With Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to consolidate his political position with a victory in next month’s presidential elections, it is more likely that Russia will try to solve a long-standing territorial dispute with Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Saturday.
The remarks came during an annual government-sponsored convention to seek the return of four islands off Hokkaido, which were occupied by the then Soviet Union at the end of World War II and are still held by Russia.
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