Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have agreed to step up preparations for a visit to Japan by President Vladimir Putin in December, with Kishida eyeing a visit to Russia possibly in late October.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Lavrov in New York, Kishida said Wednesday that as part of preparations, he will visit Russia ahead of Putin's trip and Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov will visit Japan in November to attend a meeting of the intergovernmental committee on trade and economic issues.
Kishida did not say when he will visit Russia for talks with Lavrov, citing Diet schedules. But diplomatic sources said Kishida is likely to go in late October, at the earliest.