Russian Railways hope for cooperation with Japan.

TOKYO (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Railways Company (RZD)
hopes for cooperation with Japan despite the latest chill in bilateral
relations over the four South Kuril Islands claimed by Japan.
"Disagreements between Russia and Japan have been political of late,
while the sphere of railway transportation has nothing to do with them,"
RZD CEO Vladimir Yakunin said in an interview with Yomiuri Shimbun
published on Friday.
"We would like to engage in our projects not only rolling stock
producers from Japan, but also financial companies. Our countries have to
develop close economic relations," he said.
Yakunin said he expects Japanese companies to bid at the international
tender for the construction of a high-speed railway linking Moscow and St.
Petersburg that is scheduled to be commissioned in 2017 and decrease
travel time to 2.5 hours. Besides, he invited Japanese investors to eye
construction plans for high-speed railways in Siberia and the Far East, in
particular, between Khabarovsk and Vladivostok.