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Sharing a growing concern over China’s military buildup, Japan and Russia are set to deepen bilateral ties by holding their first so-called two-plus-two meeting of foreign and defense ministers Saturday in Tokyo. The four ministers are expected to discuss ways to broaden security cooperation and deepen mutual trust amid the changing security landscape in Asia. Japan hopes as well for a breakthrough in the territorial stalemate over four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, a dispute that has prevented the signing of a peace treaty for the past 68 years. Russia, which shares a border more than 4,000 km long with China,...

The Russian-Japanese relations are going through tough times. There is no war, but there is no peace treaty either. The current state of affairs has to do with the fact that the Russian state border in the Kuriles was not recognized by Japan and a number of other countries. Over 65 years this border has not been legally protected. These islands can be called a conflict and destabilizing point in the Asia -Pacific region. The Russian and Japanese leaders discussed issues of bilateral relations on October 7th. According to the press-secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, the parties paid...

(Reuters) - Two Russian bombers briefly entered Japan's air space near its major southern island of Kyushu on Thursday, prompting Japan to scramble its fighter jets and lodge a protest, the Japanese government said, but Russia denied any intrusion. The two TU-95 bombers spent less than two minutes in Japan's airspace, in the first such incursion since February, when two Russian fighter jets entered Japan's air space near its main northern island of Hokkaido, the Japanese defense ministry said. Japan scrambled F-2 combat jets in response. But Russia denied any intrusion. "Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers conducted routine flights over the...

TOKYO, July 16 (RIA Novosti) - Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force had to scramble fighter jets in response to flights by Russian military aircraft near Japanese airspace and over the disputed Kuril Islands on Monday, local media reported. Two Tu-95 Bear bombers flew over the Sea of Japan moving from the Korean Peninsula, and proceeded along the Japanese archipelago to the north of Hokkaido. Another plane, the IL-20, flew over the Kuril Islands, NHK television said late Monday citing the Defense Ministry. According to Japanese officials, the Russian aircraft had not violated the country’s airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry later said...

KUSHIRO, HOKKAIDO – Russian President Vladimir Putin might visit one of the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan next week, a person affiliated with a group of former residents who just returned from visiting the islands said Monday. Toyama Prefectural Assemblyman Hisayoshi Ono, who headed the group, said he had heard from Lev Sedikh, chief of Anama village on Shikotan — one of the islands in question — that Putin could visit either Shikotan or Kunashiri next Monday. The other two disputed islands are Etorofu and the Habomai group of islets. At a press conference in Nemuro, Hokkaido, Ono said...

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – Russia’s state-owned gas company Gazprom and a Japanese joint venture signed a memorandum Saturday to build a liquefied natural gas production base in the suburbs of Vladivostok and jointly sell LNG in Japan. Gazprom aims to expand in Asia amid falling sales in Europe, while Japan Far East Gas Co. hopes to lower LNG procurement costs by participating in building the production base. The joint venture was established in December 2010 by Itochu Corp., Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Marubeni Corp., INPEX Corp. and Itochu Oil Exploration Co.