Ex-Japan lawmaker eyes trip to N. Korea in May

Former Japanese lawmaker Shizuka Kamei said Tuesday he is planning to travel to North Korea in May for talks with a "top leader" of the country.Kamei, who formerly served as financial services minister, revealed the plan on a TV program, saying he has been consulting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the trip.Kamei said Pyongyang would give priority to Japan over China or Russia if Tokyo provides economic assistance as part of efforts to resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.Japan officially lists 17 of its citizens as having been abdu…READ FULL ARTICLE