TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen and Tánaiste Mary Coughlan will lead the State's biggest trade mission yet to Japan this month.
Mr Cowen and Ms Coughlan, who is also Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, set off on the week-long visit to the Far East on January 12th.
The delegation is expected to include firms with business links in Japan as well as officials from Enterprise Ireland, the IDA, Tourism Ireland and from Bord Bia.
Networking events in the capital, Tokyo, and Japan's second city Osaka will focus on sectors like financial services, retail, information technology and education.
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.
The Taoiseach and Tánaiste are also likely to hold talks on bilateral issues with senior members of the Japanese government.
"Japan is a good place to do business - a mature, sophisticated and wealthy market with very well developed infrastructures and strong business integrity," said an Enterprise Ireland spokesman yesterday.
"It is also the second biggest economy in the world and the largest in Asia.
"It is a key trendsetter in the region.
"Continuous deregulation, globalisation and the healthy state of the Japanese economy are creating new opportunities for Ireland in the land of the rising sun," the spokesman added.
Major new year trade missions from Ireland have targeted South Africa and India respectively in the past two years.
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's 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.