CA Yunus returns home wrapping up Japan tour

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus returned home in the early hours of today (1 June), wrapping up his four-day official tour to Japan.

A flight of Singapore Airlines carrying the chief adviser landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:15am, concluding his very successful trip, CA's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told UNB.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the relationship between Bangladesh and Japan reached a new height with wider and deeper cooperation through the just-concluded visit of CA Yunus to Tokyo.

"Our relations with Japan have reached a new height through the chief adviser's visit and the bilateral meeting with the Japanese prime minister," Alam told reporters in Tokyo on Friday night.

On the third day of his tour on Friday, Yunus held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.

The two leaders pledged to conclude an Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Bangladesh in the coming months, with the aim of deepening economic and trade relations between the two friendly nations.

The Japanese prime minister also announced a commitment of $1.063 billion to Bangladesh for budget support and railway development.

Later, three documents on exchange of notes were signed in the day, respectively on the Development Policy Loan for Economic Reform and Strengthening Climate Change Resilience ($418 million), the loan for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-lane railway project ($641 million) and the grant for the human development scholarship ($4.2 million).

The chief adviser also addressed the 'Bangladesh Business Seminar' on the same day, where the two countries signed six MoUs on economic, investment and other areas of cooperation.

On Thursday, Bangladesh and Japan signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance the skills of Bangladeshi manpower and facilitate their employment in Japan, as the country faces a shortage of workers.

The agreements were signed at a human resources seminar hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy in Japan, held at Hirakwacho Chiyoda City in Tokyo, in the presence of Yunus.

Earlier, at the programme, Japanese authorities and businesses announced plans to recruit at least 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years to address the country's growing labour shortage

On the same day, the chief adviser delivered a keynote speech at the 30th Nikkei Forum: Future of Asia.

On the sidelines of the Nikkei Forum, Yunus held a meeting with former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and urged him to support Bangladesh in its bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Meanwhile, Yunus received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Soka University on Friday in recognition of his contributions to social innovation and global development.

Yunus, a recipient of the Nikkei Asia Prize in 2004, went to Tokyo on Wednesday.