A Japanese official said that Pyongyang was likely to inform Tokyo about establishing a working group in charge of investigating the case. The meeting was expected to take place from July 1-2.

Song Il-ho, North Korean ambassador in charge of the normalisation of diplomatic ties with Japan, said he would inform Junichi Ihara, Japanese Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, about the participants for the meeting. Under an agreement last May, North Korea would set up a special commission to fully investigate the case of Japanese citizen abductions and to investigate those who were regarded as missing. In return, Japan would lift some of its sanctions on North Korea.