In the afternoon of October 31, DP President Renho met with Ambassador of the Russian Federation Evgeny Vladimirovich Afanasiev at party headquarters.
At the start of the meeting, Renho expressed her appreciation to the Ambassador for his visit and Afanasiev congratulated her on her appointment as party President before stating that a relationship of trust between Japan and Russia needed to be built on a variety of exchanges at different levels.
The two discussed bilateral negotiations toward a peace treaty and the Northern Territories issue, and Afanasiev explained the importance of obtaining a consensus from the people of both countries. Renho stated that there was no change in Japan’s stance that the four islands of the Northern Territories are Japanese territory, and touched on the importance for the two nations to build a relationship of trust and to work to create a solution that would be accepted as the best answer by the people of both countries.
Discussion also took place on the DP’s basic stance regarding nuclear power.
DP Next Vice Minister for the Abduction Issue Shinkun Haku, who serves as Secretary General of the Japan-Russian Parliamentary Friendship League, and had also attended the meeting, commented on the importance of bipartisan exchanges between Japan and Russia.
The meeting was also attended by DP International Department Director General Hiroe Makiyama.