Cowen to meet Japanese business leaders

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will today try to secure investment from top Japanese business executives as he continues a 70-firm trade mission to the country.

In the morning, the Taoiseach will address seminars hosted by Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland in Tokyo.

Mr Cowen will later meet with key members of the Japanese Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and executives from financial services giant, Daiwa Securities, which has Irish operations in Dublin and Dundalk.

The Taoiseach will also attend an evening event hosted by the Irish Embassy in Tokyo.

Agriculture and Food Minister Brendan Smith and Trade Minister John McGuinness will join Mr Cowen on the week-long visit.

The delegation includes representatives of 66 firms from the Republic and four businesses from the North.

Three Department of Agriculture officials are also travelling on the trade mission to persuade Japanese authorities to reopen their markets to Irish pork following last month’s contamination scare.

The experts will also have meetings in Singapore and China on the same issue.

Mr Cowen is due to hold talks with the Japanese prime minister Taro Aso and the nation’s leader, Emperor Akihito in coming days.

Ireland currently enjoys a trade surplus with Japan and is the EU’s biggest exporter per capita to the country.

Ireland and Japan have enjoyed more than 50 years of official diplomatic relations since the 1950s.

Up to 1,500 Irish citizens are believed to be living and working in Japan.

Major New Year trade missions from Ireland have targeted South Africa and India respectively in the past two years.