TOKYO, October 7. /TASS/. During dialogue with Russia over a peace treaty, the Japanese government continues to stick to its underlying position - that the treaty can only be signed after resolving the "issue of ownership" of all the southern parts of the Kuril Islands, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reported on Thursday.
"In the past, the underlying position of the Japanese government is that a peace treaty will be signed after clarifying the issue of ownership of four islands. There are no changes in the fact that we will continue negotiations based on this underlying position," he said.
According to him, during the dialogue, the sides confirmed that they will negotiate over a peace treaty on the basis of existing agreements, including those reached in Singapore following Putin's meeting with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2018. The Japanese prime minister also favored the comprehensive development of relations between Moscow and Tokyo. "I would like to fully promote our relations between Tokyo and Moscow, conduct meetings with President Putin and forge a trusting relationship," the head of the Japanese government said.
In addition, Kishida congratulated Putin on his birthday. The Russian president turned 69 on October 7.
On October 4, Fumio Kishida was elected by both houses of the nation's parliament to become Japan's 100th prime minister by a majority vote. On September 29, Kishida became the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party. The elections of the new chairman took place because the mandate of Yoshihide Suga - who was appointed as Prime Minister after Shinzo Abe resigned unexpectedly - expired.