FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Abe and Putin To Inaugurate ‘The Year of Japan in Russia’
Jan. 26, 2018 (EIRNS)—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today that he intends to expand cooperation with Russia over this year.
"We plan to expand cooperation with Russia in various sectors, first of all regarding the North Korean issue and bilateral exchanges, for example, (as part of the cross) Year (of Culture) between Russia and Japan,"
he said, reported TASS.
He stated that his government will continue consultations with Moscow regarding joint economic activities on the Kuril Islands and simplified trips for their former inhabitants. "We will continue vigorous talks with Russia for solving the issue of the four islands and reaching a peace treaty," Abe stressed.
Abe was referring to the countries’ designating 2018 as the "Russia-Japan Year of Culture," which will be inaugurated on May 26 in a ceremony at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater, which both Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend. Toshio Yamamoto, of the Communication Department in Japan’s Embassy in Moscow, told TASS: Numerous events in different sectors will be held across Russia throughout this year and even longer through efforts of the governments and with the participation of countries’ private organizations. The opening ceremony that will be held on May 26, and a major exhibition of Edo Period art, whose objects rarely leave Japan, will follow.
Yamamoto elaborated:
"Cultural exchanges are gaining pace, but it is important to bolster exchanges among a maximally wide range of people, in order to better utilize the potential of cultivating bilateral relations."
EIR’s friend Daisuke Kotegawa said that the May 26 Bolshoi event will be surrounded by other international events, including:
May 22-24: A Conference organized by the Far East Institute at the State University of St. Petersburg, headed by Kotegawa, with guest speakers from across Asia;
May 24-26: The annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) with guests from around the world;
May 25: An annual concert at the SPIEF conducted by Valery Gergiev;
May 26: The ceremony at the Bolshoi Theater.
