Russian-Japanese cooperation discussed in St.Petersburg

Russia's and Japan's cooperation in preserving peace and safety in the 21st century and fighting international terrorism, as well as cultural cooperation are being discussed at the second Russian-Japanese forum "The Outlook of Russian-Japanese Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region", held on May 20-21 in St.Petersburg. Counteracting illegal drug trafficking combating international criminal groups are on the agenda, as RIA Novosti learned in the centre for strategic research, one of the forum's initiators. Organizing cultural exchange between the two countries is yet another priority. Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Losyukov and the Japanese government's special envoy Tatsuo Arima are the forum's co-chairmen. Other participants are scientists and representatives of ministries, departments and cultural institutions of the two countries. The first Russian-Japanese forum was held in May 2001 and was devoted to economic cooperation between the two countries.