Ando made the remarks Wednesday in a meeting with Iranian ambassador to Japan Morteza Rahmani Movahed.
Iran is an important country in the Middle East and in international arena.
He also expressed support for the Iranian cinema, saying it is famous in the world.
Ando extended readiness for establishing cooperation in cultural activities with Iran.
Meanwhile, Rahmani Movahed pointed to historical and cultural ties and the common traditions between the two countries.
Referring to holding film, cultural, children weeks, and also cultural talks, he said Iran and Japan can maintain cooperation to perform these programs.
These programs will help people know more about their culture, he added.
The Japan Foundation was established in October 1972 as a special legal entity supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In October 2003, it was reorganized as an independent administrative institution. Based on a government endowment of 78 billion yen, the activities of the Japan Foundation are financed by annual government subsidies, investment revenue, and donations from the private sector.