Brasília, 3/24/2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, travels to Japan this Wednesday where he will remain until Saturday on an official visit. On the minister's agenda: bilateral trade relations, Mercosur-Japan relations, technical cooperation agreements, negotiations at the World Trade Organization and United Nations reform.

Amorim will also discuss issues related to the Japanese community in Brazil, including celebrations of the centennial anniversary of Japanese immigration to Brazil which takes place in 2008.

Bilateral trade with Japan during the first two months of this year reached US$710 million, with exports of US$366 million, and imports of US$344 million. Japan is the world's ninth biggest importer of Brazilian goods.

Amorim will hold meetings with the Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and the ministers of Economy, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, and the presidents of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the Japanese International Cooperation Bank. Amorim will give Koizumi a letter from president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva inviting him to visit Brazil.

The Brazilian Foreign Minister leads a business delegation of 16 members representing economic segments in petroleum, sugarcane-based alcohol and sugar, telecommunications, importation-exportation, software and mining. (Translator: Allen Bennett)