Wickremesinghe leaves for Japan on a five-day visit

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe left the country early this morning for a five-day official visit to Japan at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Prime Minister Wickramasinghe is being accompanied by his wife and an eight-member delegation that includes Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, and Science Technology and Research Minister Susil Premajayantha.

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Abe on October 6. He will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Abe and other members of the Japanese Cabinet.

The focus of the visit is expected to be economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries, besides potential for cooperation in the science and cultural fields.

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister and his spouse will also be received in audience by the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the Colombo Page reports.

He is also scheduled to deliver a special lecture at the inaugural ceremony of Japan Science and Technology Association's annual sessions in Kyoto.

He will later proceed to Tokyo where he is expected to address the Japanese Diet (Parliament).

The Premier is also expected to meet several former Japanese prime ministers for special discussions, the Prime Minister's office said.

Discussions with the Japan-Sri Lanka Parliamentary League, Japan-Sri Lanka Business Forum and the Japan Trade Association during the tour are also scheduled.