Russia sees no reason to discuss peace with Japan, the Kremlin says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia sees no reason to discuss the possibility of signing a long-awaited peace treaty with Japan to formally end World War Two because of Tokyo's unfriendly stance towards Moscow, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Russia, the successor state to the Soviet Union, and Japan have never signed a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities during World War Two.

Soviet troops took control of the four islands off Japan's Hokkaido - known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories - at the end of the war and they have remained in Moscow's hands since. The dispute has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty.

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)