PM’s Japan tour postponed

Staff Reporter :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to pay an official visit to Japan in the last week of the current month, but it was postponed in the eleventh hour.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said that the official visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Japan would be delayed owing to a number of reasons, including Japan’s internal political issues and Covid situation.
“Japan has invited us. We are observing the situation,” he told the media at a briefing in a city hotel on Thursday after the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) ministerial conference.
Momen also referred to the resignation of three cabinet members of Japan and hinted that Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida might face more questions. On Wednesday evening, Dr Momen said Japan was ready to receive a Bangladesh delegation led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to further deepen the relations between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs on Thursday said that a new date of the Prime Minister’s visit to Japan would be announced soon.
He disclosed it after holding a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart on the sideline of the IORA ministerial conference at a city hotel.
“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Japan visit has been deferred. Both sides still could not reach a consensus on some agreements and memorandum of understanding. Discussion is on,” he added.
At the invitation of her Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh was scheduled to visit Japan from November 29 to December 1.
Regarding the subject matter of their meeting, he said, “Japan is our good friend. We hope that the bilateral relations will be consolidated in the upcoming days.”
Asked about whether they had talked about the recent comments of the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh on vote rigging, he said, “I raised the issue. I said that the election is our internal matter.”
On November 14, Japanese ambassador Ito Naoki at an event “Meet the Ambassador” in the capital said, “I have heard that in the last election police personnel stuffed the ballot boxes at night before the voting. I have never heard of such an instance in any other country.”
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs on Thursday told the media that the Prime Minister’s Japan visit had been postponed and it would take place at the convenient time.
“We have not yet announced the official date of the visit. Schedule may change at any time. But it will happen soon. We will let you know later,” he added.
About the meeting issues, he said that he had sought the support of Japan on Rohingya repatriation and informed the Japanese minister about the deterioration of the law and order situation in Myanmar.
He has further said that the Japanese Economic Zone in Araihazar would be inaugurated soon.
On the other hand, the Japanese minister said they would support a new power plant in Matarbari where an earlier plan for a coal-based power plant was cancelled.