The talks Saturday and Sunday will touch on North Korea's military development and its abductions of Japanese nationals, an emotional issue here that has prevented the two countries from normalizing relations.

"We are still in an urgent situation," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe. "We'll urge Pyongyang to deal with the abduction issue sincerely by returning abductees, unveiling the truth and handing over suspects.

"Unless the issue is solved, normalization of diplomatic relations won't be possible," he told reporters.

Later in the day, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters: "We are looking forward to their sincere attitude" in the fresh dialogue.

The meeting comes despite a rise in verbal attacks from North Korea, which last week said that six-party nuclear talks would be suspended indefinitely unless the United States lifts sanctions in it. Those talks group the two Koreas, China, Russia, the US and Japan.

The Beijing meeting of foreign ministry officials will discuss how to proceed with future negotiations, the Japanese foreign ministry said.

In the last negotiations on November 3-4, Tokyo proposed to Pyongyang holding three separate talks concurrently on the issues of abductions, the North's nuclear and missile development and normalization of diplomatic ties.

North Korea in 2002 admitted having kidnapped Japanese citizens to train its spies, mostly in the 1970s. It declared the issue settled after repatriating five kidnap victims along with their families.

The North says that other abducted Japanese are dead. Japan has insisted the others -- at least eight of them -- are still alive and being kept under wraps because they know too many secrets.

The abduction dispute has raised concern among other countries that it is distracting from the talks to end North Korea's nuclear program. Japan would likely be a major source of cash in any settlement with Pyongyang.

North Korea decided to attend talks with Japan despite a series of hawkish statements towards Tokyo.

The North's official Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday accused Japan of a "base attempt to scuttle" bilateral talks by "dancing to the tune of the US."

North Korea expressed outrage after Japan followed the United States this month in appointing an envoy to examine human rights in North Korea.

North Korean media regularly castigate Japan, which carried out a bloody occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945.

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