Russian upper house speaker, Japanese PM discuss preparations for Putin’s visit

TOKYO, November 1. /TASS/. Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties and the preparations for the Russian president’s visit to Japan, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. "An exchange of views was held on all aspects of bilateral relations, including the preparation for the visit of President (Vladimir) Putin to Japan. Besides, the issues of stepping up inter-parliamentary cooperation were discussed," the ministry said in a statement. The delegation of Russia’s upper house of parliament led by Matviyenko is paying an official visit to Japan until November 3. Earlier on Tuesday, Matviyenko held talks with President of the House of Councillors (upper house) Chuichi Date, leader of the New Komeito party Natsuo Yamaguchi and representatives of the Council of Friendly Exchanges, a Japanese NGO. On September 2, the Russian president and the Japanese prime minister held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok. After the meeting, Abe announced that Putin’s visit to Japan would take place on December 15 in Abe’s hometown of Nagato in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Abe also said that he expected to have another meeting with the Russian leader in November, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru. Read more