Foreign Minister Yohei Kono asked the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to improve its judicial framework to attract more foreign investment, a Japanese official said.
Kono made the request during a working dinner here with UAE Information and Culture Minister Abdullah bin Zayed an-Nahyan, who called for more Japanese companies to invest in his country, the Foreign Ministry official said.
"We hope for your further efforts so that companies can conduct their activities under the principles of safety, fairness and equality," Kono was quoted as telling the minister.
Kono proposed that the two countries expand their cultural exchanges to "evolve our relationship to a broad-based one from that focused on economic and oil issues."
The culture minister welcomed the proposal, saying he "appreciates the interest toward the Islamic world," the official said.
In separate talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheik Sultan bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Kono said he hopes the Arab country will continue to be a stable supplier of oil.
The UAE supplies about a quarter of Japan's oil imports, and the deputy prime minister's voice is an important one in its oil policy.
According to Japanese officials, the deputy prime minister said the UAE wants to maintain good relations with Japan.
Kono, who earlier visited Qatar, is in the UAE on the second leg of a six-country visit that will also take him to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sweden and Russia before returning to Japan on Monday.