The Dutch prodigy, who celebrates his 17th birthday on Tuesday, will become the youngest driver in F1 history when he replaces Jean-Eric Vergne in Toro Rosso's line-up in the 2015 season.
Verstappen, son of former F1 driver Jos, caught the eye of the sport's big guns with a series of stunning performances in his debut season in Formula Three.
Toro Rosso have now confirmed that Verstappen will get his first F1 outing in the first free practice session in Suzuka, with Vergne likely to be the man to sit out.
"I am very much looking forward to taking part in a free practice session at a grand prix for the first time," Verstappen said. "It is good preparation for next year, even if it's not something I could have imagined a few months ago.
"To already be participating in a practice session is of course a dream come true.
"I have actually been to Suzuka before, to take part in a go-kart race on the track that is located next to the main circuit's back straight. My dad has raced at Suzuka many times and he told me it's not an easy track to start on.
"For me it will be a very valuable experience, spending some time in the car and also getting used to working with everyone in the team, to prepare myself for next year.
"I am not going there to break any records, I just want to gain experience. I have spent one day driving this track on the simulator, which helps a bit, but it's no substitute for driving it for real.
"My first impression is that it's not an easy track and for example it looks hard to get the combination right in the first esses [a sequence of winding turns].
"I have one and a half hours to drive there and I'm looking forward to doing a good job, for myself and for the team."