The Japanese government is looking forward to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's plan to revive the Look East policy that he first introduced back in the 1980s.

Its ambassador to Malaysia, Makio Miyagawa, said the Japanese government is honoured to host Mahathir as a speaker at the 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo.

"This is going to be a very good opportunity for us to hear from him the fundamental policies of the new administration.

"We will certainly welcome the return of Mahathir as prime minister of Malaysia," Miyagawa told reporters after a meeting with Council of Eminent Persons chair Daim Zainuddin at the Ilham Tower in Kuala Lumpur.

In citing Mahathir's reported plans to revive the Look East policy, Miyagawa said Mahathir's first official trip to Japan as prime minister would be the best platform for the two governments to discuss its future ties.

More than 30 years have passed since Mahathir first introduced the Look East policy and Miyagawa said it now covered a broad range from various industrial cooperations to the fields of education, safety and security.

"I think the two prime ministers will discuss quite in general terms the new collaboration between the two countries," he further said.

Asked whether there would be any new deals signed between the two governments, Miyagawa said the conference was not an opportunity to discuss such matters.

Mahathir last week confirmed that he would be a speaker at the annual conference organised by Nikkei Shimbun on June 11 and 12 in Tokyo. 

While he has been an annual speaker at the forum, Mahathir said he would take this opportunity to talk more about the Look East policy.