Staff writer
Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi starts a historic trip to Moscow Wednesday, but substantial progress in resolving a long-standing bilateral territorial row may not be achieved because of President Boris Yeltsin's poor health and economic turmoil in his country.
The main focus of Obuchi's three-day trip is Yeltsin's response to a proposal made in April by then Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto to settle the dispute over the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.