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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday said that Tokyo and Rome agreed to enhance economic security cooperation, as well as supply chains of critical minerals.

The agreement came as Takaichi hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Tokyo.

At a joint news conference with Meloni after the meeting, Takaichi said the two nations upgraded their current "strategic" partnership to a "special strategic" one to enhance ties in various fields, such as security and culture.

For her part, Meloni wrote on US social media company X that it was an “important meeting to strengthen a relationship founded on mutual respect, friendship, and shared values, which is rooted in over 160 years of diplomatic relations and looks decisively toward the future.”

“We reiterated our will to further develop an increasingly solid strategic cooperation, from the economy to innovation, from technology to industry, from security to research, and up to the major global challenges,” she said.

Meloni said Italy and Japan are “reliable partners” capable of working together to promote stability, growth, and an international order based on rules, dialogue, and responsibility.

“At a time when the world is changing rapidly, strengthening ties like these means building security and concrete opportunities for our citizens and for future generations,” she added.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas such as defense, the economy, economic security, supply chains for critical minerals, space, science and technology, and various challenges facing the international community, Takaichi later said on X.

"Two nations far apart, yet ever closer. Friendship and harmony with Sanae Takaichi," Meloni also said on X.

The meeting came after Meloni began a three-day visit to Japan on Thursday, marking the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two Group of Seven nations.

It was Takaichi's first meeting with any European leader in Japan since taking office in October.

Ties between the two nations have strengthened over the decades, with Japan becoming Italy’s third-largest trading partner in Asia, as the bilateral trade volume stands at $11.6 billion.

Giorgia flew to Japan from Oman, and will also travel to South Korea for a weekend visit.

'You can always count on me,' Meloni tells Takaichi

Meloni told Takaichi "you can always count on me, for whatever you need," after their meeting, a video from the Prime Minister's Office of Japan showed.

"I know it is not easy, but we will do it together," she added.

Notably, as Meloni’s birthday fell on Thursday, she was surprised with a birthday cake and a “Happy Birthday” song in Italian at the luncheon on Friday.

Meloni was also gifted a special "Happy Birthday" illustration by Tetsuo Hara, the co-creator of the manga series Fist of the North Star.

"Stay strong," Meloni also told Kimi Onoda, the minister overseeing policies on foreign residents, as Takaichi introduced her two female Cabinet ministers, including Satsuki Katayama, the finance minister.