TOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Friday to advance bilateral peace treaty talks with Russia as supporters of the return of four disputed islands off Hokkaido held an annual rally.For a second year in a row, participants in the event refrained from calling the Russian occupation of the islands "illegal," as they apparently sought to avoid raising tensions between Tokyo and Moscow over the territorial issue."I will step up joint work to find a solution that is acceptable to both sides and advance (peace treaty) negotiations steadily," Abe said at the rally held on "Northern Territo…READ FULL ARTICLE
