PM leaves for Japan

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to leave Dhaka shortly after midnight for a four-day official visit to Japan, with hopes that high-level talks will lift bilateral relations to a new height through stronger strategic cooperation, fresh investment and wider economic engagement.

Tarique Rahman is travelling at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

His Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight is scheduled to depart at 12.10am on Monday and arrive at Narita International Airport at 9.25am local time.

Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yasutaka Nakasone is due to receive him. The prime minister will stay at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman, and a delegation of ministers, advisers and senior government officials.

The visit, running from 26 to 29 October, is expected to give fresh impetus to the strategic partnership between the two countries, which are seeking to turn longstanding development cooperation into broader commercial, industrial and technological links.

“Japan welcomes Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s first visit to Japan as Prime Minister,” the Economic Section of the Japanese Embassy in Dhaka told the media.

It said the visit would offer an opportunity to reaffirm shared priorities and discuss how cooperation could better support Bangladesh’s development objectives.

The political engagement will be a meeting between Tarique Rahman and Takaichi at the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office on 27 October.

The meeting is expected to be followed by a joint press announcement and a luncheon hosted by Takaichi in honour of her Bangladeshi counterpart.

The agenda is expected to cover the strategic partnership, trade and investment, infrastructure and development cooperation, as well as regional and international issues.

Ahead of the visit, a proposed investment package worth around $13.8 billion has been outlined for 12 priority sectors during 2026-2031, with some initiatives linked to the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B).

The proposed investments include $3.45 billion for transport and urban connectivity; $3.14 billion for integrated industrial, port and commercial hubs, including Matarbari; $1.57 billion for manufacturing, semiconductors and automobiles; $1.26 billion for energy and the green transition; and $940 million for climate-resilient infrastructure.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said ahead of the visit that the two governments wanted to deepen the existing partnership, attract new Japanese investment, expand trade and speed up ongoing development projects.

He said around eight memorandums of understanding and other cooperation instruments were under discussion, with three or four potentially ready for signing during the visit.

The planned agreements cover agriculture, fisheries, human resource development, skills development, civil aviation, trade, environmental conservation and modernisation of local government.

Separate arrangements are also being pursued in education and human resource development.

Officials hope the cooperation will translate into practical outcomes, including factories established in Bangladesh, more jobs and training that equips workers with skills required by industry.

Tarique Rahman is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum and meet business leaders to discuss investment opportunities, trade and industrial cooperation.

The itinerary also includes meetings with senior representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League and the Japan-Bangladesh Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation.

A key objective will be to put the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement into effective operation.

Signed on 6 February 2026, the EPA provides for tariff reductions or elimination on a wide range of goods and establishes rules covering areas including investment, services, e-commerce and trade facilitation.

Dhaka hopes improved access to the Japanese market will help Bangladeshi exporters diversify sales, while stronger and clearer rules encourage Japanese companies to expand their presence in Bangladesh.

The prime minister’s tentative programme includes visits to an LNG terminal and power plant in Futtsu City, Chiba, the headquarters of clothing retailer UNIQLO and a Toyota factory in Nagoya.

These engagements are intended to expose the delegation to Japanese industrial and energy operations and to encourage cooperation on investment, technology transfer and skills.

The two sides are also expected to explore collaboration in renewable energy, agriculture, science and technology, digital transformation and human resource development.

Infrastructure remains a major pillar of the relationship. Japan has supported projects including Dhaka’s metro rail, the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and infrastructure development at Matarbari.

Sources said that Dhaka and Tokyo may discuss reducing interest rates on Japanese loans.

Port capacity, including the potential role of Matarbari as a subregional hub, is also relevant to Bangladesh’s plans to increase imports and exports, although the precise scope of future cooperation remains subject to discussions.

The two governments are expected to exchange views on regional and international peace and stability, the Rohingya crisis, energy security and efforts to end conflicts.

The visit follows an online meeting in April, when Bangladesh welcomed a Japan-led initiative to address energy challenges across Asia.

The immediate measure of success will be whether the meetings produce signed agreements, credible investment commitments and a clear follow-up process.

Japan has stressed the importance of turning high-level discussions into practical benefits and addressing challenges that affect investor confidence.

The official visit offers an opportunity to secure more than development assistance: it is a chance to attract productive investment, create employment, strengthen export capacity and deepen cooperation with a longstanding partner at a time when energy security and economic diversification are pressing priorities, sources said.

Officials have expressed optimism, but the proposed memorandums and investment discussions should not be treated as completed deals.

The outcome will depend on the details agreed in Tokyo and how swiftly both sides implement them after the delegation returns.