Monday, Jan. 25, 2010
Kyodo News
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada says he wants to accelerate negotiations with his Russian counterpart on the long-running territorial dispute involving isles off Hokkaido.
"I would like Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov to visit Japan in the first half of this year as much as possible and I would like to visit Russia in the latter half (of this year,)" Okada said Saturday during a speech in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
Okada also expressed his intention to seek a resolution to the oil and natural gas development project in Sakhalin that involves Japanese companies.
"I believe that Russia needs Japan's funds and technology. We'd like to resolve the issue" by bringing the economy and politics closer together, he said.
On resolving the territorial row, Okada emphasized that Japan seeks the return of the contested Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
"Japan is insisting that all four islands should be returned," Okada said, adding the issue will not be resolved by having two of the islands returned, an idea that has been floated via diplomatic channels.
The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a post-World War II peace treaty. Moscow in the past has said it will only hand over two of the islands after a peace treaty is signed, but the current leadership has backed away from that offer.
The islands are referred to by the Japanese government as the Northern Territories, while in Russia they are known as the Southern Kurils.
On deepening the Japan-U.S. alliance, Okada said he hopes Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and President Barack Obama will meet at the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama in November.
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