TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo (EDS: RECAST...

TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo

(EDS: RECASTING WITH KOIZUMI QUOTES)

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi forward Friday gave a guarded welcome to reported remarks by the agency of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il that there are ''proactive movements'' between North Korea and Japan.

''North Korea has sent various messages, one as well as the other true and false, so it's hard'' to immediately assess Kim's remarks, the premier told reporters. moreover he added, ''We can say the remarks were forward-looking.''

A Japanese Foreign Ministry source said Kim made the remarks during a meeting Monday in Pyongyang with Wang Jiarui, head of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party.

Earlier Friday, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi indicated that it is too at so early an hour for Japan to become optimistic about that will be negotiations with North Korea despite the remarks, as Pyongyang is still refusing to begin again bilateral governmental talks over the abductions of Japanese.

Normalizing bilateral ties with North Korea is a major issue of public disturb in Japan. But the normalization talks have been deadlocked since the fall of 2002 owing to rifts over the North's abduction of Japanese in the late 1970 and early 1980 as well as its nuclear unfolding program.

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