TOKYO (Sputnik) – "Concerning the Kuril Islands, their belonging is questionable for Japan but not for Russia. We got them after the Second World War, which is fixed in international documents. That is why the Russian sovereignty over them is unquestionable. As head of the Russian state Vladimir Putin noted, we are not selling our territories. At the same time we are ready to look for a compromise on the peace treaty, which will be acceptable for both parties," Matvienko told journalists in Japan.
Matvienko also said that boosting interstate trust and developing comprehensive cooperation was another precondition for reaching the compromise on the peace treaty.
"Everything depends on political will … We have it. Japan is an important Russian partner in the Asia-Pacific region," Matvienko said.
Japan and Russia never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II due to Tokyo's claims to four Russian islands, the Southern Kurils: Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.
The relations between the two states have recently been re-energized. In September, Abe took part in the Eastern Economic Forum in 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 had been postponed from 2014.
