Japanese tourists on Wednesday began a visit to two disputed Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, as part of joint economic activities by the Japanese and Russian governments that are intended to build trust.

The five-day trial tour by 44 people including government officials will take participants to sightseeing spots on Kunashiri and Etorofu, two of the four disputed islands that are referred to in Japan as the Northern Territories.

Japanese tourism to the islands is a pilot project for joint economic activity on them, with Tokyo hoping it will pave the way for resolving the long-standing territorial dispute. In the current tour, the two sides are looking to identify areas for improvement before a full-scale launch of the sightseeing tours.