Parents of Japanese woman abducted by North Korea meet their granddaughter for first time

TOKYO – The parents of a Japanese woman abducted by North Korea in 1977 have met their Korean-born granddaughter for the first time.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry confirmed Sunday that the elderly couple spent time with Kim Eun Gyong over several days last week in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

The meeting could be a small step toward resuming official government talks between Japan and North Korea.

Japan says North Korea abducted at least 17 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s. Five were allowed to return in 2002.

Kim's mother, Megumi Yokota, was kidnapped in Japan when she was 13. North Korea says Yokota has died, but Japan says North Korea has yet to provide definitive proof.