31 May
The Japanese and Russian foreign ministers on Friday ended their negotiations on a peace treaty and economic cooperation on the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.
Taro Kono and Sergey Lavrov met in Tokyo as officials in charge of the peace treaty negotiations that began in January.
Kono started off the meeting by saying he hopes to speak frankly about the issues, including a peace treaty and economic cooperation on the four islands, ahead of next month's Japan-Russia summit.
Lavrov said the two countries should expand their economic cooperation and promote international activities to raise the bilateral relationship.
They likely discussed a wide range of issues, including the sovereignty of the four islands and national security.
NHK
