TEHRAN (FNA)- The best time for Japanese companies and businesses to re-enter the post-sanctions Iranian market is now, said Deputy Foreign Minister for International and Legal Affairs Abbas Araqchi.

During a Tuesday meeting with Special Advisor to Japanese Prime Minister Katsuyuki Kawai, Araqchi also said Tehran is getting ready to welcome Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who will soon pay a visit to Iran to hold talks with officials on ways to expand energy and trade cooperation.

Kawai, for his part, said his visit is aimed at discussing cooperation in energy, transport and nuclear sectors.

On a similar note, Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said there are grounds for cooperation between the two countries in oil refinery, LNG, petro-chemistry, investment and projects financing sectors.

He said in a Monday meeting with Kawai who is in Tehran at the head of a delegation that following the removal of the nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in January, Tehran and Tokyo could now speed up cooperation, particularly in the oil sector.

Zangeneh further added that the two countries can expand strategic relations in the energy sector and said the export of Iran�s crude oil to Japan can be among important fields for cooperation.

�We expect Japan and companies managed and overseen�by the country�s government to boost Iran's oil purchase to at least pre-sanctions level,� he said.

On January 22, the Japanese cabinet approved the lifting of its sanctions against Iran, joining the ranks of the world's major economies to normalize trade ties with the Islamic Republic.

Japan was one of the key clients of Iran�s oil before the US-led sanctions were imposed on the Islamic Republic in 2012.� Iran also hosted several leading Japanese companies in its oil and gas projects before the sanctions were put into place to discourage�purchases of oil from Iran not only by Japan but also by many other international clients.

The prospects for the removal of the sanctions against Iran encouraged Japanese officials to look for�avenues to return to the previous status of oil relations with Iran.

Japan imported around 338.9 bpd of crude oil�from Iran before the imposition of the US-led bans against Tehran in January 2012.

By Fars News Agency