“To move forward the issue of the Northern Territories [Kuril Islands], we would want the visit to take place at a suitable time,” Abe said in a statement aired by national broadcaster NHK.
Discussing this year’s G7 summit, the Japanese minister stated that, based on the current situation in Ukraine, “it hard to imagine that the summit next year will be a summit of G8.”
“However, this time too, many leaders noted the need for the constructive participation of Russia in solving problems in Syria, Iran, North Korea,” he added.
The Russian president was initially set to visit Japan in the autumn of 2014, though the trip was delayed amid international tensions over the Ukraine crisis.
Earlier in June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said that talks between Tokyo and Moscow on Putin’s Japan trip are underway, though the date has not yet been set.
