23 February 2016, 21:19 GMT
TOKYO (Sputnik) – On Tuesday, local media reported that Obama urged Abe to not visit Russia in a bid to isolate Moscow over differences in handling the crises in Syria and Ukraine. Abe reportedly refused to cancel his trip.
"We are coordinating the issue so that prime minister Abe completes his unofficial visit to Russia in due time, before the visit of [Russian president] to Japan," Suga told a press conference.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Affairs Committee of the State Duma head Alexei Pushkov confirmed that Moscow was expecting a visit of Abe in April or May.
Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly reached an agreement on the Japanese leader’s visit to Moscow in a phone conversation in January. Due to the informal nature of the visit, no documents will be signed between the sides.
