Asahi wrote that National Security Secretariat Secretary General Kitamura is likely to visit Russia in mid-January for talks with senior Russian officials on the Northern Territories dispute. The top Kantei security official will visit Washington later this week and meet with his U.S. and South Korean counterparts. Kitamura also plans to accompany Prime Minister Abe on his trip to the Middle East that will begin on Jan. 11 before heading to Moscow on Jan. 15.