Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Friday denied he proposed dividing the disputed Northern Territories off Hokkaido by acreage, with Japan and Russia each taking half, so as to end the long-standing scramble for sovereignty.

Aso said his remarks on Wednesday on a House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee session was in response to a question and was taken out of context.

The foreign minister reiterated on a press conference that Japan's position on the issue has not changed and will continue to make efforts to find a mutually acceptable resolution with Russia, Kyodo News said.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper, reported on Thursday that Aso, with a new scheme to solve the territorial dispute, proposed drawing a line to separate the four islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu and Shikotan, and the Habomai islets by half so that to share them with Russia.

The four islands were occupied by Soviet troops after the end of World War II and are currently under Russian control. They are now known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. The dispute has prevented the two countries from reaching a peace treaty after World War II.

Source: Xinhua