TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese midfielder Koki Mizuno, set to sign for Scottish champions Celtic, will be helped to settle in by compatriot Shunsuke Nakamura, the 2007 Scottish player of the year.

"I want to support him in many ways as he's young and junior to me," 29-year-old Nakamura told Japanese reporters after lunching with Mizuno at the the Glasgow club's training centre on Thursday, according to sports dailies here.

Mizuno, 22, who plays for J-League side JEF United Chiba, arrived in Glasgow late Wednesday and toured Celtic Park and their new training ground on Thursday.

He was greeted by about 20 local reporters at the airport and escorted by two policemen.

Celtic reportedly obtained a work permit for Mizuno from the British employment ministry Wednesday as an exceptional case.

To acquire a work permit, a player from a non-European Union country normally needs to have played at least 75 percent of international matches in the previous two years.

But Mizuno, who has helped Japan's under-23 squad win a berth in this summer's Beijing Olympics, only made his full international debut in a friendly against Peru last March.

"I could feel something of a tradition. I was overwhelmed. I feel like playing as soon as possible," he said, adding that the stands and the pitch are closer than at Chiba's stadium. "I believe it is quite imposing during the game," he was quoted as saying.

Mizuno was scheduled to return to Japan on Saturday and join the national team's training camp on Tuesday ahead of friendlies against Chile and Bosnia later in the month.

He is expected to return to Glasgow in mid-February to sign a formal contract with Celtic.

Mizuno, who joined the J-League side in 2004 after graduating from high school and has scored 13 goals in 86 league matches, said he was trying to overcome the language barrier with the help of his handheld Nintendo DS.