Meeting between Abe, Putin produces specific results, says Japanese government

TOKYO, May 28. /TASS/. Tokyo believes that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeded in achieving specific results at their meeting in Moscow on May 26, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on Monday. "It is very important that the two countries’ leaders had a chance to hold a frank conversation on bilateral and global issues. In particular, we managed to achieve specific results concerning joint economic activities on the four northern islands [which is what Japan calls Russia’s South Kuril Islands - TASS] and humanitarian measures for the sake of their former residents," Suga said. According to him, Abe and Putin "had a frank discussion of the North Korea issue, including the situation surrounding the meeting between the leaders of North Korea and the United States." "We very much value the fact that President Putin expressed his understanding of Japan’s position as Tokyo believes it very important to normalize relations [with North Korea] and resolve the issue of missile and nuclear programs, as well as the issue of kidnapped Japanese citizens," he added. Russia and Japan signed 11 documents following the meeting between Putin and Abe, including a joint statement specifying the current bilateral cooperation plan and a joint plan for cooperation in the area of digital economy and productivity. In addition, Russia’s Ministry of Construction and the relevant Japanese ministry signed a memorandum on interaction in the fields of construction, public utilities and urban environment, aimed at creating "smart cities." Read more