The Taoiseach will today leave for the State's biggest-ever trade mission to Japan.
During the visit, Brian Cowen will hold talks with the Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and the nation’s leader, Emperor Akihito.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith and Minister for Trade John McGuinness will also travel on the week-long visit.
The delegation is expected to include up to 60 firms from both sides of the Border that have business links in Japan. Officials from Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, Tourism Ireland and Bord Bia will also be travelling.
Experts from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will seek to reassure Japanese authorities about the quality of Irish pork in the wake of last month’s contamination scare.
The Taoiseach will deliver a keynote addresses at an IDA Ireland/Science Foundation Ireland symposium on the Irish Government’s research and development policy and will address foreign policy at Keio University in Tokyo.
A site visit to computer giant Fujitsu in Tokyo is on the itinerary as well as workshops on the Japanese economy and the functional food industry.
Ireland currently enjoys a trade surplus with Japan and is the EU’s biggest exporter per capita to the country.
Guinness, shipped from St James’ Gate in Dublin, is available in 24,000 bars and restaurants in Japan.
A total of 60 per cent of all food consumed in Japan is imported.
PA