Japan, N. Korea resume talks on normalizing ties

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Japan and North Korea resumed talks Thursday on normalizing ties despite the abrupt cancellation of the previous day's session, a Japanese foreign ministry official said. North Korean negotiators reacted angrily on Wednesday when Japan insisted that they resolve all questions about past abductions of Japanese citizens before the countries' ties can improve. The flap forced a cancellation of the afternoon session, but the two sides later agreed to resume talks on the abductions as well as reparations for Japan's harsh colonial rule of Korea on Thursday in one session.