MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia and Japan jointly pledged on Friday to make further efforts to solve the half-century-long dispute over the Kuril Islands.

    "There are differences in the approaches of the sides. I hope that talks with Moscow will continue to jointly build a bridge and bring our positions closer," said Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

    Moscow agrees to seek mutually acceptable solutions with Japan and the two sides should start a large-scale cooperation on this issue, Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

    Russia and Japan have to sign a peace treaty to formally end wartime hostilities due to the long-standing dispute over four islands north of Japan which were seized by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II.

    Russia recently offered to return two of the islands, but Japan demands the return of all four, saying it is the premise for signing the peace treaty.

    Machimura stressed Friday that "Japan speaks of the need for its sovereignty over the four islands," while Lavrov said "approaches to the issue differ."

    Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said Thursday that a solution to the decades-long territorial dispute may take a long time and require a lot of negotiations.

    Machimura arrived here Thursday to make preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Japan at the end of the month. Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are expected to discuss the island dispute. Enditem