Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Oct. 7 on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' meeting in Bali to continue to hold bilateral consultations on how to advance bilateral talks on the sovereignty issue concerning the Northern Territories, the four islands off Hokkaido that have been occupied by Russia since the end of World War II.
The two leaders have held talks four times since Mr. Abe visited Moscow in April. As the relationship between the two leaders appears to be deepening, Japan needs to develop a long-term, workable strategy that will help bring Japan the maximum possible gains in the negotiations on the territorial issue.
At the April meeting, Mr. Abe and Mr. Putin issued a joint statement, the first since a January 2003 joint statement issued by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Mr. Putin. Mr. Abe and Mr. Putin agreed to accelerate negotiations on working out a solution acceptable to both sides over the territorial issue. They told a news conference that they would restart negotiations on the issue.