Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski agreed Friday to strengthen security ties by holding regular defense talks, Japanese officials said.
During talks at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, Abe and Komorowski also decided to boost cooperation on energy, including atomic power, as Poland works to diversify its energy sources, they said.
"We confirmed our strong will to upgrade Japan-Poland relations to a strategic partnership to cope with global challenges and strengthen cooperation," Abe told a joint press conference.
Komorowski expressed hope that Japan and Poland will work more closely together in economic and other fields, including in the fight against terrorism.
In a joint statement, the two leaders underlined the importance of swiftly and successfully concluding a free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union.
On the crisis in Ukraine, which borders Poland, the two leaders shared the view that the nation's sovereignty, recently violated by Russia's annexation of Crimea, should be respected and called for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the issue.
Japan and Poland on Friday also signed an agreement to introduce a "working holiday" system to allow young people in Japan to work and study in Poland and vice versa.
Komorowski's trip to Japan was initially planned for late November, but a delay in tallying votes from Poland's local elections that month prevented him from leaving the country. Abe and Komorowski last held talks in June 2013.