Japanese PM says considering visit to Kuril Islands

TOKYO. November 17 KAZINFORM Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Wednesday that a possible visit to the disputed Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan, deserved careful consideration. Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

"Given how important the prime minister's visit [to the islands] is, it must be considered seriously. At the moment I do not have any concrete plans," Kan said in a speech to the Japanese parliament.

Earlier this month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev aggravated a long-standing dispute over four of the islands, by becoming the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit one of them.

Both countries have laid claims to the islands since they were occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and the dispute has prevented them from signing a peace treaty to formally end wartime hostilities.

Last week Medvedev met with Kan during the APEC summit in the Japanese city of Yokohama. Medvedev invited Kan to visit "any part of Russia, including the Far East."

Kan said he "wanted to develop friendly relations between Russia and Japan on a basis of trust, as between two partners." Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version