Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday agreed to hold a summit in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture, in December where they are expected to finalize some Japanese economic proposals and continue talks on the fate of four Russia-held islands off Hokkaido that have held back bilateral ties for decades.
"I believe the development of the Far East region, with its big potential, is Russia's top priority issue," Abe said at the outset of the meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok .
"The growth of the Asia-Pacific leads the global economy. Japan, as Russia's neighbor, will promote Japan-Russia cooperation in the region strongly," Abe said.