il so it is unclear how much, if any, progress can be made. Tokyo continues to want further answers regarding the fate of citizens abducted by North Korean agents, amid suspicions in Japan that Pyongyang has failed to provide all the information it has. Secretive North Korea admitted in 2002 its agents kidnapped Japanese people in the 1970s and 1980s to help train spies by teaching Japanese language and culture, and later allowed five of them and their families to return home. It said another eight died, though many in Japan hold out hope they remain alive. There are also suspicions that Pyongyang's agents abducted more Japanese people than was admitted.
