Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida asked his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Thursday to ensure "transparency and predictability" with regard to Britain's planned exit from the European Union.
In a meeting in Bonn, Germany, Kishida requested that Brexit not affect Japanese companies operating in Britain, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Johnson was quoted by the ministry as saying that Britain wants to continue to be an attractive place for Japanese companies and to serve as a gateway to the European market.
Kishida said that with protectionism and an inward-looking tendency rising in the world, Japan wants to step up cooperation with Britain, a country that Japanese officials say shares basic values with Tokyo.
Johnson responded that Britain regards relations with Japan as extremely important and that London would like to further strengthen bilateral ties, according to the ministry.
Keeping in mind Beijing's attempts to assert ownership over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and the country's militarization of outposts in disputed areas in the South China Sea, the ministers affirmed close coordination in maintaining order in those regions based on the rule of law.
In a separate meeting, Kishida and Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano agreed to boost bilateral security cooperation, particularly in the areas of defense equipment and technology, according to the ministry.
They confirmed that regional issues, such as North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs, as well as the East and South China seas will be taken up at a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations that Alfano will host in April.
The G-7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.