TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Fijian counterpart Sitiveni Rabuka agreed on Thursday to elevate bilateral relations to "greater heights" in key areas such as security, as Japan aims to address Pacific island states' concerns over China's maritime assertiveness.

In a joint statement after their meeting in Tokyo, the leaders pledged to address "common challenges for the regional and global peace, stability and prosperity" based on shared principles including "opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion."

China has been mounting military pressure on Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island that it views as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, while engaging in aggressive action, including the use of water cannons against Philippine vessels, in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Takaichi, who took office last month, and Rabuka also shared a sense of urgency that climate change is "the single greatest existential threat" to Pacific countries, affirming their commitment to boosting Fiji's resilience against natural disasters through financing and investment in its infrastructure.

In May, Japan provided the Fiji navy with a rescue boat and other equipment for surveillance activities, in the first such delivery to a foreign military under Tokyo's "Official Security Assistance" aid framework launched in 2023.