The Japanese government plans to send staff of its Foreign Ministry to North Korea to ensure the safety of Japanese traveling to Pyongyang for this month's World Cup qualifier.
The Nov. 15 match will be the first time Japan has played in North Korea since 1989.
The ministry staff will stay in a hotel in Pyongyang and use it as their base since Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic ties, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.
The Japanese government had been advising citizens to refrain from visiting the country since Tokyo imposed economic sanctions following a missile launch by North Korea in 2006.
But Japan has decided to allow members of the national team, accompanying reporters and team supporters who register for official tours organized by the Japan Football Association to go to North Korea.
With roughly 200 Japanese projected to enter North Korea, a government official called it ''necessary to dispatch Foreign Ministry staff from the standpoint of protecting Japanese nationals.''
The match will be played at the 50,000-seat Kim Il Sung Stadium. Japan beat North Korea 1-0 in the first leg in Saitama, north of Tokyo, on Sept. 2.
