TOKYO (Sputnik) — Russia is ready to prepare the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan, but the support of Tokyo is absolutely necessary, Sergei Naryshkin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament said Thursday.
On Wednesday, Vice President of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Masahiko Komura expressed hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would arrive in Japan to discuss the issue of the disputed Kuril Islands.
"It is impossible to do it [the work on bilateral relations] alone: it requires the support of a partner. We are ready to move forward. We hope that Tokyo will be determined with its plans [too]," Naryshkin told reporters in Tokyo.
Last week, Putin said that Moscow had not changed its stance on the disputed Kuril Islands, but was ready to continue dialogue with Japan on the issue.
Russia and Japan failed to sign a permanent peace treaty following the end of the World War II. The sides have failed to resolve a dispute over the islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, called the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan. The four islands — Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai — have been administered by Russia since the end of WWII, but the Japanese government still lays claim to them.
