25 September 2015, 12:04 GMT
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the territorial dispute at the bilateral meeting on September 28, Japan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Yasuhisa Kawamura said Saturday.
"Prime Minister [Abe] and President Putin are expected to have frank and candid talks about broad issues including on the territorial issues… The major purpose of holding this meeting is to get the relations between Russia and Japan to see improvement," Kawamura said.
Abe stressed the importance of holding a dialogue with Russia, he added.
Japan and Russia never signed a permanent peace treaty following the end of World War II because of a disagreement over four islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories.
