Three North Koreans are in Tokyo for a meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia. They are the first North Korean officials admitted to Japan in five years.

Japanese officials granted special visas to the three on Monday, granting an exception to a ban imposed on North Korean nationals in October 2006. Two more members of the North Korean delegation are expected to arrive on Wednesday to attend Thursday's meeting.

The ban was imposed to protest against North Korean nuclear weapons tests and the abductions of Japanese citizens. Officials say they decided to make the exception in light of the Olympic charter, which prohibits discrimination for political reasons.