Abe Leaves for Russia to Meet with Putin

May 24, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for a tour of Russia on a government jet from Tokyo International Airport at Haneda on Thursday, to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, among other things.

At the meeting, set for Saturday in Moscow, the two leaders are seen aiming to work out details of proposed joint economic activities on and around northwestern Pacific islands at the center of the two countries' longstanding territorial row.

They are also expected to confirm that Japan and Russia will work closely to urge North Korea to take concrete steps for its denuclearization, ahead of the first-ever U.S.-North Korean summit, slated for June 12 in Singapore.

"I want to hold candid talks with President Putin so that we can advance negotiations" on a bilateral peace treaty, Abe told reporters at the prime minister's office just before the departure. "I hope we'll make concrete progress" on the joint economic activities on the islands, he added.

The Russian-controlled islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, were seized by the former Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War II. The territorial issue has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from concluding a peace treaty to formally end their wartime hostilities.

Abe also said, "I'm eager to confirm our two countries' cooperation to comprehensively resolve the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago, and its nuclear and missile development programs."

In St. Petersburg, the first destination during the trip to Russia, Abe will deliver a speech at an international economic forum on Friday. He will then head for Moscow for his 21st summit with Putin.

At the bilateral summit, Abe and Putin are likely to hold in-depth discussions on tourism, aquafarming and three other areas designated for the joint activities on the disputed islands, aiming to put the project into action at an early time.

They are also expected to agree to allow former Japanese residents to visit one or more of the islands by air this year to pay respects at their family graves there. Such air travel, intended to ease the physical burden of aged former islanders, took place for the first time last year.

During his stay in Moscow, Abe is also scheduled to attend a ceremony to present a female Akita puppy, named Masaru, to Russian figure skater Alina Zagitova, who won gold in the women's singles in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea in February.

Abe will return home on Sunday. Jiji Press