Yomiuri wrote that the GOJ on Monday conveyed to Moscow its apprehension about Prime Minister Medvedev’s decision to give Russian names to three small uninhabited islands in the disputed Northern Territories.   In a related story, Yomiuri wrote that Foreign Minister Kishida is likely to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Lavrov on the margins of the G20 foreign ministerial….Read more

Mainichi wrote from Moscow that a senior Russian official told a Russian journalist on Thursday that Japan and Russia will probably hold a 2+2 meeting of foreign and defense ministers in the first half of this year. The two nations held their first 2+2 meeting in Tokyo in November 2013 but have not held another one since Russia’s intervention in….Read more

The question is whether the Science Council of Japan’s latest move will pose an unnecessary hindrance to the advancement in scientific technology.   An exploratory committee of the SCJ, the representative organization of scientists, has put together an interim report intended to impose restraints on studies related to security.   To that end, the report called for establishing a system….Read more

Most papers wrote that the GOJ established a new interagency panel on Tuesday tasked with working out the details of “joint economic activities” in the Northern Territories. Japan and Russia plan to hold the first official meeting on the matter in Tokyo on March 14.

Mainichi wrote that the GOJ is planning to create later this week an interagency panel tasked with working out the details of “joint economic activities” with Russia in the disputed Northern Territories. The taskforce will begin internal discussions ahead of the full-fledged negotiations on the economic initiative with the Russian government that will commence in March. 

All papers reported on a meeting held yesterday in Moscow between high-ranking Japanese and Russian diplomats, during which they agreed to launch interagency “formal talks” to work out the details of the agreed-upon “joint economic activities” in the Northern Territories. The first session will be held in Tokyo in March.

On Jan. 31, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, at the Prime Minister’s Office [Kantei]. The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in such fields as peace, development, the environment, and the abolition of nuclear weapons. Prime Minister Abe said, “I hope Pope Francis will visit Japan….Read more

At a press conference on Jan. 27, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he will consider meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the fringes of the G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in Bonn, Germany, in mid-February.  

TV Asahi reported at noon that Foreign Minister Kishida announced this morning that top diplomats of Japan and Russia will meet in Moscow on Feb. 1 to discuss the details of the agreed-upon launch of “joint economic activities” on the Northern Territories and expanded “visa-free” travel to the contested islets by Japanese journalists and others. Kishida reportedly expressed hope for….Read more