Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will hold preparatory government- level talks on normalizing diplomatic ties on December 20 and 21 in Beijing, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki announced on December 16

On Sunday and next Monday, the Red Cross societies of both countries will also meet in the Chinese capital to discuss humanitarian issues, the top Japanese government spokesman told a press conference.

Government officials of the two countries will attend the meetings of the Red Cross societies, Aoki said.

The move came after Tokyo announced Tuesday that it will lift its freeze on food aid to Pyongyang and plans to restart negotiations on normalizing diplomatic ties, removing the last of a series of sanctions imposed after the DPRK fired a rocket over Japan last August.

Talks on normalizing ties between the Japan and the DPRK began in January 1991, but collapsed after eight rounds in November 1992.

The two countries agreed in August 1998 to restart the talks, but Tokyo froze the initiative after Pyongyang launched later that month a multistage rocket, part of which flew over Japan into the Pacific.

Tokyo and Pyongyang saw a thaw in their bilateral ties after a visit to Pyongyang earlier this month by former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and a nonpartisan mission of lawmakers.

The Japanese mission agreed with the DPRK's Workers' Party of Korea to urge their respective governments to resume talks on normalizing bilateral diplomatic ties.