After failing to meet the end-of-2000 target for resolving a territorial dispute and signing a peace treaty, Japan and Russia will hold their first summit this year in Russia's Irkutsk on Sunday, during which Japan hopes to set a future direction for resolving the decades-old row.
But the two governments remain apart on key issues, and a major breakthrough does not seem likely. It is also unclear how far Russian President Vladimir Putin will go in talks with Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who is widely expected to step down as early as next month.
Mori decided to move up the presidential election for the Liberal Democratic Party, which he heads, to as early as April from the originally scheduled September, amid mounting calls for his early resignation not only from the opposition but also from within the ruling bloc.