Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed Monday to step up efforts to realize planned joint economic activities on disputed islands off Hokkaido, while making little progress on the territorial issue.

In a news conference after their summit in Vladivostok, Russia, Abe renewed his commitment to concluding a post-World War II peace treaty with Putin, which Tokyo and Moscow have not signed due to the territorial row over the group of islands.

Abe said he and Putin approved a "road map" to realize activities on the islets in five areas — aquaculture, greenhouse farming, tourism, wind power and waste reduction — which they agreed on last year.