Pacific islands dispute: Russia sees Japan's obligations to allies as 'important topic'

Japan's obligations to its allies are an important topic in talks with Russia over four disputed Pacific islands, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Japan's Asahi newspaper reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Putin the United States would not put troops on the islands if they are handed over to Japan.

"The subject of Japan's obligations to its allies is quite important in the context of discussing the problem of the peace treaty," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He did not elaborate on what Abe told Russian President Vladimir Putin this week in Singapore.