Japan PM Abe says would like Russia's Putin to visit Japan

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin

LONDON (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Thursday he would like Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Japan to discuss the disputed Kurile Islands and the signing of a formal World War Two peace treaty.

"We would like to search for the most appropriate time for Putin to visit Japan," Abe, who is due to meet Putin on Friday, told reporters during a visit to London.