JAPAN-RUSSIA-DIPLOMACY

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara in a Japan Coast Guard airplane inspects the four disputed Russian-held Kuril islands, known as Northern Territories in Japan, off the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido on December 4, 2010. Maehara flew near bitterly disputed islands with Russia and overlooked them in an apparent demonstration to underscore its claim. The Kuril Islands lie north of Japan and have been controlled by Moscow since they were seized by Soviet troops in 1945. JAPAN OUT AFP PHOTO/JAPAN POOL