Koizumi risks new spat with Russia
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The Japanese prime minister risked causing a diplomatic incident with Moscow yesterday by taking a boat trip to inspect islands that have been at the centre of a territorial dispute since the second world war.
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Will Japanese PM stir controversy with his New Year's day visit to a shrine honoring war criminals?
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Tensions among the Russians are on the increase as they compete for trophies, commercial opportunities and visibility.
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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi says he hopes to win over China and other Asian nations which are hesitant about Tokyo's bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.
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Russia has begun making overtures to Japan to end a 48-year-old territorial dispute over the Southern Kurile Islands, the Novosti news agency said Monday.
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Japan tried to reassure Russia about its missile defense ties with the United States on Tuesday, after Moscow expressed opposition to Tokyo's involvement in the system earlier this month.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed fears over the threat of war in Iran after talks with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner.Both ministers are meeting in Moscow, where Iran's nuclear program is topping their agenda. On Sunday, Mr Kouchner had raised tensions with Iran, saying: "We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war." Clarifying comments he made on Sunday, Mr Kouchner said today in Moscow that war was the "worst that could happen".
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Japan protested to Moscow after a Russian  military plane intruded into Japanese air space over the Izu  Islands south of Tokyo on Saturday, a Japanese foreign ministry  official said.
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The beheading of a Japanese hostage in Iraq renewed pressure on Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to withdraw his country&#39;s troops, as the opposition blamed his pro-US policy for the slaying.
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Japan on Tuesday warned it might sanctions against North Korea after accusing the communist country of failing to properly investigate the fates of Japanese citizens it kidnapped years ago.
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Japan should strengthen its alliance with the United States and allow weapons exports to its ally in light of fresh threats to world security, a panel of experts advised Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Jordanian King Abdullah II expressed deep concerns about the full glare of an escalating Middle East crisis.
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Japan's PM Junichiro Koizumi takes a boat trip to view the Russian-held Kuril islands, which Tokyo lays claim to.
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Japan's foreign minister visits Russia for talks aimed at improving ties damaged by the Kuril Islands dispute.
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A growing rift between Russia and Britain over the London murder of a former Russian agent prompted warnings Thursday of a full scale diplomatic conflict, complete with tit-for-tat expulsions.
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Russia has signalled readiness for compromise in a long-standing territorial dispute with Japan over four islands in the Kuril chain.
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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made the pledge after talks with visiting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. The Japanese government is under pressure to impose sanctions over a row concerning kidnapped Japanese.