Talks between Japanese, Russian leaders ‘moving towards peace treaty’ – Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin were moving towards a peace treaty. Abe said after a meeting with Putin in Vladivostok that the head of Japan’s self-defense forces would visit Russia in October, Reuters reported. Russia and Japan have not signed a peace treaty since World War II because of a dispute concerning Russia’s Pacific islands, the South Kurils. It was also necessary to resolve a problem relating to the kidnapping of Japanese citizens by North Korea, Abe said, adding that that he had received Putin’s support on this.