DHAKA: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to arrive here on Saturday. Investment issues and infrastructure development are on high of the agenda during his two day official visit.

Outlining six major features of the official talks to be held during meeting with Abe, foreign ministry sources said the visit will play a very important role as the country expressed interest to invest in technology-based mobile and automobile assembling sector.

Abe along with his 150 entourage members is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 1:00pm on a 24-hour visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sheikh Hasina will receive her Japanese counterpart at Shahjalal International Airport. He will be given guard of honor and be greeted with flowers.

From airport, he will go to the national martyrs’ memorial at Savar, from where he will come to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi.

Then, Abe will deliver a lecture at a Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum programme at Pan Pacific Sonargoan Hotel.
He will then go to the prime minister’s office for the summit meeting, to be held between two premiers at 4:00pm and then both leaders will sign a joint statement.

Foreign ministry sources said Japan could make commitments of around $6 billion for the next five years. The money would cover development plan for southern Chittagong and Cox's Bazar and the expansion of Matarbari deep sea port.

This visit is taking place within three months of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Japan in May this year. But, it is first visit to Bangladesh by a Japanese PM in 14 years since the then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori visited Bangladesh in 2000.

During the tour, the two countries will discuss several bilateral and regional issues as well as to give support for Japan's candidacy for a 2016-2017 non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC), to be held at the 70th session of UN General Council on October 2015.

Besides, the Japanese Prime Minister will address the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum jointly organized by Bangladesh Board of Investment (BoI), Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

During the visit, Japanese Prime Minister will meet President M Abdul Hamid and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Raushon Ershad. However, there is no schedule for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

BDST: 0912 HRS, SEP 06, 2014