PM to leave for Japan tonight on four-day official visit

 

During the visit, he will hold high-level bilateral talks with the Japanese Prime Minister, meet representatives of major Japanese companies and development institutions, visit industrial and energy facilities, and deliver the keynote address at the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum.

According to the tour schedule, the Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister is scheduled to depart Dhaka at 00:10am early Monday and arrive at Narita International Airport at 9:25am local time the same day.

Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Yasutaka Nakasone will receive the Bangladesh premier at the airport. The Prime Minister will stay at Tokyo's Imperial Hotel.

On the first day, Tarique Rahman will meet Taro Aso, president of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League, in the afternoon, in the presence of Japan's Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tatsunori Ibayashi and senior parliamentary league members.

He will separately meet Masumi Kakinoki, chairman of the Japan-Bangladesh Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation, and Dr Akihiko Tanaka, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In the evening, the Prime Minister will attend a dinner hosted by Yohei Sasakawa, honorary chairman of the Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

On October 27, Tarique Rahman will hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Japanese Prime Minister's Office. He will receive a guard of honour before the meeting, followed by a joint press announcement and a luncheon hosted by the Japanese premier.

The talks are expected to cover the strategic partnership, trade and investment, infrastructure and development cooperation, and regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Reducing the cost of the Dhaka metro rail project and the interest rates on Japanese loans will be among the key issues for discussion. The two sides are also expected to discuss accelerating the implementation of ongoing infrastructure projects and completing them within the stipulated time frame.

Later that day, the Prime Minister will visit JERA's land-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and power plant in Futtsu and the Nittsu Logistics Hub in Ichikawa, both in Chiba Prefecture.

On October 28, the premier will meet Kazuhiko Amakawa, governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and hold talks with the president and board members of Japanese apparel company UNIQLO at its headquarters in Tokyo.

He will also meet Susumu Kataoka, president of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and attend a luncheon hosted by him.

Separate meetings are scheduled with representatives of Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation and JERA. The Prime Minister will also hold two group meetings with representatives of 14 other prominent Japanese companies.

The discussions are expected to focus on Japanese investment, factory establishment, job creation, industrialisation, technology transfer and human resource development in Bangladesh.

In the afternoon, Tarique Rahman will deliver the keynote address at the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum at the JETRO building in Tokyo, where businesses and investors from both countries will explore opportunities to expand trade and investment.

Later in the day, he will attend a programme at the Bangladesh Embassy with the signatories of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on education and human resource development.

In the evening, he will attend a community event with expatriate Bangladeshis at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo.

On the final day, October 29, the Prime Minister will travel by bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya, where he will visit Toyota Motor Corporation's Motomachi factory.

He will attend a luncheon hosted by Toshimitsu Imai, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology.

The Prime Minister will return to Tokyo by bullet train before departing Narita International Airport for Dhaka at 6:00pm local time. He is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:35pm the same day.

Bangladesh and Japan formally announced the visit on October 20.

Ahead of the visit, a proposed investment package worth around USD 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 package includes USD 3.45 billion for transport and urban connectivity; USD 3.14 billion for integrated industrial, port and commercial hubs, including Matarbari; USD 1.57 billion for manufacturing, semiconductors and automobiles; USD 1.26 billion for energy and the green transition; and USD 940 million for climate-resilient infrastructure.

A further USD 3.45 billion has been proposed for agriculture, pharmaceuticals, information and communication technology, the blue economy, tourism, small and medium-sized enterprises and other sectors.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam at a recent press briefing said discussions during the visit would cover agriculture, fisheries, human resource and skills development, civil aviation, marine environmental protection and the modernisation of local government, among other areas.

He said around eight MoUs were under discussion, of which three to four could be signed during the visit. Separate agreements are also being pursued in education and human resource development.

Cooperation in manufacturing, employment, skills development, renewable energy, environmental protection, science, technology, digital innovation and research is also expected to feature in the discussions.

The visit comes after Bangladesh and Japan signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in February this year, opening up further opportunities to expand bilateral trade and investment, improve market access for Bangladeshi goods and strengthen business confidence.

The Prime Minister will be accompanied by his wife Zubaida Rahman, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad, Invest Bangladesh Authority chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, the PM's Special Assistant Md Shakirul Islam Khan, and other government officials and media representatives.

Japan has been a major development partner of Bangladesh since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972. Japanese assistance has supported major infrastructure projects, including Dhaka metro rail, the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and Matarbari deep-sea port.

Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman visited Japan in 1978 and 1980, while former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia visited the country in 1994 and 2005, reports BSS