declad the enof what e ama admiionalled stratic paence a didn't rul out the possibity of usi for againsthe rth. top offials fro japan and ruia haveenwoing to improve relions beten their tw untrie thapanese foreign minister spoke with his russian counterpart entokyo on monday. >> translator: i want to discuss a range of issues with an eye on our prime minister's visit to russia at an early date this year. >> sergey lavrov says he believes economic cooperation is a key condition for signing a peace treaty between the two countries. japanese prime minister s shinz abe and r russian president vladimir putin tououched on t t subjecect when they met i in decembmber. they agreed to start talking about joint economic activitiei onon four russian controlled islands that japan claims. tomomi inada and sergei have held first meeting of japanese and russian defense ministers in momore than three years. >> translator: i expect to frankly discuss defense policy as well as geographic discussion araround both countrtries, especially at a ti w when japap is in a sesevere security situation. >> said their c