According to the former Prime Minister, Russia also wants to solve the problem of the peace treaty and strengthen its relations with Japan in the medium and long term.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hopes that his successor, Yoshihide Suga, will be able to intensify negotiations with Russia and resolve the peace treaty issue. He said this in an interview with the Yomiuru newspaper published on Wednesday.
“Negotiations where national interests collide cannot be easy. However, we must not ignore the territorial issue. I hope that under Prime Minister Suga, negotiations will intensify and a peace treaty between Japan and Russia will be concluded,” he said.
According to Abe, Russia also wants “to solve the [peace treaty] problem and strengthen relations with Japan in the medium and long term.
Since December 2012, Japan’s former prime minister has held 27 meetings with the Russian president. Abe announced his resignation in August and Yoshihide Suga became the new Prime Minister on 16 September.