Boos, who is also Vice Speaker of the State Duma, or Russia's lower house of parliament, reminded his audience that the Council had been set up late last October by leaders of Russia and Japan. Co-chaired by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and former Japanese Premier Yoshiro Mori, the new organization groups seven officials from each side.
At its April 14 session, the Council is expected to consider ways of improving bilateral relations, primarily in trade an politics, Boos said.
The Russian team will discuss options for cooperation with their Japanese colleagues at a separate meeting April 7.
Apart from Luzhkov and Boos, the Council includes Arkady Volsky, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; Viktor Sadovnichy, Chancellor of Moscow University; and Valentina Tereshkova, the world's first woman astronaut.
