In a move that Japan hopes will ultimately lead to a breakthrough in a long-running territorial row, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to begin preparations for Putin's visit to Tokyo at a time "suitable next year," a Japanese official said.

The agreement, reached during talks Sunday ahead of the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the Chinese capital, came after Putin's scheduled trip to Japan this fall was postponed.

Abe, who since taking office in December 2012 had held talks with Putin six times before Sunday, is keen to maintain the dialogue in order to make headway on efforts to resolve the dispute over the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido. The issue has prevented the two countries from concluding a postwar peace treaty.