Abe also plans to suggest that these negotiations should be carried out on the basis of the 1956 Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration stipulating the end of the state of war and the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Mainichi Shimbun reported.
The suggestion contradicted Japan’s original stance that called for recognition of the entire archipelago as Japanese territory as a precondition for the signing of the peace treaty, the outlet suggested.
Abe’s offer will also include the possibility of discussing the status of the Kunashir and Iturup islands, which is not covered by the 1956 declaration.
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The prime minister will attend the ASEAN Summit in Singapore on November 14-15, the outlet noted.
Mainichi Shimbun suggested that by proposing to accelerate the talks on the Kurils and the peace treaty, Abe expected Moscow and Tokyo to reach a framework agreement during the Russian president’s visit to Japan for the G20 meeting in June 2019.
The fact that Japan and Russia never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II has long been a stumbling block in their bilateral relations.
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During the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), which took place in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok earlier in September, Putin suggested that Moscow and Tokyo should conclude the peace treaty without any preconditions by the end of the year. Tokyo, in turn, maintained that it would sign the peace deal only after the long-time territorial dispute between the two countries was settled.
Tokyo and Moscow have been engaged in consultations on carrying out joint economic activities on the disputed islands.
