Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday reassured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Japan will continue to support Turkey in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, saying the solution lies in the peace and stability of Syria.

"To fundamentally settle the refugee issue, stability in Syria is indispensable," Abe was quoted by a Japanese government official as telling Erdogan during a meeting with the Turkish leader at his office in Tokyo, referring to the migrant crisis caused by the civil war in Syria.

In a joint press conference after their talks, Abe praised Turkey for accepting a large number of refugees from neighboring Syria and promised that "Japan will work together with Turkey for regional peace and stability."