TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe trod more carefully than usual in an annual speech on a territorial dispute with Russia, apparently seeking to avoid antagonizing Moscow as the two sides pursue a long-awaited postwar peace treaty.
The address on Thursday steered clear of potentially inflammatory language used in the past, such as "the attribution of the four northern islands" -- a Japanese term for the southernmost Kuril Islands, which are administered by Russia and claimed by Japan. Abe spoke at a government-backed national rally held in partnership with municipalities and private organizations.
