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Russian president to visit Japan on Nov 20-22
Japan and Russia agreed that President Vladimir Putin would visit Japan on November 20-22 for talks on a formal treaty to end a land dispute left over from World War II. Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made the arrangements during a 30-minute meeting on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit here, marred by terrorist attacks in London. Russia and Japan remain at loggerheads over the southern Kuril islands that were seized by Moscow at the end of the war, an act that has since prevented the two neighbors from signing a peace treaty.
Russia has suggested handing back to Japan two of the four Kuril islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories and lie just off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Japan, however, has demanded the return of all four of the islands, where Soviet troops evicted Japanese residents at the end of the war and brought in Russian settlers. Koizumi offered his full support here for Russia's upcoming leadership of the Group of Eight and its plans to host next year's group summit, including security measures in the wake of the London undergound and bus attacks earlier in the day. "I feel furious anger at the fact that terrorist attacks occurred on the opening day of this summit," Koizumi told Putin. "I would like to offer our maximum backing to a success in next year's summit." Putin thanked Koizumi for the offer, the official added. London police said explosions ripped through three underground trains and a bus, killing at least 37 people and injuring some 700 in a wave of bomb attacks. Putin, in return, repeated his support for Tokyo's bid to secure a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, currently occupied by Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The Russian president also said he intended to support a UN resolution prepared by Brazil, Germany, Japan and India on enlarging the Security Council "if it wins broad support." The four nations are proposing four new permanent UN Security Council seats for themselves and two seats for Africa.
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