Putin: Abe and Yamaguchi

putin: In Yamaguchi, Abe home region, the two leaders are expected to discuss the dispute over the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, according to The Japan Times. The territorial issue has prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a post-World War II peace treaty. Putin will attend a gathering hosted by Keidanren, the nation most influential business lobby group, on Dec. 16 in Tokyo, a day after holding talks with Abe in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the source said Monday. While the Abe government is keen to make use of Putin visit to move forward on the island row, it had wanted him to only visit Yamaguchi. Abe proposed an eight-point plan as part of bilateral economic cooperation to Putin in May, reflecting the government hope that the financial assistance would grease the wheels of discussion over the island dispute. The Tokyo leg is being included due to Moscow desire to highlight the benefits of bilateral economic cooperation, the source said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.