The leaders of Russia and Japan have agreed take an active role in negotiations over the disputed Kuril islands. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed the issue in the city of Sochi on Friday.

A Japanese foreign ministry official says the two leaders will try to approach the issue in new ways. Russia took control of the four southernmost islands of the Kuril archipelago at the end of World War Two. The Japanese have repeatedly objected to Russia's occupation, calling it illegal.  The dispute is a major political hurdle, that has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty.