Russia is preparing to host next week a summit that is to be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea. The meeting is to be held on the sidelines of the fourth Eastern Economic Forum where officials, businessmen and representatives of giant firms from various countries gather annually. Discussions in the forum are focused on developing cooperation among the regional countries and reinforcing investment in Russian Far East. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev announced that representatives of 19 states including US, UK, Canada, China, Japan, Switzerland, member states of European Union in addition to South Korea have affirmed their participation in the forum scheduled on Sep 11-13. The Chinese officials didn’t reveal whether China president Xi Jinping will meet with heads of other states in the summit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping met three times in China during the current year, as the two countries seek to reform ties that were damaged by North Korea nuclear activities and Beijing’s support to sanctions imposed on its ally since the Cold War. Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera considered, during a military meeting, that Russia, similar to China, is threatening the country’s security with its mounting military activity and spreading modern weapons in Kuril. “China has been rapidly improving its military strength and fast increasing its military activities,” Onodera stated. “It is unilaterally escalating its military activities in the sea and aviation spaces around our country. This has become a significant concern for our countrys defense,” he added.