Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso's trip to Myanmar marked the start of an economic diplomacy drive by the newly inaugurated administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
"Myanmar was chosen for the first overseas trip by a member of the Abe Cabinet," Aso, who concurrently serves as finance minister, told a news conference after meeting with President Thein Sein, stressing the emerging economy's importance to Japan.
Abe is known to be keen on embracing developing Asian countries to seek new growth opportunities for Japanese businesses, and Myanmar, which some analysts describe as the region's last economic frontier, is one of the countries his Liberal Democratic Party government is aiming to forge a close connection with.