Japanese PM, U.S. vice president to visit Singapore

Both Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and United States Vice President Joseph Biden are expected to be in Singapore for a visit on Friday and Saturday, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Biden is expected to arrive in Singapore from India on late Thursday, while Abe is expected to kick off his official visit to Singapore on Friday -- his first visit to Singapore since taking over as prime minister.

Abe will meet Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana. He will also meet Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong during the visit.

He is also expected to speak on Japan's economic policies on Friday at a lecture chaired Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry said that the visit underscores excellent relations between both countries.

Biden is expected to start his visit in Singapore with a tour of the Singapore Botanic Gardens on Friday together with his wife Jill Biden. They will attend a ceremony at the National Orchid Garden within the Botanic Gardens, where a new orchid hybrid, the Dendrobium Joe and Jill Biden, will be named in honor of the vice president and his wife.

He is expected to meet President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The Singapore prime minister will also host Biden to a working dinner involving other cabinet ministers and the speaker of parliament.

On Saturday, Biden is expected to visit the Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine overhaul facility, where he is will speak to economic opportunities in the region, including the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Singapore's role as a hub for U. S. exports and investment, according to a release from the White House.

He is also expected to visit the U.S. littoral combat ship USS Freedom at the Changi Naval Base, where he is expected to " highlight the importance" of the United States' close security partnership with Singapore.

Biden will also meet with Abe while in Singapore to "affirm the enduring strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance," according to the White House release.