Russia hopes Japan will engage in calm discussions on possible conclusion of a long-awaited peace treaty, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday, local reports said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has inspected the disputed northern islands off Hokkaido from the air. The islands, which are called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, have blocked a peace treaty between the two countries since the end of World War II.