Economic priorities are expected to outweigh territorial gripes when the leaders of Japan and Russia hold a summit Wednesday at the launch of a gas plant on Sakhalin Island.
But while amicable relations raise hopes, worries are also being voiced that economic concerns will hamper Japan as it tries to negotiate on its No. 1 priority — return of the Russia-held islands off Hokkaido.
"It's important to talk about the global economic turmoil. But if we go too deep into that, we will run out of time," a Foreign Ministry official said of Prime Minister Taro Aso's summit with President Dmitry Medvedev.