Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated Wednesday his determination to resolve a long-standing territorial dispute with Russia over a group of islands off northern Japan and conclude a postwar peace treaty, Kyodo News reported.
Tokyo is seeking to break the impasse in the territorial row by building trust with Moscow through ongoing economic cooperation in the Russian Far East and planned joint economic activities on the disputed islands.
"Through Japan-Russia cooperation, here, Vladivostok, and locations all around Far East Russia will become gateways where human resources, goods, and capital come together," Abe said.