Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will meet with Russia's outgoing and incoming presidents on Saturday to seek support for a new global initiative to reduce greenhouse gases. The meeting will briefly touch on a territorial dispute over four islands in the Pacific, but the main focus will be on finding a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Fukuda's visit aims to establish a personal relationship of trust with President Putin and president-elect Medvedev, and to prepare for the upcoming G8 summit in Japan. Tokyo is optimistic that the G8 summit will facilitate the creation of a climate change agreement that includes major polluters like the United States, China, and India, none of which have agreed to the emissions limits outlined in the Kyoto Protocol. Russia, a member of the G8, was one of the largest emerging economies to commit to the Kyoto Protocol. Japanese officials are hopeful that Russia will endorse a new agreement in Hokkaido. The disputed islands, referred to as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, are located near the venue of the G8 summit in Hokkaido. Personal relationships between Russia and Japan have been strained since Soviet troops seized disputed islands in the final days of World War Two. The issue of sovereignty over the islands has hindered the two countries from signing a treaty to formally end wartime hostilities. Prime Minister Fukuda plans to urge Russian leaders to speed up negotiations to resolve the territorial dispute, emphasizing the importance of advancing talks in order to improve bilateral relations. While Russia has expressed willingness to discuss the issue, they have not shown any indication of being willing to relinquish control of the islands. A Kremlin official stated that their position remains unchanged and they are not anticipating any progress in the discussions with Fukuda. Trade between Russia and Japan reached $20 billion in 2007, driven by companies like Toyota Motor Corp establishing factories to access the growing Russian market. However, trade volume is much lower compared to Russia's trade with the European Union. Japan sees itself as a suitable partner to assist Russia in developing its Far East region, which is rich in energy resources and is largely underpopulated. Japanese companies have invested in extensive oil and gas projects on Russia's Sakhalin island in the Pacific, and there is currently a pipeline being built to transport oil from eastern Siberia to the Pacific coast.