Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has pledged to resolve the territorial dispute involving a group of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
"It is quite regrettable that the ownership issue of the four northern islands has not been settled after entering the new century. I am determined to make every effort to resolve the territorial issue as soon as possible and conclude a peace treaty (with Russia)," Mori said Wednesday during a meeting in Tokyo.
Resolving the territorial row will benefit not only Japan and Russia but will further peace and stability in the whole Asia-Pacific region, Mori told participants at the government-sponsored meeting to push for a resolution to the dispute.