Okada hopes to accelerate talks with Russia on territorial dispute

TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on Saturday expressed hope of
accelerating negotiations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on a
long-standing territorial dispute.
''I would like Foreign Minister 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 in a speech in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture.
Okada also expressed his intention of seeking a resolution to the oil and
natural gas development project in Sakhalin that involves private-sector
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 closely together, he
said.
On resolving the territorial row, Okada emphasized that Japan seeks the return
of all four Russian-administered islands -- Kunashiri, Etorofu, Shikotan and
the Habomai islet group.
''Japan is insisting that all four islands should be returned,'' Okada said,
adding that the issue will not be resolved just by having two of the islands
returned.
The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a
post-World War II peace treaty, and Moscow has insisted that it will only hand
over two of the four islands after the conclusion of a peace treaty.
The islands off Hokkaido are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in
Russia as the Southern Kurils.
On deepening the Japan-U.S. alliance, Okada said he hopes Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama and U.S. President Barack Obama will discuss the alliance at the
summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Yokohama in November,
as it is highly likely that Obama will attend the meeting.
==Kyodo