Japan and Russia are mulling the release of a statement calling for talks on joint economic activities on Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands following the leaders' bilateral meeting next week, Japanese government sources said.
The envisioned joint statement, to be issued after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Thursday and Friday in Japan, will also note the expansion of human exchanges and a plan to develop the islands at the heart of a decades-old territorial row, the sources said Wednesday.
Japan hopes engaging in joint activities on the islands will help advance talks on the territorial dispute, which has prevented the two nations from signing a post-World War II peace treaty, the sources said.