The Japanese government officially published its decision on July 4, 2014 that it would lift sanctions against the DPRK such as special restrictions imposed on the DPRK as regards personnel visits, fund remittances and the amount of funds to be carried by visitors to the DPRK and the embargo on the entry into Japanese ports of the DPRK-flagged ships with humanitarian mission under an agreement reached between the governments of the DPRK and Japan.

The DPRK will organize the "Special Investigation Committee" and start a comprehensive investigation into all Japanese residing in the DPRK from July 4.

The committee is invested with special mandate from the National Defence Commission of the DPRK to investigate all institutions and mobilize relevant institutions and persons concerned for the investigation when necessary.

The committee has chairman, vice-chairmen and panel chiefs and other staff members and has branches in relevant areas.

The chairman of the committee is So Tae Ha, counselor for security of the NDC of the DPRK who is concurrently vice-minister of State Security. Its vice-chairmen are Kim Myong Chol, counselor of the Ministry of State Security, and Pak Yong Sik, department director of the Ministry of People's Security.