TOKYO, July 7. /TASS/. Relations between Tokyo and Moscow have received a positive impetus from the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Japan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Russia, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a meeting with Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov. The two are co-chairmen of the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic issues.

"Bilateral relations, including political ties, the peace treaty issue and economic cooperation, received a positive impetus from President Putin’s visit to Japan last year and Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Russia this year," Kishida said.

According to him, the timely meeting between the intergovernmental commission’s co-chairmen is aimed at making preparations for a summit scheduled to take place in September. "Japan has been advancing the process of making specific achievements ahead of the East Economic Forum due in September," the Japanese top diplomat said adding that he expected a fruitful debate.

Dialogue between Moscow and Tokyo has been intensified recently at various levels. In December 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to Japan, while in April 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Russia. In September, he is expected to participate in the East Economic Forum in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.

The two countries have been also boosting economic cooperation based on the eight-point plan put forward by the Japanese prime minister in May 2016. The document stipulates that Russia and Japan should strengthen relations in the energy sphere, small and medium-size business, the industrialization of Russia’s Far East, as well as expand exports. According to the plan, the parties need to bolster cooperation in the field of high technologies, including nuclear energy, and boost humanitarian exchanges.