Russia, Japan discuss disputed island territory

JAPAN: Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on an island near disputed resource-rich maritime territory Wednesday, hoping to make progress toward resolving a dispute lingering since World war II.

It is the first time a Japanese premier has set foot on the island of Sakhalin, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, since Russia claimed a series of nearby small islands in the final days of World War II, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. The island is only 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido.

Aso said he hopes the visit will strengthen strategic relations with Russia and lay the groundwork for a settlement of the row, which has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending the war.

"I think this is an important step," Aso told reporters, without specifying concrete measures toward a resolution.

The area in question is a cluster of islands between the two countries, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and the southern Kurils in Russia, amid rich fishing grounds and billions of dollars worth of undersea gas and oil reserves.

Sakhalin, the site of Wednesday's meeting, is just northwest of the contested area. Kyodo News agency reported that the two leaders vowed to seek a speedy solution and agreed to a visit to Japan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in May.

During the day trip, Aso was also to attend the inauguration of Russia's first liquefied natural gas plant, part of the $22 billion Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas development project in which Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. have stakes.

The project, which is expected to contribute 7 percent of Japan's annual liquid natural gas imports, is seen as a key option for energy-poor Japan, virtually all of whose oil imports come from the Middle East.

TOKYO, Wednesday, AP