Japan Eases Sanctions on North Korea

The Japanese government is lifting some of its sanctions on North Korea in exchange for information about Japanese nationals abducted decades ago by North Korean agents. So far, North Korea has given Japan the names of 10 individuals said to still be living in North Korea. "Under the principle of matching action with action, Japan will lift a portion of its sanctions," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday. The sanctions to be lifted are to include travel bans, restrictions on money transfers, and humanitarian port calls by North Korean ships. The issue of Japanese citizens who were abducted decades ago remains a charged topic in Japan. The sanctions that were lifted do not affect the larger UN sanctions working to stop North Korea's nuclear program.