Developing economic cooperation between Russia and Japan will facilitate resolution of the long-standing dispute over the Kuril Islands, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Sunday.
"Deepening the relations of economic cooperation will have a positive impact on [resolving] territory disputes. I tend to push forward the dialogue [on this issue]," Kyodo news agency quoted the prime minister as saying.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the Japanese prime minister met on Saturday in time of the APEC summit. Both politicians confirmed readiness to develop economic, cultural and political ties between the countries.
Earlier this month Medvedev visited one of the Kuril Islands. The move aggravated a long-standing dispute between Russia and Japan over four of the Kuril Islands. Japan called the visit "regrettable" and temporarily recalled its ambassador to Russia.
The islands are at the centre of a long-running territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo. They were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and both countries have laid claim to them ever since.
The dispute over the islands has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.
Japanese prime minister emphasized that, first of all, his country would pursue settlement of the territory dispute with Russia. Only after the dispute is resolved, a peace treaty will be signed, Kan said.
TOKYO, November 14 (RIA Novosti)
