Vladimir Putin has arrived in Japan for a summit aimed at seeking progress on a territorial row that’s soured relations between the two countries.<br /><br /> The Russian president was met by Japan’s foreign minister Fumio Kishida, before talks began with Shinzo Abe at Nagato in the prime minister’s home constituency.<br /><br /> The two leaders are likely to seek agreements on economic cooperation – although Tokyo has ruled out any accord that would undermine Western unity on sanctions against Moscow.<br /><br /> The disputed islands in the western Pacific are known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kuriles. <br /><br /> They were seized by Soviet forces at the end of World War II, forcing some 17,000 Japanese residents to flee. The row has blocked a peace treaty formally ending the conflict.<br /><br /> Japan’s prime minister has pledged to resolve the dispute to build better ties with Russia and counter rising Chinese influence.<br /><br /> But a deal carries risks for Putin who doesn’t want to damage his domestic image of being a staunch defender of Russian sovereignty.<br /><br /> The islands also have strategic value for Moscow, ensuring naval access to the western Pacific.<br />
