Tokyo, July 10. /ITAR-TASS /. North Korea has given a list of 30 Japanese abducted by North Korean secret services. The kidnappings took place in the 70-80s of the last century. According to the source, the victims are alive and still living in the country, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing informed sources. The list was handed over during bilateral talks in Beijing on July 1. Japanese authorities observed the list and matched about two-thirds of them with domestic records of missing persons.

At the same time, the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Yoshihide Suga denied Nikkei report. He said that the DPRK did not transfer any list on July 1.

North Korea admitted in 2002 that its secret services forcibly kidnapped Japanese to North Korea. Pyongyang released five of them. North Korea said that all the others were dead.

The problem of abducted Japanese nationals is the main sticking point in relations between Japan and the DPRK. In 2002, Pyongyang for the first time acknowledged the abduction of only 13 Japanese nationals and let five of them get back to their homeland. The others were declared dead, and their relatives received remains the authenticity of which was not confirmed. Tokyo has repeatedly demanded from Pyongyang to settle the matter, but up until this year North Korea insisted that the problem had been exhausted.