Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi plans to meet with her Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, during the Asian regional security conference when it convenes later this month in Brunei, according to government sources.
Kawaguchi talked with Ivanov by phone on Thursday and asked Ivanov, who is scheduled to visit North and South Korea prior to the Brunei conference, to convey Japan's desire for dialogue with North Korea during his trip to Pyongyang.
Government sources said Kawaguchi plans to bring up North Korea during her meeting with Ivanov in Brunei, which Foreign Ministry officials hope to set for July 31.
Japan and North Korea have suspended bilateral negotiations aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations, deadlocked over the alleged kidnapping of Japanese nationals by North Korean state agents as well as security concerns.
During their conversation Thursday, Kawaguchi told Ivanov that Japan hopes to surmount the remaining hurdles and resume ties between the two neighbors.
Kawaguchi is also expected to use the Brunei meeting to speed up efforts to resolve Japan's territorial dispute with Russia, allowing the two countries to conclude a peace treaty.
Japan and Russia have agreed to step up high-level contacts, with Kawaguchi scheduled to visit Russia in October, to be followed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in December or January.