Yamasaki's Pyongyang trip draws flak

The trip to Pyongyang by Taku Yamasaki, former vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, runs counter to sanctions Japan placed on North Korea after its October nuclear test, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated Tuesday.

Yamasaki arrived in Pyongyang in the afternoon aboard an Air Koryo flight from Beijing, according to the North Korean airline's Beijing office.

The trip comes amid a stalemate in international efforts to end North Korea's nuclear threat.

"Japan is now putting pressure on North Korea to take a sincere step (to curb) its nuclear weapons and missile development as well as (resolve) its abduction (of Japanese citizens). We want (Yamasaki) to realize this," Abe told reporters.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki also told a news conference: "We think it undesirable that a Diet member who represents the public visits North Korea, since we decided that public servants should refrain from taking a trip there and we have asked people to abide by this."

Yamasaki is the first senior lawmaker to travel to North Korea since Abe took office in September.

Yamasaki reportedly plans to hold talks with high-ranking North Korean officials, including Song Il Ho, ambassador in charge of diplomatic normalization talks with Japan, to urge the country to honor the Pyongyang Declaration, which was signed by Abe's predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2002 during Koizumi's first of two visits to the North Korean capital.

He plans to stay in North Korea until Saturday.

His visit has sparked speculation that Yamasaki, known as a close Koizumi ally, may be trying to pave the way for Koizumi's third visit to the reclusive state.

The Pyongyang Declaration aims to resume talks between Japan and North Korea on normalizing ties and obliges Pyongyang to abide by all international agreements related to its nuclear arms program.

During Koizumi's September 2002 visit, North Korea admitted kidnapping 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s and later returned five of them to Japan. Koizumi made the second trip to Pyongyang in May 2004 and brought to Japan the North Korean-born children of four of the five abductees. The children and U.S. Army deserter spouse of the fifth were brought to Japan later.

Speculation over a possible third Koizumi visit arose because Yamasaki had contacts with North Korean officials shortly before the 2004 visit.

But government officials doubt Yamasaki's trip will make any impact on bilateral ties this time.

"We have the six-party talk framework now. Without the six-party talks, we can't solve North Korea's nuclear issue. Without solving it, we can't solve the abduction issue," a senior government official told reporters.