Moscow and Tokyo Reached Mutual Understanding on Key International Security Issues

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, who is on a visit to Japan, has stated that during the visit the sides managed to reach "mutual understanding on key international security issues." The Russian and Japanese sides compared their positions and became convinced that on most problems these positions "are close or coincide," the minister told the press. In his words, this refers, in particular, to the problems of the Korean peninsula. Japan and Russia consider that it must preserve its nuclear-free status, added Ivanov.

In his words, all problems related to Korea should be solved by political and diplomatic means within the framework of the UN, "however, first of all, with the participation of the states that directly adjoin this region." During the visit, the Russian defense minister met with the country's prime minister and the head of the national defense agency, and visited the Yokosuka naval base and a Japanese warship.

In Ivanov's words, during the talks the sides discussed the need to hold joint exercises and maneuvers more often "so that this region would be reliably defended." On the whole, Ivanov expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation between the Russian defense ministry and Japan's national defense agency.