Japan's Abe Wants To Advance Peace Agreement With Russia During His Term

Umer Jamshaid Published July 21, 2019 | 09:50 PM

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2019) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Sunday that he would like to move forward in concluding the peace agreement with Russia within his term in office as Japan votes to elect its parliament's upper house.

On Sunday, Japan holds elections to its upper parliamentary chamber, the House of Councilors. Exit polls suggest that Abe's ruling coalition of the Liberal Democrats (LDP) and Komeito party has secured enough seats to keep control of the upper house.

"I would like to advance in concluding [the peace agreement with Russia] within my term," Abe said, as quoted by the NHK broadcaster.

Russia and Japan have not signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II. The dispute over the Kuril Islands � referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan � has been one of the main stumbling blocks in the peace talks.

In 1956, Moscow and Tokyo signed a joint declaration that provided for the restoration of bilateral relations after the end of World War II.

The Soviet Union also agreed to consider handing over two out four disputed islands � Habomai and Shikotan � to Japan.

For Japan, the declaration did not amount to dropping sovereignty claims over all four islands. Moscow's official position is that the peace agreement cannot be signed until Tokyo recognizes the WWII results.

In November 2018, Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to speed up the negotiations on the long-pending peace agreement, but there has been little progress on the issue ever since. Moscow and Tokyo held a number of the so-called 2+2 format talks between ministers of foreign affairs and defense. In June, the two leaders discussed the issue again during the G20 summit in Osaka. Some of the results include launching joint economic projects on the disputed islands and arranging the visit of former Japanese residents of the Kuril Islands to the tombs of their relatives.