Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived Yangon Friday evening to pay a three-day official goodwill visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

Abe is the first Japanese prime minister visiting Myanmar in 36 years since 1977 when former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda came to the country.

Abe, accompanied by business leaders from more than 30 Japanese companies, will have talks with President U Thein Sein on the two countries' economic and trade cooperation and investment.

During his visit, Abe will also meet with opposition leader and parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi and visit planned Thilawa Economic Zone, 25 kilometers south of Yangon, in which three Japanese firms -- Mitsubishi Corp., Marubeni Corp. and Sumitomo Corp. are engaged in the zone development, according to Japanese sources.

Abe will also make speech at Myanmar's Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Yangon.

Japan's investment in Myanmar amounted to $270.283 million as of March 2013 since Myanmar opened to such investment in late 1988 and was in 11th place in Myanmar's foreign investment line-up.

According to official statistics, bilateral trade between Myanmar and Japan totaled 1.414 billion dollars in 2012, of which Myanmar's import from Japan amounted to $1.053 billion, while its export to the East Asian nation reached $360.79 million.

Meanwhile, as of April 2012 since 1970, Myanmar owed Japan a total debt of 502.4 billion yens (over $5 billion), of which 198.9 billion yens ($1.9 billion) turned normal loan in January 2013, while another amount of 127.4 billion yens ( $1.253 billion) was written off later in January. The arrears of 176.1 billion yens ($1.732 billion) are set to be written off within one year before the end of April this year.

As a follow-up, the Japanese government announced it would take steps to offer very-low-interest rate development loan and assistance to Myanmar which will be used in people-centered development.