Japanese Economy Minister Marks Steady Development of Cooperation With Russia

TOKYO (Sputnik) – Japan and Russia are steadily implementing a plan for the development of bilateral cooperation, a process which will involve state and private organizations from both countries, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko said on Friday.

"Within such short time, which has passed since our previous meeting in January, the plan of economic cooperation has steadily advanced. We must implement the achieved agreement during [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s visit to Japan in the interests of both nations… A joint team of state structures and private corporations are working on that. And that must lead to specific results during the visit of [Japanese] Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia," Seko said at a meeting with Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshkin.

He also expressed hope that the meeting with Oreshkin would be an important step toward the achievement of significant results in bilateral cooperation.

This cooperation extends to the resolution of the Kuril Islands standoff, a goal which became more attainable after Putin and Abe held the second round of talks regarding the dispute in late 2016. The two leaders agreed to create a special regime on the islands which would lead to the establishment of joint economic projects.

Moscow and Tokyo have never signed a permanent peace treaty after World War II due to a disagreement over the group of islands, which Russia calls the Southern Kurils and Japan the Northern Territories, encompassing the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai.