MOSCOW -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to seek "mutually acceptable solutions" in peace treaty negotiations, during talks that included the northern territories issue in Moscow on Tuesday.
The Japanese government intends to use strengthening economic relations with Russia and the strong relationship of trust between the two leaders as leverage in negotiations.
Prior to the meeting, which started an hour later than scheduled, the Russian president said that several preliminary activities were being carried out in various fields, including preparatory work for a peace treaty.
The two leaders did not disclose details of their talks at the joint press conference after the meeting.
Mistaken historical perceptions concerning the northern territories are expected to be an obstacle for the government in future talks.
During the meeting between Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Jan. 14, Moscow asked Japan to recognize that the four northern islands became Russian territories as a result of World War II. The Russian side's perspective on historical issues is something that will be difficult for both sides to agree on at an early stage in negotiations.
The Japanese side would prefer to avoid seeing the "issue of historical perception" become the cause of deadlock when talks have just begun.
Abe is pursuing a "resolution en masse" over long-standing issues by clearly pointing out how the Russian side would benefit from such things as economic cooperation with Japan
During the joint press conference, Abe said that the economic cooperation plan that the two leaders agreed on in 2016 has "resulted in more than 170 projects." "I'm pleased that Japanese and Russian firms are positive about engaging in businesses in which both sides cooperate," he said.
Abe hopes to conclude a basic agreement with Putin when the Russian president visits Japan to attend the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies meeting to be held in Osaka in June.
The prime minister is considering visiting Russia in spring to meet with his counterpart again, depending on the progress of negotiations.
A close aide to Abe said: "Everything is up to the bond between Abe and Putin. For Abe, there is no alternative but to frequently meet with Putin to overcome the issues one by one."
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