Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Monday that Moscow would dispatch its top diplomat to Japan this fall to boost political dialogue, a Japanese official said.
The leaders also confirmed that talks on an island dispute that has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II would be handled within the framework of a sub-Cabinet-level dialogue.
Abe and Putin agreed on the importance of holding bilateral political discussions "at a quick tempo" based on the results of their previous talks in Moscow in April, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said.