Dhaka eyes Japanese gains from PM’s visit
Bangladesh will seek greater Japanese investment, expanded employment opportunities for skilled workers and progress on major infrastructure projects during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s four-day official visit to Japan from October 26 to 29.
Dhaka is also expecting that three to four memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to be signed, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said on Tuesday.
Briefing journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Siam said the two countries were discussing around eight MoUs covering agriculture, fisheries, human resource development, skills training, defence, transport, environmental protection and local government modernisation.
“We are discussing around eight MoUs. We hope that three to four of them will be signed and finalised,” he said, adding that employment and human resource development would feature prominently in the discussions.
However, the visit would not see any agreement signing between Dhaka and Tokyo.
The visit, at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, comes as Bangladesh seeks to translate its longstanding relationship with Tokyo into greater trade, private investment, industrial development and job creation.
The two governments formally announced the visit simultaneously on Tuesday.
Tarique Rahman will be accompanied by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, the finance minister, advisers and ministers responsible for economic planning, foreign affairs, energy, telecommunications and science and technology, alongside other senior officials and business representatives.
Both leaders would hold the meeting on Oct 27 to discuss on diverse avenues of bilateral issues.
Expanding employment opportunities in Japan and attracting Japanese companies to establish factories in Bangladesh are among Dhaka’s key priorities.
Asked whether a recently reported initiative to send skilled Bangladeshi workers to Japan had been finalised, Siam said, “We are keeping the discussions, for the time being, within the framework of human resource development cooperation. This will create opportunities to move forward with further cooperation in the future.”
He added that the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers would also be discussed during the visit.
The prime minister is scheduled to meet representatives of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League, the Japan-Bangladesh Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
He will also attend the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum and meet Japanese business leaders, providing opportunities to discuss investment proposals and commercial partnerships.
The visit will build on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) signed by Bangladesh and Japan in February 2026, which is intended to expand trade and investment and improve economic cooperation.
Asked whether the EPA and a defence-related agreement would be discussed about approval during the visit, Siam explained that agreements requiring domestic approval would not necessarily become effective immediately after signing.
“Agreements such as the EPA have parliamentary and other internal approval procedures in each country,” he said. “After signing, they will come into effect once those procedures have been completed in both countries.”
Concerns have also emerged about the potential effects of the EPA on particular export sectors, including leather goods, with questions raised about whether some Bangladeshi products could lose competitiveness in Japan.
Responding to a question about the issue, Siam said the agreement needed to be assessed comprehensively rather than by examining individual products in isolation.
“This is a comprehensive agreement. If benefits for a particular product are adjusted, those adjustments are made in exchange for benefits in other sectors,” he said.
“The extent to which a particular sector benefits can be assessed once the agreement comes into effect,” he added.
Japanese assistance has supported major projects in Bangladesh, including metro rail, the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and the Matarbari deep-sea port.
However, rising project costs and financing conditions remain concerns for the government.
Asked whether Tarique Rahman would raise cost increases in Japanese-assisted infrastructure projects, including MRT Line-5, Siam said infrastructure cooperation would certainly feature in the bilateral discussions.
“Discussions on infrastructure cooperation will certainly take place during the prime minister’s bilateral meeting,” he said, adding that the two sides would also review other existing areas of cooperation.
On whether Bangladesh would seek lower interest rates on Japanese loans, Siam said Dhaka wanted more favourable financing conditions from all development partners.
“We want to obtain loans on favourable terms from all countries. In the global financing system, every country has its own interest rates and funding conditions,” he said.
Asked about the Matarbari port’s potential to become a sub-regional hub, Siam said port capacity needed to grow alongside the country’s expanding economy.
“Our port infrastructure must have the capacity to handle the volume of imports and exports we expect to conduct ten years from now,” he said.
He explained that the Matarbari expansion initiative was intended to prepare Bangladesh for that future demand.
“Once this capacity is achieved, it will accelerate our overall regional connectivity and economic development,” he added.
Bangladesh and Japan have maintained close relations since shortly after Bangladesh’s independence. Japan has contributed significantly to infrastructure development, technical assistance, human resource development and capacity-building.
Their cooperation has since expanded into trade, investment, technology, connectivity and security.
Asked about Bangladesh’s strategic priorities and how closer ties with Japan would relate to its relations with other countries, Siam said Dhaka assessed each bilateral relationship independently.
“Bangladesh gives separate importance to its relationship with each country and evaluates each relationship independently. We do not compare our relationship with one country with our relationship with another,” he said.
“What we do, we do in accordance with our own needs and the needs of our people,” he added.
The prime minister’s programme also includes visits to Japan’s LNG terminal and power plant facilities in Futtsu, Chiba, the headquarters of clothing company Uniqlo and Toyota’s factory in Nagoya.
These engagements could provide opportunities to explore cooperation in energy security, manufacturing, technology and employment.
Renewable energy, agriculture, digital transformation and science and technology are among the additional areas in which both countries hope to expand collaboration.
The prime minister is also expected to meet the chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and other Japanese representatives.
Asked whether the two countries would issue a joint statement or joint communiqué following the bilateral meeting, Siam said discussions on the document had already taken place.
“The joint statement has been discussed. Its final form depends on the outcome of the concluding stages of the bilateral discussions,” he said.
He also explained that Foreign Minister’s absence from the delegation was due to a demanding schedule and previously arranged participation in international meetings.
