The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Lima

The leaders of Japan and Russia pledged Saturday to take concrete steps to resolve a territorial dispute, saying they wanted normal ties after a row that has endured for decades.

Russia and Japan have never signed a peace treaty to formally end World War II due to Tokyo's claims over four islands which Soviet troops seized in 1945 off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who took office in September, raised the island dispute in his first talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Lima.

"We have to define the border otherwise this problem will remain an element of destabilization in the region," Aso told Medvedev at the start of the meeting.

"I know you're a lawyer so you know about this. I would like to normalize Russian-Japanese relations."

Medvedev replied: "There are no unresolvable problems. You see the delegations here. Let them do something useful and make an effort."

While not revealing specifics, a Japanese government official said the two leaders ordered government officials "to begin concrete work."

"President Medvedev said he has no intention to leave the resolution of the issue to the next generation," the official said.

Medvedev said "although resistance by bureaucrats exists around the world, we can resolve the issue with the leaders' goodwill," according to the Japanese official.

The two countries agreed to launch "intensive, political dialogue on leaders' level" between the two countries, including a visit by Russia's powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Japan early next year.

"I like such frank dialogue," Medvedev was quoted by the Japanese official as telling Aso. "I want to hold such dialogue quite often."