Economy ministers of Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed Tuesday to accelerate efforts to implement joint economic projects in the Middle Eastern country, including ones intended to improve business and investment environments there.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko and Adel Fakeih, Saudi Arabia's minister of economy and planning, confirmed the efforts at their meeting in Tokyo one day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud agreed to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation in announcing what was billed the "Saudi-Japan Vision 2030."

"Many Japanese take Saudi Arabia's commitment to its reforms seriously. The relationship of the two countries has now progressed to a strategic partner," Seko said at his meeting with Fakeih, which involved around 70 officials from both sides.