VLADIVOSTOK, September 10. /TASS/. Moscow is ready to develop relations with Tokyo on the basis of good neighborly relations and respect to each other’s interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

"Japan is a major, reliable partner for Russia. We are set to develop Russian-Japanese cooperation on the basis of the principles of good neighborly relations, mutual respect and reckoning with each other’s interests," he said after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Russian leader noted that his contacts with the Japanese prime minister "have regular character," with Shinzo Abe coming to Russia for the second time this year. "On his visits to our country, the Japanese prime minister is always accompanied by a representative delegation of officials and businessmen. We saw it in May when about 150 leading Japanese businessmen took part in the St. Petersburg Economic Forum along with the prime minister. And now, in Vladivostok, he is accompanied by members of the Japanese government, officials from prefectures, several hundreds of executives from Japan’s biggest companies," Putin noted.

He thanked Japanese partners "for their high interest to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation for their commitment to expand comprehensive contacts in the economy, politics and the humanitarian sphere."

According to the Russian president, Moscow and Tokyo maintain "intense political dialogue" and today’s talks "were held in a businesslike and constructive atmosphere."

"We discussed in detail key aspects of bilateral relations, with major attention being focused on the expansion of trade-and-economic and investment cooperation," Putin said, adding that bilateral trade grew by 14% in 2017 and by another 20% - in January-June 2018.

"Japanese corporations have been actively investing to various sectors of our industry and agriculture. Cumulative investment to the Russian economy reached two billion US dollars. About one hundred mutually beneficial joint initiatives are being successfully implemented as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s eight-point cooperation plan and Russia’s list of priority investment projects," he noted.

The Korean Peninsula issue

Moscow and Tokyo plan to closely cooperate in resolving the Korean Peninsula issue, Putin said.

"Mr. Abe and I exchanged views on pressing global issues, including ways to ensure security and stability in the entire Asia-Pacific region," Putin said. "We paid particular attention to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. We plan to maintain close contacts to facilitate inter-Korean dialogue and resolve all the issues in the political and diplomatic field," Putin said.

The Russian leader thanked the Japanese prime minister for business-like and substantive talks. Putin pointed out that the two leaders were planned to attend a number of events during the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), particularly addressing the forum’s plenary meeting on September 12.

"I am sure that the Japanese Prime Minister’s eventful visit to Russia will give a new impetus to Russian-Japanese relations, which will continue to progress in the spirit of partnership and cooperation," Putin concluded.