Putin calls for peace treaty with Japan - but turns down Tokyo’s offer of a mate for his dog

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Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for an interview with his dog Yume, which he was given as a puppy by Japan in 2012 in return for Russia’s help after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:55pm, 13 Dec 2016Updated: 11:39pm, 13 Dec 2016

President Vladimir Putin said Russia would strive to reach an elusive deal on a territorial dispute and normalise relations with Japan ahead of his visit to the country later this week.

Putin will arrive in Japan on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the hope of breaking the ice on an agreement over the Kuril Islands, seized by Soviet troops in 1945 and demanded back by Tokyo ever since.

The dispute has prevented the countries from signing a formal treaty to end the second world war and has hampered their bilateral ties.

“The absence of a peace treaty between Russia and Japan is an anachronism inherited from the past and this anachronism should be eliminated,” Putin said in an interview with Japan’s Nippon TV and Yomiuri newspaper, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.

“But how to do this is a difficult question.”

Then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev walks near Soviet-era fortifications during his visit to one of the Kuril islands in 2010. Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Japan this week to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the latest bid to reach an elusive deal on a territorial dispute that has prevented their nations signing a formal treaty to end the second world war. File photo: AFP

Putin said the absence of a peace treaty was impacting bilateral relations.