Nepalese Ambassador Kedar B. Mathema said Thursday that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's planned visit to the Himalayan country later this month will "definitely help to further strengthen the bond of friendship that exists between our two countries."

During his visit to TheMathemaJapan Times, Mathema, who has been stationed in Japan for about 31/2 years, said, "We have had a very good relationship between our countries, not only at the government level but also at people's level."

Japan is second only to India as an "exporter of tourists" to Nepal, Mathema said, with an estimated 40,000 Japanese making the journey to the country annually.

Mori will visit Nepal on Aug. 25 -- the first Japanese prime minister to do so in 44 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is part of his visit to South Asia, which will also take him to Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

"This is really a landmark in our diplomatic relationship," Mathema said.

The ambassador said that there are no major issues of contention that need to be settled between the two countries, and expressed hope that Mori's visit to the country will increase the interest of Japanese businessmen, investors, and academics, as well as ordinary Japanese, in Nepal.

There are many products that could be exported from Nepal to Japan, including carpets, textiles, handicrafts and agricultural products such as tea and fruit, he pointed out.