Japan and Russia's lingering tensions have prevented them ever signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties. (File Photo)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today met Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rare visit by a G7 leader as the two sides sought to bolster ties and make progress on a decades-long territorial dispute.
"Japan is not just our neighbour, it is a very important partner for us in the Asian-Pacific region," Putin told Abe at the start of the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Tokyo-Moscow relations are hamstrung by a row dating back to the end of World War II when Soviet troops seized the four southernmost islands in the Pacific Kuril chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan.
Japan and Russia's lingering tensions have prevented them ever signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities, hindering trade and investment ties.
"We have certain questions that demand special attention, maybe for this reason we must devote special attention to building relationships," Putin said.
Abe called for the two sides to "frankly exchange opinions" on issues that "are not just bilateral, like politics including the question of concluding a peace treaty, about diplomacy, but the major international ones that stand in front of us and the whole world."
The Kremlin has dismissed hopes of any major breakthrough towards resolving the dispute being made at Friday's meeting but has played up Abe's visit as a symbol of warming ties despite Western attempts to isolate Putin.
Both sides have mooted the possibility of starting negotiations on signing a peace treaty, with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida saying in April that they could begin "as soon as possible" after the leaders met.
His Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on a visit to Tokyo last month said Russia wants to "move forward" in relations, but is not prepared to budge on the "result of World War II".