Tokyo to Continue Peace Treaty Talks With Moscow on Principle Position Basis

TOKYO (Sputnik) – Tokyo to continue holding talks on the peace treaty with Moscow, seeking to put into effect its position that envisions the conclusion of the deal after the settlement of the territorial dispute between the two countries, a spokesperson of the Japanese Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

"In any case, the Japanese government will persistently continue to hold the talks on the basis of its principle position, which seeks to conclude a peace treaty after settling the territorial issue. This is the position of the government," the spokesperson said.

The ministry's spokesperson also said that the Japanese Foreign Ministry refrains from commenting on the Russian Foreign Ministry summoning Japanese Ambassador Toyohisa Kozuki in order to ensure the calm atmosphere of the bilateral talks on the peace treaty between the countries.

"In terms of the need to hold the Japanese-Russian talks on the peace treaty in a quiet and calm atmosphere, we refrain from answering the question. Ambassador Kozuki has explained in detail to [Russian] Deputy Foreign Minister [Igor] Morgulov the position of our country but we refrain from commenting on this issue," the spokesperson said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Kozuki on Wednesday, citing the recent comments of the Japanese leadership on the peace treaty issue which, Moscow said, sought to artificially fuel tensions around the talks on the bilateral deal.

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Japan and Russia have never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II as Japan has for years maintained that a group of the Kuril Islands should be recognized as a part of its territory as a precondition for signing the document.