"During President [Vladimir] Putin's visit to Japan, the Russian side proposed to introduce visa-free travel between Hokkaido and Sakhalin. During yesterday's consultations, the Russian side touched upon this proposal …Tokyo is ready to further discuss this issue," Yoshida told reporters.
On Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori held talks in Tokyo, during which they discussed the issues related to the joint economic activities on disputed Kuril Islands and other issues on bilateral agenda.
READ MORE: Japan Lodges Protest With Russia Over Start of Drills on Kurils
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held meetings in Nagato and Tokyo from December 15 to December 16, 2016. During Putin’s visit, the two sides agreed to step up economic cooperation on the Kuril islands. Russian and Japanese companies also signed dozens of documents on energy, investment and agriculture. In particular, Putin proposed to introduce a free border travel regime for residents of Sakhalin and the island of Hokkaido, as part of visa facilitation efforts between the two states. The issue of visa-free visits of the ancestral graves on the South Kuril Islands was also raised within the talks.
The Kuril Islands, located between Russia's Sakhalin and Japan's Hokkaido, are the subject of the long-standing territorial dispute between Russia and Japan. Japan lays claims to Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets. The territorial dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty after World War II.
