MOSCOW, January 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Japan will hold a joint naval exercise in October 2006, Russia's defense minister said Friday.
Sergei Ivanov, who is also a deputy prime minister, said: "A major unit of the Pacific Fleet's ships will arrive in October 2006 at the Japanese port of Maizuru to practice rescue and other operations."
He was speaking after talks with Japan's Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga.
Although Russia and Japan are still involved in a territorial dispute that dates back to World War II and are yet to sign an official peace treaty, Ivanov said Japanese and Russian military delegations would exchange visits in February and April-May 2006.
The minister said he and Nukaga had agreed to boost regular military exchanges, including in the environmental sphere.
"On the whole, we agreed to make contacts between our land and naval forces closer, and more regular," Ivanov said.
