Japan agreed to lift some sanctions against North Korea yesterday as Pyongyang detailed a new probe into the fate of Japanese men believed to have been abducted by North Korean agents decades ago.

The Tokyo government approved easing sanctions in three areas.

It lifted a ban on North Koreans visiting Japan, allowing them in on a case-by-case basis, and made it easier for Japanese and ethnic Koreans in Japan to travel to North Korea.

It also raised the reporting limit for money taken or sent to North Korea.

Thirdly, it approved port calls by North Korean-flagged ships for humanitarian purposes, limited to the delivery of food, medicine and clothes in small amounts.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday he was satisfied that a North Korean investigation committee has the mandate to carry out a serious investigation into the abductions, though previous deals with the North have fallen through.

He emphasised that Japan would continue to abide by UN sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes.

North Korea announced a wide-ranging investigation to look into the abductees and also the remains of thousands of Japanese who died in Korea at the end of World War II, as well as any survivors from that era.

The special investigation committee will be chaired by State Security Deputy Minister So Tae Ha.

It will research register books of citizens, interview witnesses and make site visits in what the North Korean news agency called “an all-inclusive and comprehensive investigation.”