Japan and African nations must cooperate to push forward United Nations Security Council reform in order to realize better global governance, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

It was the first meeting between leaders of Japan and African nations on U.N. Security Council reform. After two days of TICAD discussions in Yokohama on the development of Africa, Abe and the leaders agreed it is important to reform the U.N.

"Japan and Africa share common interests" and should raise the momentum for change through close cooperation, Abe said.