Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho on Friday that shoring up ties with a country that plays central role in Portuguese-speaking nations around the world is in line with what he calls ¡°diplomacy that takes a panoramic perspective of the world map.¡±

The two leaders agreed at their summit in Tokyo to further promote contact between Japanese firms and the business federation of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. The community is an intergovernmental group otherwise known as the CPLP.

Abe, who¡¯s been racing around the world since he took office in December 2012, noted that Portugal is ¡°the leader of the Portuguese-speaking nations located throughout the world, such as in South America and Africa,¡± and that strengthening bilateral ties would improve his diplomacy.

Passos Coelho welcomed Japan¡¯s commitment to such nations, including Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, and said it would create economic opportunities for the two countries.

¡°Japan¡¯s participation in the CPLP as an observer will establish new business opportunities for Portugal, Japan and their investors in Portuguese-speaking nations,¡± Passos Coelho said at a news conference alongside Abe after the summit.

Last July, Japan was granted the status of associate observer to the CPLP, a multilateral forum created to deepen mutual friendship and cooperation among nine member states with a collective population of more than 260 million people.

The move came after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Japan¡¯s intention to join as an observer when he visited Portugal in May last year.

Abe¡¯s visit was the first by a Japanese prime minister. Japan has more than 450 years of history with Portugal as well as ties with the Portuguese-speaking communities via Japanese Brazilians in Brazil and Japan.

Abe and Passos Coelho also agreed to bolster cooperation on security, explore opportunities for defense exchanges, and cooperate more in maritime safety, including anti-piracy efforts.

At the joint news conference, Passos Coelho expressed gratitude to Abe for promising Japanese participation in Blue Week, an international gathering on maritime issues Portugal will host in June.

The pair also pledged to further promote bilateral trade and human exchanges through the introduction of a ¡°working holiday¡± system that will allow young people to work and study in both countries.

Passos Coelho¡¯s visit was the first by a Portuguese prime minister in 25 years.