Japanese, Russian Lawmakers Agree to Enhance Exchanges

Tokyo, Feb. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japanese and Russian lawmakers at a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday agreed to strengthen interactions between them. The meeting was attended by lawmakers of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, and members of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia's parliament, including Andrei Klimov, deputy chairman of the chamber's international affairs committee. The Japanese participants are members of a recently formed group of LDP Upper House lawmakers for promoting relations with Russia. The ongoing visit by the Russian lawmakers will further promote mutual visits by dignitaries of the two nations, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko, who heads the LDP group, said, apparently keeping in mind possible visits by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin to each other's country. Klimov said that 2016 will be an important year because various negotiations are slated to take place between Russia and Japan, including at the highest level. END