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M. Continuo

Russia, Japan to step up efforts to end territorial dispute


    MOSCOW (Reuters) - The leaders of Russia and Japan agreed on Monday to increase efforts to resolve a territorial dispute that has prevented the nations signing a peace treaty to end World War Two.

    "We have instructed our Foreign Ministries to step up contacts on working out mutually acceptable options" for an end to the dispute, President Vladimir Putin said after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

    They gave no indication that the meeting had produced any further progress towards a resolution of the dispute over four Pacific islands which Russia calls the Southern Kuriles and Japan calls the Northern Territories.

    (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Timothy Heritage)