Moscow, Tokyo Hope to Finalize 18 Projects Ahead of Putin's Visit

Russian Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka said that there are 18 bilateral projects under discussion ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Japan.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — Moscow and Tokyo hope to reach an agreement on 18 projects currently under discussion ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Japan, Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka said Wednesday.

"I believe that in December we will make headway and either reach an agreement or sign documents on 18 projects we have discussed with [Japanese] Economy Minister Hiroshige Seko," Galushka told journalists.

Earlier in the day, Galushka and Seko discussed bilateral cooperation projects, which cover a range of spheres including medicine, the car industry, space, and the Northeast Passage shipping route.

Following the meeting between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the 2016 Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Putin would visit Japan by the end of the year.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Yasuhisa Kawamura, said that it was anticipated that Putin would visit Japan on December 15.

Putin's visit to Japan was initially scheduled for fall 2014 following Abe's trip to Russia in April 2013. Due to disagreements over the situation in Ukraine the visit was called off.