Improvement of Japan’s relations with Russia important for regional security - Abe

TOKYO, January 20. /TASS/. Improvement of the relations between Japan and Russia is of big importance for security in North-Eastern Asia, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the national parliament on Friday. "For maintaining the security in North-Eastern Asia, improvement of (Japan’s) relations with Russia is extremely important," he said. "However, 70 years after World War II was over, our countries still do not have a peace treaty, which is an abnormal situation." In December, 2016, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin visited Japan and had talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The parties discussed the issues of a peace treaty and of economic cooperation. Besides, the leaders discussed strategic partnership between the countries, stressing importance of resuming earlier frozen contacts, including between the military and those in the "two-plus-two" format, featuring the foreign and the defense authorities. In an exclusive interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman the Japanese prime minister said: "I think that if in Asia Pacific Japan and Russia become partners who can cooperate in the area of security, no doubt, this region will be more stable and peace in this region will become lasting." Read more