Russia, Japan to sign a number of agreements

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Russia and Japan will sign 28 agreements following the Moscow visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan Hiroshige Seko said.

The minister especially emphasized an agreement on changing the regime of bilateral taxation, agreement between Russian R-Pharm and Japanese Mitsui, agreement on the construction of an international airport in Khabarovsk and agreement to lift the ban on the export of processed chicken meat from Russia to Japan.

"I will continue to strive for good results of the Japanese-Russian cooperation so that the implementation of our plans would have created a favorable cycle in the development of our relations both in the economy and in the political sphere," Seko said.

The new convention should replace the current "Convention on the avoidance of double taxation", which was signed by the USSR and Japan in 1986.

This new Convention reinforces or introduces provisions for the purposes of clarifying the scope of taxation in the two countries, eliminating international double taxation and preventing tax evasion and avoidance, according to Japanese Foreign Ministry.

The Ministry noted that the convention will be signed after passing the necessary procedure, and will come into force after ratification by the parliaments of both countries.

Russia and Japan have been holding consultations since the mid-20th century in order to clinch a peace treaty as a follow-up to World War II. The Kuril Islands issue remains the sticking point since after WWII the islands were handed over to the Soviet Union while Japan has laid claims to the four southern islands.

In 1956, the two countries signed a common declaration on ending the state of war and restoring diplomatic and all other relations, but the islands issue was not solved. At the same time, the Soviet Union expressed readiness to hand the Shikotan and Habomai islands over to Japan as a gesture of goodwill but the plan was never implemented.