Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Britain on July 8.

Putin will visit Japan following an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit on Nov. 18 and 19 in Pusan, South Korea. It will be his first Japan visit since 2000.

During a meeting with Putin on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit in Britain, Koizumi was reported to have asked Putin to support Japan's joint bid -- with Brazil, Germany and India -- to expand the U.N. Security Council.

Putin stopped short of meeting Koizumi's request, saying the reform proposal presented by the Group of Four nations to the U.N. General Assembly secretariat has yet to gather broader support among other U.N. member states, according to the official.

Putin's planned visit to Japan has been a major topic in domestic political circles, with some hoping the event helps reactivate bilateral negotiations over a long-standing territorial dispute, as well as leading to the signing of a World War II peace treaty.

The Japan Times Weekly: July 16, 2005
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