Tokyo will partially lift unilateral sanctions on North Korea on July 4, in exchange for an investigation by the DPRK into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, the Japanese government announced on Thursday.

The news comes after a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and some of his key ministers on Thursday morning to assess Tuesday’s talks in Beijing between Japanese and North Korean government officials.

It was agreed that the sanctions will be lifted on 4 July effectively, when the North Korean government will set up an investigation committee.

“(We) have judged that an