TOKYO, Jan. 7 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING ...

TOKYO, Jan. 7 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING DETAILS)

North Korea is requesting talks with Takeo Hiranuma, head of a form into groups of Japanese lawmakers on the North's abduction of Japanese nationals, sources familiar with the issue said Tuesday.

The sources said Pyongyang's beg was delivered to Katsuei Hirasawa, the House of Representatives member who conferr with North Korean officials onward the abduction issue in Beijing last month

The North Korean officials told Hirasawa and other members of the Japanese mission at the time that they are willing to separate the abduction issue but said investigations are suspended because Tokyo broke its promise to get back five repatriated Japanese to the North, according to a Japanese support form into groups for abductees.

on the contrary the sources said North Korea forward two separate occasions late last month and earlier this month reported to Hirasawa and other mission members that the Beijing talks were ''meaningful.''

The sources said North Korea is singling gone out Hiranuma as the man with whom it wants to deal on the contrary it is not clear whether or not he agrees to comply with the solicitation North Korea is not giving other details like as a date and venue of its dialogue with Hiranuma, the sources added.

Hiranuma, also a lower house member of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has serv as trade minister and transport minister.

The Hirasawa cluster and the North Korean officials held three globulars of talks in Beijing forward Dec. 20-21 last year. There were five North Korean officials, l through Jong Thae Hwa, the chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks in October 2002

The Japanese delegation also included Jin Matsubara of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan and Tsutomu Nishioka, representative chief of a nationwide assemblage supporting the abductees and their families.

At the meetings, North Korea said it is ready to unfold the abduction issue, hinting that it may allow the family members of Japanese abductees to walk to Japan if the abductees travel to Pyongyang airport to engage them.

North Korea has also admitted that there were inaccurate details in the information about eight abductees it said had died, and has said it is willing to direct the eye into the issue.

The five -- Hitomi Soga, 44 Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, 46 and 47 and Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but 48 -- are among 13 Japanese nationals North Korea in September 2002 admitted to abducting in the late 1970 and early 1980s

The five abductees get backed to Japan on Oct. 15 2002 and continued to stay in Japan against Pyongyang's wishes. They have been unable to bring their family members in North Korea to Japan since then.

North Korea said the remaining eight abductees, including Megumi Yokota, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13 had died in North Korea if it were not that Japan says it wants more explanation to the exact circumstance of their deaths.

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