"The specific projects cannot be formed until we find out the situation on the ground, that is why this trip is a great step forward. We intend to carry out a very detailed research and find hidden opportunities. This research is necessary to accelerate implementation and fill the agreements, reached by the two states’ leaders with content," Hasegawa said.
Russian-Japanese relations have long been complicated by the fact that the two nations have never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II ended. This was due to a disagreement over a group of islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories, which consist of four territories: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.
On April 21, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Hiroshige Seko said the bolstered economic relations between Tokyo and Moscow could be attributed to the trust Abe and Putin have for one another.
