TOKYO, November 13 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) - Russia and Japan are still not using their full potential in bilateral relations, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Russian State Television Saturday on the eve of the Russian president's visit to Japan on November 20-22.
The government and the people of Japan want our relations to add to stability and development, the premier said. Despite large possibilities, we have not yet used our potential in full and, therefore, I would like our relations to develop towards greater prosperity, Koizumi said.
Koizumi said that if the Russian government decided to build a gas pipeline to the Pacific Coast, this project would benefit both countries and help Russia develop its Siberian and Far Eastern regions.
He added that Japan currently imported oil from the Middle East and wanted to diversify its supply sources and, therefore, Russia could become an important partner.
The Japanese premier also said that both countries could develop their relations despite the existence of the territorial dispute. He expressed hope that his meeting with Vladimir Putin would help both sides advance in resolving the issue.
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years due to the dispute over the Kuril Islands off Russia's far-eastern coast. Japan claims sovereignty over four islands that became part of the Soviet Union after World War II. The issue remains unresolved and has prevented the signing of a peace treaty to end the state of war between the two countries formally.
