A group of former residents of the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday to express their wishes to return to their hometowns.
They asked Abe to hand a letter of request to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two meet Thursday in Yamaguchi Prefecture.
In response, Abe said he will work hard to make progress on the territorial dispute even if it's "just one step forward" during the Yamaguchi summit.