PYONGYANG, North Korea -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a first-ever summit with the isolated communist state, hoping to tackle deep disagreements that have left the Asian neighbors far apart for decades.

Koizumi arrived in Pyongyang airport early Tuesday on a special government plane for the one-day visit.

Talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il were expected to address such security issues as the North's missile development and suspected nuclear weapons program.

North Korea and Japan have never forged diplomatic relations, and the summit could prove a milestone for regional peace.

Koizumi has expressed hopes that discussions with Kim will produce a breakthrough toward resuming normalization talks, which broke off two years ago, and prod the reclusive regime toward greater international cooperation.

"I want to encourage North Korea not to prepare for war but to prepare to enrich its people," Koizumi said last week.

Japanese officials say they sense an unusual softening in North Korea's stance recently that shows the isolated communist state may be ready to strike a deal with Tokyo. Hit by food shortages and struggling to revive a hobbled economy, North Korea is likely eager for monetary aid from Japan.

As a U.S. ally, Japan could also provide a different sort of help.

North Korea is increasingly worried about its tumultuous relationship with the United States after President George W. Bush branded the nation in January part of an "axis of evil" suspected of developing weapons of mass destruction.

"We sense North Korea has changed, expressing more willingness to listen to our proposals and to talk," Foreign Ministry official Kenji Hiramatsu told reporters Monday.

North Korea has recently stepped up dialogue with capitalist rival South Korea, engaging in sports exchanges and agreeing to reunions for families separated by the Korean War. Monday, officials put finishing touches on plans to reconnect rail and road links across their border.

But for the Japanese public, the most emotional and crucial issue is the whereabouts of 11 Japanese who went missing in the 1970s and 1980s. The government and police say they were abducted by North Korea to train spies in Japanese language and customs.

Talks to normalize relations fell apart two years ago over the kidnapping issue. After years of denying the kidnappings, North Korea recently agreed to look for missing Japanese.

"The summit could open a way toward regional peace and stability," said Masao Okonogi, professor of politics at Keio University in Tokyo. "It can be considered a major success if there's even a simple confirmation from North Korea on whether the 11 people are alive or not."

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