Tokyo, Rabi'I 16, 1438, December 15, 2016, SPA -- Russian Vladimir Putin arrives in Tokyo Thursday for two days of talks expected to centre on economic cooperation and the disputed Kuril islands, according to dpa. The Kuril Islands off Hokkaido in northern Japan are under Russian rule, but Japan claims sovereignty over the four southernmost islands seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Japan calls these the Northern Territories. The territorial dispute has prevented Japan and Russia from concluding a post-war peace treaty and moving their relations forward. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to meet Putin at a traditional guest house in Abe's home province of Yamaguchi Thusrday, followed by more meetings in Tokyo Friday. --SPA 03:47 LOCAL TIME 00:47 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w290913