Sharing a growing concern over China's military buildup, Japan and Russia are set to deepen bilateral ties by holding their first so-called two-plus-two meeting of foreign and defense ministers Saturday in Tokyo.
The four ministers are expected to discuss ways to broaden security cooperation and deepen mutual trust amid the changing security landscape in Asia. Japan hopes as well for a breakthrough in the territorial stalemate over four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, a dispute that has prevented the signing of a peace treaty for the past 68 years.
Russia, which shares a border more than 4,000 km long with China, is the more eager for the talks due to its increasing uneasiness about China's military buildup, pundits say.