Date for Japanese foreign minister’s visit to Russia not set yet

TOKYO, July 28. /TASS/. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has told a press conference Tuesday that the date for his visit to Russia has not been set yet. "Talking about my visit to Russia, nothing has been settled yet. We are studying all surrounding circumstances, after which we will make a final decision," the foreign minister said answering a question on whether Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s possible visit to the Kuril Islands will affect Kishida’s plans. Nikkei newspaper earlier reported that Kishida’s visit to Japan at the end of August is at the final stage of coordination. This visit is considered one of the most important parts of preparation for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forthcoming visit to Japan. Kishida’s visit will focus on discussing the territorial dispute around the South Kuril Islands and preparing for Putin’s visit to Tokyo. On July 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the concrete date for Putin’s visit to Japan has not been set yet. "At the moment, there is no concrete date yet," he noted. South Kurils territorial dispute Russia and Japan have no peace treaty signed after World War II. Settlement of the problem inherited by Russia’s diplomacy from the Soviet Union is hampered by the years-long dispute over the four islands of Russia’s Southern Kurils - Shikotan, Khabomai, Iturup and Kunashir, which Japan calls its northern territories. After World War II, in September 1945, Japan signed the capitulation, and in February 1946, the Kuril Islands were declared territories of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Moscow did not recognize the territorial problem, but in October 1993, when Russian president Boris Yeltsin was on an official visit in Japan, the existence of the problem was confirmed officially. However, the two countries have reached no compromise over the dispute yet. Read more