TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on Thursday to discuss various issues at a meeting in Tokyo.

Zarif and Abe talked about Tehran-Tokyo relations as well as regional and international developments, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. 

On Thursday morning, he met with members of a Japanese parliamentary friendship group, who were all members of the ruling Liberal Democrat Party. 

Also, Zarif had a working breakfast at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel at the invitation of Masahiko Komura, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives and a former minister with who had led four ministries of foreign affairs, finance, defense and justice.

The two sides exchanged views on the expansion of parliamentary cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo and the issues of mutual interest.

The Iranian foreign minister arrived in Japan early Wednesday, following his visits to India and China.

Upon his arrival in Tokyo, Zarif said that economic issues are high on the agenda of his trip.

Trade between Iran and Japan dropped dramatically during the sanctions years and unlike China which did not leave the Iranian market, Japan proved a less strategic partner. 

During his stay in Japan, Zarif hailed Iran as the “safest” destination for foreign investment in the troubled Middle East, calling on the Japanese businesses to seize the opportunity and promote their role the Iranian market.

He made the remarks at a major economic gathering bringing together the Iranian and Japanese business personalities at Hotel Okura in Tokyo on Wednesday under the auspices of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

MH/AK