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.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.