Japan to send officials to North Korea for update on abductee investigation

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is sending a team to North Korea next week for an update on the investigation into the fate of citizens kidnapped decades ago, despite the objections of some of their family members, its top government spokesman said on Wednesday.

Japan eased some sanctions on North Korea in July in return for the North reopening its probe into the status of the abduction victims and had expected an initial report by early autumn, but Pyongyang said last month there were no details to report and invited Japanese officials to visit for an update.