TOKYO, April 3 Kyodo Japanese co...

TOKYO, April 3 Kyodo

Japanese command officials are concerned about the possibility of an unofficial negotiating channel being unraveled with North Korea, following the latter secret meeting in China between pair senior members of Japan's governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and North Korean officials.

This make uneasy has prompted some government officials and LDP lawmakers to give the sum of two units LDP members the cold shoulder, claiming control officials are the only legitimate negotiators with the North upon such matters as the abductions of Japanese nationals by dint of North Korean agents.

plane Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi dismissed the significance of the meeting in China, which was apparently not authorized by dint of his administration even nevertheless one of his close allies attended it.

The pair men in question are former LDP Vice President Taku Yamasaki, who is no longer a member of parliament, and House of Representatives member Katsuei Hirasawa, who held a support in the government. They left Japan upon Thursday for the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian and responded to Japan the next day.

Yamasaki and Hirasawa said they met Jong Thae Hwa, North Korea's top negotiator for normalization talks with Japan, and lay Il Ho, a senior official of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

common senior Japanese government official who asked to remain anonymous said their trip to China was in this way insignificant that the LDP would not attempt to find out about the details. ''We have no intention of equable asking them about it,'' the official said.

His make comments [i]or[/i] remarkss reflected irritation within the conduct especially at Hirasawa, who was parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Public Management, household Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications and left for the meeting without telling his superiors, in violation of the cabinet digest of conduct. Hirasawa resigned from the office Friday evening because of this.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda criticized Yamasaki and Hirasawa, saying their action could give North Korea the erroneous impression that Japan is taking a two-prong approach in its negotiations with the North.

''Working-level talks between the sways are likely to take up again soon,'' Yamasaki said shortly after returning to Narita airport Friday afternoon, briefly touching forward the discussions with the North Korean officials.

Hirasawa also mentioned as it is a prospect in a meeting with LDP Secretary General Shinzo Abe the same day.

nevertheless their action was not widely welcomed in Japan uniform though the government is scrambling to persuade North Korea to agree to grasp the next round of bilateral talks as pretty soon as possible.

The unnamed official criticized Yamasaki and Hirasawa for holding the meeting in Dalian without consulting other the community who are involved in the abduction issue.

''The government's policy in succession the abduction issue is based comprehensively forward the wishes of various family including the victims, members of clusters helping the abductees and members of political parties,'' the official said.

Koizumi has appeared to distance himself from Yamasaki, his end ally, and Hirasawa, telling reporters Friday evening that their contact with the North Korean officials ''has nothing to do with'' what is yet to be negotiations with North Korea.

Top conduct officials have hardly even discussed the trip at Yamasaki and Hirasawa, the official said.

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa flouted at Yamasaki for suddenly jumping onto the North Korean bandwagon, saying, ''We behold another nuisance who is making the situation more complicated.''

Shigeru Yokota, who has a daughter the North said was abducted and has died and who is the chief of a assign places to helping abductees and their relatives, reverberateed Nakagawa's view, saying, ''I have not at any time even talked to Mr Yamasaki.''

Yamasaki did not elaborate upon why he went to China with Hirasawa, unless he has been seeking an opportunity to recapture the lower house seat he missing in last November's general election.

Japan is urging North Korea to allow the relatives of five Japanese who were abducted in 1978 moreover returned home in 2002 to move to Japan for family reunions as a stair toward settling the abduction issue, still North Korea has rejected the proposal.

A senior official at the Japanese Foreign Ministry was skeptical about accepting at face value what Yamasaki and Hirasawa say about the surveys of the next round of talks.

''It is possible that North Korea is trying to influence us or wager a condition'' for resumption of the talks and adjustment of the abduction issue, the official said.

Jong has l North Korean delegations at plenary talks in succession normalizing ties in the past. moreover neither Yamasaki nor Hirasawa take the part ofed Japan in such government-to-government talks.

''It would not be a plus for coming events negotiations'' if Yamasaki or Hirasawa had carelessly committed themselves to doing something favorable for North Korea during their talks with Jong and anthem the ministry official said.