News reports from several sources in Japan point to cooperation between the two nations
– By Linton Levy –
According to an AFP report, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has told Japanese media his country expects to sign a nuclear power pact with Japan during his visit to Japan. In an interview with Japanese media in Moscow, Putin said he would also present a list of economic cooperation projects during his three-day visit beginning today.
Japan and Russia are in the final phase of talks over a pact to promote the non-military use of nuclear power, such as for electricity generation. Various government-level agreements will be signed between Tokyo and Moscow as well as between private entities during his visit, he said, adding that a nuclear cooperation deal is also "expected to be signed."
The pact will pave the way for Tokyo to entrust Moscow with uranium enrichment and allow Japan to export nuclear power plant technology to Russia, Kyodo News said. Calling Japan an "important partner in promoting exchanges based on cutting-edge technologies," Putin said other potential projects would embrace sectors such as automotive, energy, aerospace, communications, chemicals, and steel, according to the Nikkei business daily.
Although Putin did not mention the number of projects on the list, sources said there are around 200, according to Nikkei. The former Russian leader also said Moscow is ready to talk with Tokyo on the nations' long-standing territorial dispute over a group of former Japanese islands seized by Soviet troops in the closing days of World War II. Still, he did not go into specifics about the islands known in Japan as the Northern Territories and referred to in Russia as the Southern Kurils.