North Korea, through its state media, the KCNA, has declared that it would stop its investigation into the fate of Japanese citizens who were abducted by the communist state in the 1970's and 1980's in response to a new set of sanctions that were imposed by Japan following a satellite launch that was condemned by world powers, according to The New York Times.

The reclusive communist state admitted back in 2002 that it abducted 13 Japanese citizens in order to train them as spies. Five of the 13 were eventually returned to Japan, but the other eight remain missing. North Korea claims that the remaining eight are already dead.

Japan, however, believes that there were far more who were kidnapped before, possibly even hundreds of its citizens. The Asian superpower also believes that a lot of them might probably still be alive, reported the Associated Press.

In exchange for lighter sanctions in 2014, North Korea promised Japan that it would re-open investigations into the fate of the kidnapped Japanese citizens. Since then, however, progress has been very slow, and the North has given Japan very little results.

North Korea's announcement has been strongly condemned by the Japanese government, which called the cessation of the probe "deplorable," reported Reuters.

Despite the communist state's announcement, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stated that the Asian superpower still hopes to keep an open door for dialogue regarding the fate of its abducted citizens.

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