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resident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will embark on his visit to Japan on Thursday to attend the 40th ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit in Tokyo.

The event, which will be attended by other ASEAN leaders, will focus on the implementation of the 2012-2022 ASEAN-Japan Strategic Economic Cooperation Roadmap, a 10-year framework that supports the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

In Tokyo, Yudhoyono will also hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the fourth bilateral meeting between the two leaders, a meeting that reflects not only the close ties, but also the commitments to further advance the bilateral cooperation in various areas, said presidential spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah.

Indonesia and Japan bilateral ties have spanned 55 years and the two countries signed the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement signed in 2007, when Abe first served as prime minister.

'€œThe summit is a catalyst for both countries to establish a shared vision aimed for long-term cooperation in the future. Since the two countries have established a strategic partnership, Indonesia and Japan will definitely be able to benefit greatly from the strengthening friendship between ASEAN countries and Japan,'€ Faizasyah said on Wednesday.

The two leaders will discuss efforts to boost trade, investment and cooperation in infrastructure and manpower, as well as regional strategic issues in which they share concerns.

During a visit to Jakarta early this year, Abe who at that time had just completed the first leg of his Asia tour to Vietnam and Thailand, expressed hopes for stronger ties in Southeast Asia, a move which observers viewed as Tokyo'€™s attempt to counter the growing influence of Beijing in Southeast Asia.

Yudhoyono is also slated to meet with Japanese businesspeople under the Japan-Indonesia Association (Japinda), including former prime minister Yasuo Fukuda and CEOs of Japan'€™s leading companies Mitsubishi, Marubeni, Toshiba, Sumitomo and Toyota.

'€œThe visit certainly focuses on the 40th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan ties. [However] economic cooperation is important, especially as the Japanese economy is starting to recover,'€ Faizasyah said.

Yet, Japan has slashed its economic growth estimate for the July-September quarter because investments slowed more than initially expected.

Yudhoyono is also scheduled to give a public lecture on '€œRegional Security Architecture'€, which will be organized jointly by Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), Japan-Indonesia Inter-Parliamentary League, the Japanese Foreign Ministry and Indonesian embassy in Tokyo.