Japan PM Hopes Putin’s December Visit to Facilitate Peace Deal Talks Progress

The Japanese prime minister highlighted the significance of the upcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan for the progress of talks on the conclusion of the peace treaty between the two states and the subsequent boost in bilateral relations in his speech on Monday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The Russian leader is expected to visit the Asian nation on December 15.

"Visit of the president [Putin] to Japan this year may advance negotiations [on the peace treaty]… By solving the territorial issue we will put an end to the abnormal situation when our countries don’t have a peace treaty 71 years after the end of the war, we will open greater possibilities for the Japanese-Russian cooperation," Shinzo Abe said in the lower house of the local parliament.

Japan and Russia never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II due to a disagreement over four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories. The disputed islands, located in the Sea of Okhotsk, were claimed by Soviet forces at the end of the war.