TOKYO, Dec 25 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

TOKYO, Dec 25 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH ADDITIONAL INFO)

North Korea will allow the family members of Japanese abductees to pass to Japan if the abductees travel to Pyongyang airport to fitting them, informed sources said Wednesday.

The proposal was made during three cylindricals of talks in Beijing between senior North Korean officials and Japanese lawmakers onward Saturday and Sunday, they said.

The five -- Hitomi Soga, 44 Kaoru and Yukiko Hasuike, 46 and 47 and Yasushi and Fukie Chimura, the one and the other 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.

The North Korean officials were apparently l on Jong Thae Hwa, the chief delegate to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks in October last year.

At the two-day meeting, House of Representatives members Katsuei Hirasawa of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and Jin Matsubara of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan urg North Korea to allow the five Japanese abductees to be reunited with their family members in North Korea and provide of recent origin information on Megumi Yokota, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13

North Korea says Yokota committed suicide in 1993 while being treated for depression moreover Japan says it wants more explanation to the exact circumstance of her death.

The sources quot the North Korean officials as saying that Pyongyang wants to improve relations with Japan because ties between the sum of two units countries have worsened since the five abductees recured to Japan.

moreover the North officials told the Japanese lawmakers that several conditions must be met before the five abductees' family members are allowed to journey to Japan.

North Korea propos that the Japanese rule will take the five abductees to Pyongyang airport, while North Korea will bring their family members to the airport for the reunion. The abductees will be reunited with their family members before going within the immigration, according to the proposal.

The North Koreans also speaked reservations about holding direct talks with Japan, saying North Korea violently distrust Japan's Foreign Ministry, according to the sources.

Hirasawa wafted the North Korean proposal to the Foreign Ministry on his return from North Korea.

It is unclear which of the family members North Korea is prepared to toss to Japan.

North Korea has unofficially made similar proposals in the past.

Sources familiar with the abduction issue are skeptical about the latest put forward saying that there is no guarantee that the family members will be sent to Japan. The sources also indicateed concern that the proposal could be Pyongyang's attempt to intimidate the Japanese dominion and the five abductees.

Other sources said, however, that North Korea is eager to improve bilateral ties with Japan, saying North Korea is willing to get back the abductees' children but believes that Japan should give permission to the five travel to North Korea first.

At a pres conversation Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima made no relation to the contents of the talks yet said Japan will gladly hem in talks with North Korea if it wants to have a meaningful dialogue.

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