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TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese and Russian foreign ministers will meet Saturday in Tokyo to explore ways to strengthen bilateral economic ties, amid no signs of a breakthrough in resolving a territorial dispute dating back to the end of World War II.

Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov are also set to discuss major global issues, including Iran's nuclear program and the transition of power in North Korea following the death in December of longtime ruler Kim Jong Il, Japanese officials said.

Japan and Russia have been at odds over the sovereignty of four islands off Hokkaido, which were seized by the Soviet Union following Japan's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, 1945.

The dispute over Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan and the Habomai islet group, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, has prevented the two countries from signing a postwar peace treaty.

Gemba has said he wants to hold "substantive" discussions on the main pending issue between Tokyo and Moscow. But Lavrov has maintained Moscow's long-held position that the islands are legally part of Russian territory.

Japan and Russia have agreed to make efforts to settle the territorial issue in a quiet atmosphere and have not ruled out the possibility of carrying out joint economic development projects on and around the disputed islands.

While Japan and Russia, which sees the development of its Far East region as critical to its future, are considered to have good potential to strengthen energy cooperation.

But the Japanese government officials said the two foreign ministers are not prepared to agree on any major energy projects this time.

Instead, the foreign ministers plan to sign an agreement to simplify procedures for obtaining business visas, in an effort to increase the number of visitors and business activities between the two countries, the officials said.

The agreement will allow Japanese nationals to apply for visas for stays not exceeding 90 days without letters of invitation from Russia.

The accord will also extend the validity of multiple-entry visas for Japanese nationals travelling to Russia for business and other non-tourist purposes from the current one year to three years.

Although economic activities between Japan and Russia have expanded in recent years, the number of Japanese and Russian nationals travelling between the two countries annually has remained between around 120,000 and 150,000, far below the equivalent figures for China or South Korea, which both reach over 5 million, according to the Foreign Ministry.