A close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for compromise with Japan in order to settle a territorial dispute over Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, according to Muneo Suzuki of the Liberal Democratic Party.
During his first meeting with a leading figure on the Japanese side, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov told Suzuki that Russia and Japan should seek compromise measures acceptable to both countries.
Suzuki, a senior LDP official, said he told Ivanov that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori hopes to visit Russia some time after Foreign Minister Yohei Kono's journey there on Jan. 16.
Suzuki also said that Ivanov had expressed a desire to visit Japan early next year.