Japan to decide possible easing of North Korea sanctions on Thursday

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will decide whether to ease sanctions against North Korea on Thursday after assessing Pyongyang's plan to reinvestigate the fate of the Japanese citizens kidnapped by the reclusive state decades ago, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said.

North Korea in May agreed to reopen the probe into the status of Japanese abductees. In return, Japan promised to lift travel curbs, restrictions on the amount of money that can be sent or brought to the impoverished North without notifying Japanese authorities, and allow port calls by North Korean ships for humanitarian purposes, when the investigation is launched.