APD | Japanese PM on three-day trip to Russia

**By APD writer Alice **

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 4 left for a three-day trip to Russia, where he plans to meet with President Vladimir Putin and attend the Eastern Economic Forum, an annual gathering intended to boost investment in the Russian Far East.

During his stay in Vladivostok, Abe will also meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga, both of whom are also scheduled to attend the regional event.

In the meeting with Putin, Abe intends to move peace treaty talks forward — despite scant hopes for major progress.

“I hope to talk frankly with President Putin to take our peace treaty negotiations to the next level,” Abe told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office before setting off for Russia.

His meeting with Putin today is set to be the highlight of the trip, with the focus on moving toward resolving a long-standing territorial dispute over Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.

Abe and Putin agreed last year to advance talks toward signing a postwar peace treaty, but rounds of negotiations, including at the working level, have failed to bridge the wide gap between the two countries over the territorial issue.

The dispute over the islands, collectively known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, has stood in the way of Tokyo and Moscow signing a postwar peace treaty.

Abe and Putin have agreed to promote joint economic activities on the islands, with a pilot tour of two of the disputed islands — Kunashiri and Etorofu — planned for October.

Since returning to power in 2012, Abe has been seeking to forge close ties with Putin and the forthcoming summit will be their 27th meeting. The PM has attended the economic forum every year since 2016.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)