Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he's hoping for progress in peace treaty talks with Russia. But he said the issue cannot be settled in one meeting.

Abe said he wants to discuss the issue candidly with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits Japan next week. Abe has been betting that closer ties with Putin and the lure of Japanese investment in fields from medical technology to energy could ease progress in the dispute over islands that have been held by Russia since the end of World War Two.