Japan confirms meeting of Shinzo Abe and Putin

Japan has officially confirmed the upcoming visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Russia, the Kyodo news agency reports.

Abe will talk with President Vladimir Putin on bilateral relations, including a territorial dispute over four Russian-held islets off Hokkaido, and international issues, the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference.

Media reports in February claimed that the US President Barack Obama had requested Abe to not visit Russia.