19 June 2017, 18:41 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On June 19, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the research delegation would visit the Kurils in late June. Japanese media confirmed later in the month that a group of about 70 people would be led by Abe's adviser Eiichi Hasegawa.
The group is expected to visit the facilities that have been recognized as prospective for development of joint Russian-Japanese economic activity on the Kuril Islands.
The decision to establish joint economic activities on the disputed islands, namely Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, was reached during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Japan in December 2016.
