Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for Russia on Sunday for talks with President Vladimir Putin, on the first leg of a weeklong trip that will also take him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Abe is the first prime minister in 10 years to officially visit Russia. The summit with Putin on Monday is the latest effort to restart stalled talks on a territorial dispute that has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty ending World War II.
Abe said at Haneda airport before his departure that he hopes to "build personal trust with Putin" and "make the visit an opportunity to restart the stalled bilateral talks for a peace treaty."