Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Japanese PM: Putin shows desire for peace treaty

14/09/2018

TOKYO-- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his willingness for a bilateral peace treaty between the two countries, two days after Putin's sudden proposal for signing the pact.

"There is no doubt that President Putin has demonstrated his desire for the peace treaty. Summit meetings in November or December will be important," Abe said during debates for the ruling party leadership election at the Japan National Press Club.

At a regional economic forum in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok on Wednesday, Putin suddenly proposed to conclude the peace treaty by the end of the year without any preconditions. "We need to read the signals from President Putin's various comments. It is true that he has said [Let's do the peace deal properly]. Of course, Japan's position is to sign the peace treaty only after the territorial dispute is settled," said Abe. Both leaders may attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Papua New Guinea and the Group of 20 Summit in Argentina later this year.

The long-standing territorial dispute has prevented the two nations from concluding a peace treaty to formally end WWII and discouraged investment in Russia by Japan.

Russia controls the four islands, known as the Northern Territories by Japan and the southern Kurils by Russia, but Tokyo says the islands were illegally occupied after WWII in August 1945 and insists they are an inherent part of Japan's territory.