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Putin arrives in Japan on two-day visit

The talks in Nagato and Tokyo will focus on measures for enhancing trade and economic relations, according to the Kremlin

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

NAGATO /Japan/, December 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Japan on a two-day visit.

The Russian leader’s plane landed at the Ube airport in Yamaguchi Prefecture and he headed to Nagato for talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

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Japanese ex-premier says Putin’s visit to give start to solving bilateral problems

The meeting at the highest level will be held in the Otani Sanso hotel in Nagato, Abe's home constituency in the southwest of the Honshu Island.

Thursday’s talks in Nagato will be held in three stages - the meeting of the leaders with participation of several delegation members from both sides; the private conversation between Putin and Abe in the presence of interpreters; and working dinner with participation of leading ministers who are tasked with developing the relations between the two countries.

On Friday, the second day of the Russian president’s visit, Putin and Abe will take part in joint events in Tokyo.

The Kremlin said the talks in Nagato and Tokyo will focus on measures for enhancing trade and economic relations. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov earlier said a good basis for intensive work in this direction is the eight-point cooperation plan proposed by the Japanese premier in Sochi this past May. Later, Russia presented a list of 58 promising programs of cooperation. In November, a list of 90 various projects was drawn up and a joint plan of work was agreed on.

After the talks in Tokyo, some 10 interstate documents, and also 12-15 important commercial agreements and another 50 documents in business sphere are expected to be signed in the presence of the two leaders.

During the negotiations, the leaders will exchange views on the key issues of international and regional agenda and map out further steps on coordinating foreign policy of Russia and Japan.

Read also

Putin’s visit to Japan expected to result in series of important agreements

Currently, the most vital issue of Russian-Japanese relations is the territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands and the related issue of concluding a peace treaty between the two countries. In an interview with Japan’s Nippon TV and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper ahead of his visit, Putin stressed that Russia will work to conclude a peace treaty with Japan, but not to detriment of its interests.

On the first day of talks, Russia’s delegation will consist of First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Galushka, Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin. At events in Tokyo they will be joined by a range of other ministers and several governors.

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Foreign policy Vladimir Putin Japan

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