Kremlin says missile deployment shouldn't hurt Russia-Japan peace talks

The deployment of Russian missile defence systems on the Kurile islands, where Russia and Japan have competing claims, should not influence efforts to achieve a peace deal over the territorial dispute, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

"Without doubt there are grounds for this (deploying the missiles) but at the same time from our point of view it should not in any way influence the centripetal trend which exists in our bilateral relations with Tokyo," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on a conference call with reporters.

He said that trend applies "in terms of the careful preparations for the forthcoming visit of President Vladimir Putin to Japan, and in terms of continuing contacts to develop our bilateral ties, especially in the economic sphere, and negotiations on the peace deal issue."