"Mr. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of the Russian Federation, will pay an official working visit to Japan from Thursday, December 15 to Friday, December 16, 2016… It is expected that President Putin’s visit will further advance Japan-Russia relations," the ministerial statement said.
Earlier in December, Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida visited Russia. He had talks with President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss bilateral ties, the issue of North Korea, Syria and Ukraine, as well as security in the Asia-Pacific Region.
The Russian-Japanese relations are tainted by a territorial dispute between the two countries. Japan lays claims to four Kuril Islands of Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai and Iturup, which Russia considers to be its own territory, according to the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty that transferred the control of the islands to the Soviet Union. The dispute prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a peace treaty after World War II.
The relations between the two states have recently been re-energized. In September, Abe took part in the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok, during which he held three-hour talks with the Russian president. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the announcement of Putin's visit to Japan on December 15, which has been postponed from 2014.
