Article: North Korea makes diplomatic gestures to Japan, South Korea.

Byline: Michael A. Lev

BEIJING _ North Korea took two significant steps out of isolation Friday, reaching a surprise agreement to play host to a first-ever visit by Japan's prime minister and concluding a deal with South Korea to reconnect a railroad and road severed by the Korean War.

Gestures of diplomacy by North Korea's secretive and bellicose regime are rare, but after years in decline the government has become more willing _ and perhaps increasingly desperate _ to engage the outside world in exchange for food.

Detente with South Korea and Japan are crucial because they would represent the biggest potential sources of financial aid for ...

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