With more high-level talks with Moscow in the offing, Japan is hoping to seize the opportunity to crack the long-standing territorial dispute over the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.

Japan knows it will be no easy feat, but officials are keen to make inroads while the momentum — buoyed by stronger economic ties and expectations of movement before President Vladimir Putin's term in office ends in 2008 — is there.

Foreign Minister Taro Aso, at the outset of his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, during his visit to Russia on May 3, said he believes the "dynamics of the Japan-Russia relationship are heading in the right direction," citing frequent visits to Japan recently by Russian political and business leaders.