MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russia welcomes the Japanese government's desire to sign a peace treaty with Russia and is also in favor of peace, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We welcome this statement. We are also in favor of concluding a peace treaty with Japan," the spokesman said, commenting on the statement by Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that Tokyo is determined to conclude a peace treaty with Moscow despite the difficult bilateral relations.

In her keynote speech to parliament during her inauguration, the new prime minister stated that the Japanese government is committed to concluding a peace treaty with Russia despite the challenging state of bilateral relations. Takaichi also reiterated Japan's criticism of Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow and Tokyo have been in negotiations on a peace treaty based on the outcome of World War II since the mid-20th century. The main obstacle to such an accord remains the disagreement over rights to the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After the war, the entire archipelago was incorporated into the Soviet Union, but Japan disputes the ownership of the islands of Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan, as well as several small uninhabited islands. The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stressed that Russia’s sovereignty over these islands is based on a firm legal foundation and is indisputable.

After Tokyo imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation in Ukraine, Russia halted consultations with Japan on a peace treaty. Moscow also withdrew from negotiations with Tokyo on the establishment of joint economic activities in the southern Kuril Islands and blocked the extension of Japan's status as a sectoral dialogue partner of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).