Tokyo  - Japan decided to partially lift its sanctions against North Korea after Pyongyang agreed to investigate the abductions of Japanese citizens by its agents, Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Friday.

Japan would allow North Korean ships to enter Japanese ports for the transportation of humanitarian supplies and allow travellers to visit Japan, Komura said.

The move came after the two countries met this week in Beijing, where Pyongyang agreed to resume investigations into the abduction cases, which involve the disappearances of 17 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said progress was made during the talks as North Korea changed its previous stance that the abduction issue has already been cleared up.

Five of the abductees returned to Japan in October 2002, but the whereabouts of the rest are not yet known.

North Korea said in 2002 that eight had died while two never entered the country. Two others have been added to the list of victims since then. (dpa)