The leaders of several Pacific Island nations and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are building up expectations for an upcoming summit in Japan.
Representatives of the 16-member Pacific Islands Forum are scheduled to meet in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in May.
Meeting Sunday on the fringes of the U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Abe agreed with Kiribati President Anote Tong and with Micronesia's President Emanuel Mori to further boost cooperation to make the summit a success.
The ministry quoted Abe as telling Tong the summit in May is a "good opportunity to upgrade the partnership between Japan and the Pacific island states to a higher level."
Tong thanked Japan for its generous assistance and said his country will cooperate to ensure the summit produces a meaningful outcome, the ministry said.
Cooperation to make the summit a success was also agreed between Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Fiji Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola.
The two reaffirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation over issues facing the Pacific region to achieve stability and prosperity, the ministry said.
The Pacific Islands Forum groups Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Abe also held talks with Tanzania Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.