A group of 60 Japanese officials have made a rare visit to North Korea for a six day trip.<br />According to Kyodo News, the delegation from Yamanashi Prefecture arrived in Pyeongyang on Saturday,... led by Shingo Kanemaru.<br />He is the son of the late Japanese Deputy <br /> Prime Minister Shin Kanemaru, who had met North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung during a visit to the North in 1990.<br />The two states have no formal diplomatic ties,... with relations remaining sour since Japan's brutal occupation of the Korean Peninsula in the early 20th century.<br />Japanese Prime Minister Shino Abe suggested holding a summit with the North's leader Kim Jong-un four months ago,... which Pyeongyang rejected as a "brazen" offer. <br />
