Japan will issue visas for a North Korean women’s team to play in a tournament despite citizens of the reclusive state being officially barred from the country, a report said yesterday.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing is on Wednesday expected to grant visas for a delegation of 40 North Koreans, Kyodo news agency said, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

The North Korean team will take part in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup from August 19 to September 8 in locations across Japan.

North Korean nationals have been banned from entering Japan since Tokyo imposed sanctions on Pyongyang following a nuclear test in October 2006. The two countries have no diplomatic relations.

Historical animosities have stoked tensions between the bitter rivals at previous sporting encounters.

A World Cup qualifier in November between the countries men’s teams was a bad-tempered affair, with eight yellow cards to N. Korean players. Japan won the game 1-0.

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