Taro Aso's visit to Dhaka bears special significance as he is an aspirant of the prime ministership of Japan. The election is likely to be held in September this year.

During his stay here, Taro Aso will make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and hold official talks with his Bangladesh counterpart. Bilateral, regional and international issues will be discussed during the talks.

Japan is a major development partner of Bangladesh.

In July last year, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had been in Tokyo on a bilateral visit when Japan assured of its continued assistance for the development of Bangladesh.

Japan was granted observer status of the Saarc at its 13th summit held in Dhaka in November last year.