TOKYO (Sputnik) — Tokyo acknowledges great importance of the meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, so they could discuss more often the issues that are important to both countries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday.
"We see a very important meaning in more often meetings of the leaders of both countries to discuss difficult issues in relations between Russia and Japan," Suga said at a press conference.
Relations between Tokyo and Moscow have recently been re-energized. In September, Abe took part in the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok, during which he held three-hour talks with Putin. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the announcement of the Russian president’s visit to Japan on December 15, which had been postponed from 2014.
Before Putin’s visit to Japan, the two leaders are expected to meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru in November.
