Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on Saturday in a move to boost Japan's trade and investment in the counties.
Abe will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina Saturday in Dhaka and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo Sunday.
"I hope to strengthen relationships with the two countries. I am going there as Japan's leader and top salesman, and hope to use their dynamism to revitalize Japan's economy," Abe was quoted as saying before his departure.
Abe will pay an official visit to Bangladesh on September 6 at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The visit by a Japanese Prime Minister is taking place after 14 years since the then PM Yoshiro Mori visited Dhaka in 2000.
This is the return visit by Abe in quick succession of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's official visit to Tokyo in last May.
