A veteran ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker is making arrangements to visit Russia, possibly in late January, to pave the way for a visit by President Vladimir Putin to Japan sometime in 2016, according to a different senior LDP member.
LDP Vice President Masahiko Komura plans to hold talks with State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin, a close aide to Putin, during which Komura is expected to convey Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's invitation for Putin to visit Japan at an early date, the lawmaker said.
By sending Komura, who chairs the Japan-Russia Parliamentarians' Friendship League, Tokyo hopes to set the stage for Putin to visit Japan at the earliest possible time, the lawmaker said.