Japan and Vietnam agreed Monday to tighten up the monitoring of labor conditions for Vietnamese workers, as Tokyo opens the door to more foreigners amid a staffing shortage.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed in their meeting close cooperation in tackling problems such as the issue of unscrupulous brokers.

The Japanese government has stepped up efforts to eliminate the involvement of brokers who charge extortionate fees for processing visas and other services to facilitate workers' entry into Japan.

The government launched a visa system in April to bring in more foreign labor to tackle the shortage.

Additionally, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and four Japanese private banks will extend joint financing worth $200 million to promote renewable energy in the Southeast Asian country.

The Vietnamese prime minister is visiting Japan as he was invited to the two-day Group of 20 summit through Saturday in Osaka, although Vietnam is not a G-20 member.