Japan's PM planning to hold bilateral talks with Putin in Mid-May

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is planning to meet bilaterally with Russia's President-elect Vladimir Putin in mid-May on the sidelines of this year's Group of Eight summit, in the hope of reviving talks aimed at resolving a territorial dispute dating back to the end of World War II, Japan's News Agency (Kyodo) reported Tuesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, speaking at a news conference, did not rule out the possibility of Noda having one-to-one talks with Putin, who voiced his desire to settle the issue concerning the sovereignty of four islands off Hokkaido in a mutually acceptable manner ahead of Russia's presidential election on Sunday. The G-8 summit will be held at US President Barack Obama's Camp David retreat in Maryland on May 18-19.