Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday he will attend a regional economic forum in the port city of Vladivostok next week and have a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abe said he is also arranging separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak Yon and Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to be held from Sept. 11 to 13.
The prime minister expressed his determination to push forward with talks about holding joint economic activities on the Russia-held, Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido during his meeting with Putin.
Tokyo sees the activities as a path toward resolving the long-standing territorial row and possibly signing a peace treaty to formally end the war. Moscow is interested in attracting Japanese investment to the islands.
Abe was looking to have a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to address the abduction issue but the Russian government said he would not be attending.