Visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday in Tokyo, urging Japan to pursue stronger relations and to assist the Middle Eastern country, which is suffering under the weight of severe U.S.-imposed economic sanctions.
Rouhani is in Japan for a two-day visit after attending an international conference of Muslim leaders in Malaysia.
"This bilateral relationship has a long history and is very important for our country," Rouhani told Abe at the outset of the meeting at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.