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Russia-Japan dispute over Kuril Islands

Japanese politician calls on Moscow and Tokyo to sign peace treaty under current leaders

"Each of the sides has a strong leader and as long as they have such leaders we must exert efforts to sign a peace treaty," the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party Masahiko Komura says

Masahiko Komura AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

Masahiko Komura

© AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye

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Japanese PM speaks for continuation of dialogue with Russia at top level

MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/. Russia and Japan should invest effort to finally sign a peace treaty under the current leaders, Masahiko Komura, the leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, said on Monday at a meeting with the chairman of the constitutional law committee of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, Vladimir Pligin.

"Of major importance is inter-parliamentary dialogue. Japan and Russia should develop relations in all spheres, in the economy, politics, culture," Komura said. "I am looking forward to meeting with State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin on January 13."

The Japanese politician reminded that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had met twice throughout 2015. "They have had 12 meetings in all. The leaders have good relations and this is very good for bilateral relations," he noted.

"I would like to raise the topic of the absence of the peace treaty. Seventy years have elapsed, but we still have no peace treaty," Komura said. "It is regrettable that we have a situation like this. Each of the sides has a strong leader and as long as they have such leaders we must exert efforts to sign a peace treaty."

Komura extended condolences of the crash of the Russian passenger plane in Egypt in October 2015 and the Su-24 fighter jet in Syria in November.

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Japan Dispute over Kuril Islands

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