Japanese and North Korean officials are to meet next Tuesday in Beijing so that Pyongyang may brief Tokyo on the committee that will investigate Japanese abductees’ fates.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Wednesday that the meeting will cover the makeup and mandate of the special panel.

“The (Japanese) government thinks it is important (for Pyongyang) to vest the special investigating committee with appropriate authority that covers every organization as a subject and to launch an investigation based on that,” Kishida told reporters on Wednesday. “We would like to assess North Korea’s explanations carefully.”

Pyongyang pledged to Tokyo late