Shafaq News/ Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shiyaa al-Sudani had received Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Takagi Kei, in his bureau in the Iraqi capital city, Baghdad, an official readout said on Wednesday.

According to the readout, Prime Minister al-Sudani discussed with his guest the bilateral ties between Iraq and Japan, Iraq's role in the political process in the Middle East, and an array of issues of mutual interest.

Al-Sudani and Takaji attached great importance to their respective countries' cooperation in the fields of culture, economy, energy, and investment. The prime minister said that Iraq welcomes Japanese investments in the gas and renewable energy sectors.

The Japanese diplomat offered congratulations to al-Sudani for his appointment as prime minister of Iraq and expressed his country's willingness to bolster the ties between Tokyo and Baghdad.

Takagi said that Iraq should benefit from Japan's experience in reconstruction after war.