Visiting US Vice President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Tuesday agreed to strengthen cooperation on reconstruction after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
"We reiterate our gratitude for the enormous assistance of the United States," Kan told Biden during the first part of the talks, which was open to the press, DPA reported.
Biden replied that "our only regret is that we could not even do more" in the wake of the disaster, which left about 15,700 people dead and 4,600 missing, and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which has been leaking radioactive material ever since.
The premier also said he hoped the vice president's visit would be a "good chance to demonstrate to the world that Japan is open for business."
Biden, the first US vice president to visit Japan since Dick Cheney in February 2007, arrived at midnight Monday for a three-day stay.
Kan told Biden he regretted he could not visit Washington as premier because of "Japan's political situation," apparently referring to his own imminent resignation, local media reported.
The two countries recently stopped preparations for talks in Washington between Kan and US President Barack Obama which had been scheduled in early September.
"I'm sorry for failing to fulfill my promise," Kan said.
Before meeting Biden, the premier told his cabinet that he would step down once parliament passes two key bills this week, and expected to see his successor in office by next week, national media reported.
The premier also told Biden that Japan would continue cooperating with the United States and South Korea on North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, Kyodo News reported.
Biden was to travel to Sendai, around 200 kilometres north-east of Tokyo, in the afternoon to deliver a speech on Japan's recovery and reconstruction at its tsunami-hit airport.
The vice president was to also thank US civilian and military personnel for their assistance in responding to the disaster.
Japanese critics said Biden's visit was taking place on the sidelines of his 10-day tour of East Asia after he spent six days in China and as Japan's unpopular premier was expected to leave office soon.
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