TOKYO, June 13. /TASS/. Japan plans to step up cooperation with Russian businessmen, participants of the meeting of Japanese public-private Coordination council promoting bilateral ties between the countries, said Tuesday.

The country’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko, Deputy Chief Secretary of Japan’s Cabinet of Ministers Kotaro Nogami, Eiichi Hasegawa, special adviser to the prime minister, and other officials attended the meeting.

"Following the meeting (the participants) agreed to further deepen the public-private partnership in order to develop the relations between Japan and Russia," Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe put forward an eight-point cooperation plan to develop the relations with Russia during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on May 6, 2016. The plan includes efforts to foster relations between Japan and Russia in the energy sector, small and medium-sized businesses, the promotion of industrialization of the Far East, expansion of the export base, as well as the proposal to strengthen cooperation in the cutting-edge technologies, including nuclear energy, and the sphere of humanitarian exchanges. Later 30 priority projects for cooperation were defined.

Following the Russian President’s visit to Japan on December 15-16, 2016 and his meetings with Japanese PM a joint statement was adopted, which said that the beginning of consultations on joint economic activities on the South Kuril Islands would be an important step towards signing a peace treaty by the two neighbors.