Japan, Russia agree on 'concrete' steps to end territorial row

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081123/wl_asia_afp/apecsummitrussiajapan_081123025602

Sat Nov 22, 9:56 pm ET AFP/File – File photo shows a general view of Korsakov port in Sakhalin, part of the disputed Kuril chain of islands … LIMA (AFP) – Japan and Russia have agreed to take "concrete" steps toward resolving a territorial dispute, while urging North Korea to show a clear plan for junking its nuclear program, an official said.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took office in September, held his first talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Lima on Saturday.


"As for the territorial issue ... we agreed to order government officials to begin concrete work," said a Japanese government official, who attended the APEC talks.

Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty to formally end World War II due to Tokyo's claims over four islands which Soviet troops seized in 1945 off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Aso and Medvedev also called on North Korea to clarify steps it would take to denuclearize under a six-nation aid-for-disarmament pact.

"As for the North Korean issue, we agreed on the need for a document to practically verify" Pyongyang's declearization process, the Japanese official said.