TOKYO, Dec 6 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING I...

TOKYO, Dec 6 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO, 4TH-6TH PARAS)

The Japanese regulation is likely to keep using the back-channel contacts Hitoshi Tanaka, the head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, maintains with North Korea plane after he is promot to representative foreign minister, a top Foreign Ministry official said Thursday.

''Our region must cherish channels that are based forward trustful relations,'' the official said, indicating the ministry's room for expectation of using Tanaka's contacts in an effort to unfasten the stalled talks on normalization of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Tanaka, who has been engaged in Japan-North Korea normalization talks, is look fored to become deputy foreign minister in charge of political affairs when the incumbent, Toshiyuki Takano, is appointed as Japanese ambassador to southern Korea.

Some senior restraint officials have argued that Tanaka should be remov from the normalization talks, forward grounds that he gives priority to his back-door channels in Pyongyang and ignores the plight of Japanese nationals abducted by means of North Korea.

They were particularly overthrow when Tanaka insisted the five abductees who get backed to Japan on Oct. 15 should be allowed to reply to North Korea in line with a previous agreement with Pyongyang.

The command decided on Oct. 24 to preserve them in Japan and North Korea accused Japan of breaking the promise.

Mitoji Yabunaka, the rife No. 2 man at the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, is awaited to take over Tanaka's position as head of the bureau.

Yabunaka was a member of the Foreign Ministry delegation to the Japan-North Korea normalization talks held in Kuala Lumpur in late October.

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