MOSCOW, Aug 11 —Russia and Japan’s foreign ministers discussed plans for joint economic activity on the Russian-held southern Kuril islands that Japans lays claim to, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement today.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in July said Moscow planned to set up a special economic zone with no customs duties and a reduced set of taxes on the island chain, during a visit to the islands that elicited a diplomatic protest from Tokyo. — Reuters