Japanese prime minister vows to resolve territorial dispute over Kuril Islands
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to move step by step toward the resolution of the territorial dispute with Russia regarding the Kuril Islands.

"It is not easy to resolve the issue that remains 73 years after the war. However, we must do it. I will work on resolving the territorial dispute step by step," Abe said.

The Japanese prime minister reminded that after his visit to Moscow in January this year, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin tasked the respective foreign ministers to hold the next round of talks on the peace treaty in February. Abe said that he expects to hold another meeting with Putin in June, when the Japanese city of Osaka will host the G20 summit.

For decades, Moscow and Tokyo have been negotiating a peace treaty after World War II. The main stumbling block is the status of the southern part of the Kuril Islands. After World War II, the whole archipelago became part of the Soviet Union. However, Tokyo disputes Russia's sovereignty over Iturup, Kunashir and Shikotan Islands as well as a number of smaller uninhabited islands called the Habomai Islands in Japan.