By Charles Scanlon BBC correspondent in Tokyo

For years, North Korea refused even to discuss the allegations that its agents had kidnapped Japanese citizens. The charges were condemned as a malicious fabrication.

Relatives were devastated by the news

Hints of a change came earlier this year when North Korea said it would try to locate any missing people.

Then came the stunning confession by the supreme leader himself, Kim Jong-il, that Japanese citizens had indeed been kidnapped by elements in the North Korean military. He said eight had since died and only four were still alive.

Most of the missing people were in their early twenties - some were apparently plucked from Japanese beaches by North Korean commandos.

They were wanted to help teach Japanese language and customs to North Korean spies.

Breakthrough visit

It took a visit to Pyongyang by the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, to achieve such a breakthrough. And to win an apology from Mr Kim.

Confirmed dead: Megumi Yokota
	Japan's missing Eight Japanese confirmed dead Four still alive in North Korea Kim Jong-il says he has punished the culprits See also: Profiles of the missing

Much was at stake for both leaders at their meeting.

North Korea badly needs financial help at a time when it is experimenting with market reforms for its wrecked command economy.

Mr Kim is also feeling the heat from the United States which counts North Korea as part of its "axis of evil".

Better ties with Washington's main ally in Asia could help relieve the pressure.

Mr Kim agreed to extend indefinitely a moratorium on ballistic missile tests. He also agreed to abide by international agreements on North Korea's nuclear programme - gestures aimed at the US as much as Tokyo.

But they are minimal steps and will not be enough to win over the highly sceptical Bush administration.

The worry in Washington is that Japan will give away too much to North Korea.

The communist state can expect a massive aid package from Tokyo if their relations are normalised - and the talks are due to start within a month.

Troubled relations

Aug 1910 - Japan colonises Korea Aug 1945 - Japan surrenders in WWII; Korea is partitioned Sept 1990 - Japanese PM apologises to N Korea Jan 1990 - first round of normalisation talks Aug 1998 - N Korean ballistic missile flies over Japan; Tokyo imposes sanctions Sept 2002 - the Pyongyang talks

Mr Kim will probably see the meeting in Pyongyang as something of a triumph - a key step in efforts to preserve his beleaguered regime.

Mr Koizumi, though, will have mixed feelings about the outcome.

He has helped resolve the mystery of the missing people - although many more questions remain to be answered.

But he will be severely criticised if he offers aid to the North.

"The North Korean Government has confessed it's a terrorist country, it's ridiculous for us to assist such a regime - I've very angry about it," said Yoriko Koike, an MP for the New Conservative party in Japan's ruling coalition.

Relatives of those now confirmed to have been kidnapped are devastated and bewildered by the news from Pyongyang.

They have strong political and media support and are already demanding Japan give nothing away.

The normalisation talks may not be as straightforward as North Korea imagines.

It has waited for years to play the Japan card - a way to break out of its diplomatic isolation and the promise of massive economic help.

It badly needs success at a time when the US is running out of patience with its brinkmanship over various weapons programmes.