Japan, Russia Were Very Close to Signing Peace Treaty in Fall 2018, Abe Says - Sputnik International

Japan and Russia were very close to signing a peace treaty in the Fall of 2018, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Nikkei newspaper in an interview published on Saturday.

"There was a feeling that we were approaching the talks aimed at signing the peace treaty," Abe said.

He expected to dismiss both chambers of the Japanese parliament to learn the will of the people.

Abe stressed that, during the 2016 visit to Japan, Russian President Vladimir Putin had the intention of finding a solution to the years-long dispute. From the Japanese prime minister's point of view, the countries were especially close to signing a peace treaty in November of 2018.

    Abe added that escalated tensions in relations between Russia and the United States over Crimea had earlier prevented Moscow and Tokyo from signing a peace treaty.