Japan and Brazil agreed Monday to cooperate in the development of marine resources off the coast of Brazil, as well as satellite-oriented anti-disaster measures for the Latin American country.

The agreement was reached by visiting Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Alberto Figueiredo.

The two ministers also agreed to promote talks on a nuclear power pact, eyeing the possibility of Japanese companies concluding orders for nuclear plant projects in Brazil.

"We will expand our cooperative stance in the future to address global-scale challenges such as environmental issues," Kishida told a news conference following their meeting.

Figueiredo expressed hope that more Japanese companies will invest in Brazil.

Kishida also proposed talks to accelerate Brazil's approval procedures for drugs and medical equipment, a move that could pave the way for an increase in Japanese exports of such products.

Kishida also asked Brazil to speed up the issuance of working visas to expand business opportunities for Japan in Latin America's largest economy.

The ministers also agreed to introduce a visa waiver for Japanese and Brazilian government officials traveling on official business.