Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara plans to pay a visit to Moscow in February hoping to tone down Russia's stance on the disputed South Kuril Islands, Japan's Kyodo news agency said.
During the visit, which will start on February 10 and last for three days, Maehara will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, the agency said citing government sources.
The report said Maehara will seek to find a way to ease Russia's stance on the disputed islands called the Northern Territories in Japan and overcome the deadlock following the Russian president's November visit to one of the islands.
Both Japan and Russia have laid claims to the islands since they were annexed by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.
Tensions between Japan and Russia reached new highs after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kunashir, the second-largest of the four islands. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the visit was "very regrettable".
Japan fired its ambassador to Russia for failure to timely inform Tokyo about the visit. Medvedev expressed regret that his visit led to the Japanese ambassador's recall.
Japan also voiced concerns over the visits of Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov and a Russian defense ministry commission led by Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov in December and January, respectively.
Tokyo considers the trips as a sign of Russia's strengthened stance on the Kuril Islands.
TOKYO, January 23 (RIA Novosti)
