Russia, Japan say differences remain over disputed islands

Russia and Japan's top diplomats said Friday there was a way to go before their countries could resolve a World War II-era dispute over a chain of islands, following a meeting in Moscow.

Ahead of talks, Russia's Sergei Lavrov said "significant differences" remained between Moscow and Tokyo's positions, despite several previous rounds of negotiations.

"The task is not easy, it's clear it will only be solved by long, painstaking and creative work," Lavrov told journalists following his meeting with Japanese counterpart Taro Kono.

The territorial dispute centres on four islands, between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, seized by the Soviet army in the last days of World War II.

The string of volcanic islands are called the Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan.

"Solving a problem that remains unresolved more than 70 years on from the end of the war is not easy," Kono said at a joint press conference, in remarks translated into Russian.

"It cannot be said that as a result of today's talks we were able to overcome these differences."