Voluntary repatriation of Korean residents from Japan to North Korea progressed slowly but smoothly after the conclusion of the Red Cross agreement of 1959.

Under Prime Minister Eisaku Satō, Japanese-North Korean relations underwent a deterioration, but in 1971–1972, the process of Sino-Japanese rapprochement induced Japanese companies to broaden their economic cooperation with the DPRK.

The North Korean leadership felt increasingly isolated when Takeo Fukuda concluded the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between Japan and the People's Republic of China, and Yasuhiro Nakasone visited South Korea in 1983.

[6] In September 1990 Japanese political delegation led by former deputy Prime Minister Shin Kanemaru of the Liberal Democratic Party visited North Korea.

Pyongyang's primary motives appear to be a quest for relief from diplomatic and economic isolation, which has caused serious shortages of food, energy, and hard currency.

In one instance, Yi Un Hee, a Korean resident of Japan, was kidnapped to North Korea to teach Japanese in a school for espionage agents.

[12][13][14] The positive effect on relations disintegrated when Japan claimed that a DNA test had proved that the returned remains of Megumi Yokota, kidnapped at 13 and said by North Korea to have committed suicide, were in fact not hers.

[16] US president Donald Trump brought up the issue at his meeting with Kim Jong-un at the request of the Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and he said that "it will be worked on.

"[17] On 29 March 2024, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui reaffirmed Pyongyang's position to refuse any communication with Japan, stating that engaging in dialogue with Tokyo is of no significance to her country.

[18] There have been several confrontations between the two nations over North Korean clandestine activity in Japan besides the abductions, including drug smuggling, marine poaching, and spying.

Both countries have signaled a readiness to engage in high-level talks, a move that marks a departure from decades of hostility and minimal diplomatic contact.

The discussions are anticipated to focus on pivotal issues such as the return of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea and the possibility of sanctions relief for Pyongyang, underscoring a mutual interest in altering the status quo of their relations.

[25] Japan and the United States have accused North Korean hackers of stealing cryptocurrency worth over $300 million from the Japan-based exchange DMM Bitcoin.

The theft involved the hackers using social engineering tactics to impersonate a recruiter on LinkedIn and send a malicious pre-employment test to an employee at a crypto wallet software company.

The FBI and Japan's National Police Agency are collaborating to combat North Korea's cybercrime activities, which date back to the mid-1990s and include a cyber-warfare unit known as Bureau 121.

The Lazarus Group has previously gained notoriety for its involvement in high-profile hacks, including the 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures in retaliation for its production and distribution of The Interview, a political satire which portrays the fictional assassination of Kim Jong Un.

[26] On February 13, 2007, the six-party talks produced an agreement in which North Korea agreed to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for fuel aid and steps towards normalization of relations with both the United States and Japan.