US official visits Japan after talks with N.Korea

The US special representative on North Korean policy is visiting Tokyo to discuss the results of last week's talks in Beijing between the United States and North Korea. Glyn Davies flew from South Korea to Tokyo on Sunday. His 2-day meeting with a North Korean official ended on Friday. It was the first US-North Korean meeting after the death of Kim Jong Il last year, Japan's (NHK WORLD) website reported. The US official is to meet the head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau, Shinsuke Sugiyama, later on Sunday. Upon arrival at Tokyo's Haneda airport, Davies told reporters that he has a chance to report and discuss with Sugiyama the results of US discussions with North Koreans. In Beijing, substantive discussions were held on measures to denuclearize North Korea, such as halting uranium enrichment, and possible US food aid in return. But reports say differences in opinion persist between the 2 countries. US sources made clear that they raised the issue of the North's abductions of Japanese citizens. The US special representative is expected to analyze the positions of North Korea's new leadership with the Japanese government, and to discuss ways to break the stalemate in the abductions issue.