A leading Japanese daily says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet in Vladivostok on Friday for a bilateral summit.

The Mainchi Shimbun reports that Medvedev is expected to travel to the Maritime Province in the Russian Far East on Wednesday evening. The daily also says the reclusive North Korean leader is expected to cross the Russia-North Korea border early Friday morning via a special train.

The paper said that during the upcoming summit, Kim is likely to ask for Russia’s economic assistance while Russia will likely seek to strengthen its ties with the North and discuss ways to promote stability in Northeast Asia.

If the summit is realized, it would be Kim's first in Russia in nine years. He previously held talks in 2002 with then President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok.