Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Monday expressed hope to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the two countries will start afresh in talks over a long-standing territorial dispute concerning islands off Hokkaido, the Foreign Ministry said.
In a 5-minute telephone conversation, Noda told Putin, who won the Russian presidential election on Sunday, that he wants to "wisely" settle the territorial row, while referring to the judo term "hajime," meaning "begin," the Japanese ministry said. (Mainichi)
↧