Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed Sunday to advance bilateral cooperation in fields such as network-connected devices and renewable energy, Japanese officials said.

In the first meeting held in the Saudi capital to support the Mideast country's structural reform drive and help Japanese companies to make inroads, Japanese trade minister Hiroshige Seko said the occasion marks the beginning of bilateral cooperation in a concrete form.

If combined with the Abenomics economy policy mix being pursued by the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Saudi Arabia's reform efforts would create a "synergy" that yields great benefits, Seko said at the outset of the meeting.

The ministerial-level meeting was attended by Adel Faqeih, Saudi Arabia's minister of economy and planning, among other officials.

At the meeting, the two sides also agreed on Japanese support in such areas as talent development in animation and video games, energy conservation and nuclear power, martial arts seminars and athletic training, Japanese officials said.

Executives of about 30 Japanese companies accompanying Seko also met with Saudi officials and pitched their business plans.

The meeting was the result of an agreement reached between Abe and Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Tokyo last month. The next such meeting is expected to be held in Tokyo in the spring.