Japanese and North Korean officials made informal contact while attending an international conference in Ulan Bator, a Japanese government source said Thursday.

A senior Japanese diplomat conveyed to the North Korean side Tokyo's position on the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals by the North, the source said.

Following this week's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the Japanese government is looking to arrange a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim to break the deadlock over the abduction issue.