Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited two of the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan Sunday and indicated that Moscow is not ready to give up the disputed territories, news reports said.

Russia captured the four islands at the southern end of the Kuril chain - known as the Northern Territories in Japan - from Japan during the closing days of World War II.

Tokyo has demanded that Moscow cede all four islands, which are surrounded by rich fishing grounds. The dispute has kept the two countries from a signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities.

"A solution has not been found yet, but we are ready to look for a solution that would answer the interests of Russia and Japan," Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency. Lavrov, however, added that "Russia will proceed from the outcome of World War II."

Lavrov visited Kunashiri and Shikotan islands in the first trip by a Russian foreign minister to the island grouping, Russian news agencies reported.

His visit was apparently intended to demonstrate Moscow's position that the four islands are Russian territory ahead of a planned meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Germany this week, Japan's Kyodo News agency said.

Lavrov visited the two islands to inspect progress in development programs in the Russian Far East, the reports said.

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov visited Etorofu, one of the four islands, in April, Kyodo said.

Also on Sunday, Japan confirmed that Russia has seized a Japanese fishing boat with a crew of 17 in waters east of the Kamchatka Peninsula, and was taking it to a Russian port.

The boat was captured by a Russian border guard vessel after Russian authorities inspected it on Friday on suspicion of carrying catch exceeding the declared amount, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

There had been conflicting information, with the Japanese media reporting on Saturday that the boat had been captured the day before, while the company owning the ship denied the reports.

The crew of the Hoshin Maru No 88, which was being taken to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy on the Kamchatka Peninsula, were in good health, according to the ministry.

Japan has requested the Russian authorities immediately release the boat and its crew.

(China Daily via agencies June 4, 2007)