Japan and Russia are exploring the idea of conducting cruises around the Moscow-held, Tokyo-claimed islands off Hokkaido as part of envisioned joint economic activities, a diplomatic source said Monday.

The two countries will hold a vice foreign ministerial meeting Thursday in Moscow to discuss joint activities before their leaders meet in Vladivostok in early September.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in December 2016 to start joint economic activities on the islands. Japan hopes the activities pave the way for settling the decades-old territorial dispute, while Russia hopes to attract Japanese investments.

However, as the two sides remain far apart in their stances on sovereignty over the islands, they would need to work out ways to conduct joint activities in a way that does not raise judicial problems.

A group of Japanese government officials and experts from the public and private sectors visited the islands in late June to study possibilities for joint activities, including tourism.

I saw its potential as a tourism resource, Eiichi Hasegawa, a special adviser to Abe, told reporters at the time.

The disputed islands have an ecosystem similar to the neighboring Shiretoko Peninsula of Hokkaido, a scenic UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.

The islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group were seized by the Soviet Union after Japan surrendered in August 1945, ending World War II.

The territorial dispute has prevented the two countries from ever signing a postwar peace treaty.

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Japan, Russia mull cruises around disputed islands as part of joint economic activities - The Japan Times