Russia, Japan discuss disputed island territory

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L) shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso during a meeting in the Far Eastern city of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk February 18, 2009.
　　TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on an island near disputed resource-rich maritime territory Wednesday, hoping to make progress toward resolving a dispute lingering since World war II.
　　It is the first time a Japanese premier has set foot on the island of Sakhalin, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo, since Russia claimed a series of nearby small islands in the final days of World War II, Japan's Foreign Ministry said. The island is only 30 miles (50 kilometers) from Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido.www.examda.com
　　 Aso said he hopes the visit will strengthen strategic relations with Russia and lay the groundwork for a settlement of the row, which has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending the war.
　　"I think this is an important step," Aso told reporters, without specifying concrete measures toward a resolution.
　　The area in question is a cluster of islands between the two countries, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and the southern Kurils in Russia, amid rich fishing grounds and billions of dollars worth of undersea gas and oil reserves.
　　Sakhalin, the site of Wednesday's meeting, is just northwest of the contested area.
　　Kyodo News agency reported that the two leaders vowed to seek a speedy solution and agreed to a visit to Japan by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in May.www.examda.com
　　 During the day trip, Aso was also to attend the inauguration of Russia's first liquefied natural gas plant, part of the $22 billion Sakhalin-2 oil and natural gas development project in which Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. have stakes.
　　The project, which is expected to contribute 7 percent of Japan's annual liquid natural gas imports, is seen as a key option for energy-poor Japan, virtually all of whose oil imports come from the Middle East.

此文章由小虹提供，佳禾外语进行整理。　

大连佳禾外语培训学校近期开班
课程名称 (点击查看更多班型)	试听	开课时间	班型	优惠价(元)	在线报名
N2级考前强化冲刺高分班		03-28	周六全天	960
N1级高分秘笈强化冲刺班		03-28	周日全天	1080