Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said that he and his Russian counterpart have agreed on steps that will give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the chance to jump-start stalled talks on a territorial dispute during his planned visit to Moscow.

In their first face-to-face meeting in London on Wednesday, Kishida and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov agreed that Abe's trip will be vital in building a personal relationship with President Vladimir Putin, mapping out a long-term vision for bilateral relations and reopening negotiations on four isles off Hokkaido controlled by Moscow.

Kishida told reporters afterward that he and Lavrov also discussed details regarding the territorial negotiations but declined to elaborate.