Japan and Italy have substantially agreed on a defense pact to facilitate exchanges of supplies and logistical support, the Japanese government said, as Tokyo beefs up defense ties with European nations amid China's military buildup.

Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto welcomed the agreement during their talks the same day in Naples, southern Italy, held a day before a Group of Seven defense chiefs' meeting, according to the Defense Ministry.

The acquisition and cross-servicing agreement will simplify the sharing of food, fuel and ammunition between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Italian military and is expected to encourage joint exercises.

If the two countries officially sign the pact, Italy will be the eighth ACSA partner for Japan after the other G7 members -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany and the United States -- as well as Australia and India.

Nakatani and Crosetto also pledged to further boost bilateral cooperation toward the realization of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," the ministry said, apparently with Beijing's increasingly assertive moves in the region in mind.