Asahi wrote that Russian President Putin attended a ceremony in Vladivostok early Thursday morning to mark the start of operations at a new seafood processing factory on Shikotan in the Northern Territories. Noting that Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Abe on Thursday afternoon in Vladivostok, the paper speculated that the move by the Russia leader was intended to demonstrate Russia’s intention to continue unilateral development of the Northern Territories.