day visit. But discussions were extended through the weekend after the negotiators met the alleged husband of a Japanese woman kidnapped in 1977. North Korea claims the woman is dead, but Japan is demanding proof. The developments raised hopes that the North will offer more detailed information on the fate of missing abduction victims taken by Northern agents in the 1970s and 80s. North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had kidnapped 13 Japanese, and allowed five to return home. It said the eight others died. But inconsistencies about the information raised doubts among many Japanese who believe the eight _ and at least two other unconfirmed abductees _ could still be alive in the reclusive country. Tokyo has demanded a more extensive investigation. Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Sunday that officials hadn't been able to talk to the Japanese delegation in North Korea at length because the North had restricted their communication. Machimura told public broadcaster NHK TV that North Korea seemed to be lifting its veil of secrecy from the abductees, but added that Tokyo hadn't ruled out the possibility of slapping economic sanctions on the North.
