TOKYO DENIES SOFTENING ITS POSITION ON TERRITORIAL DISPUTE.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman on January 4 denied a newspaper report claiming that Tokyo intends to concentrate on expanding its political dialogue with Russia, to the exclusion of its long-standing dispute with Moscow over ownership of the Kuril Islands. The spokesman said that Japan’s policy toward Russia continues to aim at resolving the territorial dispute, concluding a peace treaty, and normalizing bilateral relations. (Kyodo, January 4)

Yeltsin to Visit the Hague.