Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, have pledged to advance defense and maritime cooperation.
Speaking after a 50-minute summit Monday with Najib in Tokyo, Abe said they agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a "strategic partnership" to boost cooperation on a wide range of regional and international issues.
"As a concrete effort, we agreed to cooperate in the field of defense equipment," Abe said. "(Tokyo) will provide cooperation in maritime safety by offering reinforced assistance to (Malaysia's) coast guard agency."