Bangladesh-Japan ties strengthened by CA's visit: Press secretary
Says agreements reached in areas that had never seen such progress before
Bangladesh's ties with Japan have grown stronger following the visit of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said at a press briefing at the Foreign Service Academy today (1 June).
During the four-day trip, Bangladesh and Japan reached key agreements on aid, private investment, and the export of manpower to Japan – areas that had never seen such progress before, he said at the event, organised to brief the media about the outcomes of the visit.
The chief adviser returned home at 12:15am on Sunday, wrapping up a four-day official visit to Japan.
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Like the interest shown by Chinese investors after the chief adviser's trip to China, Japanese investors are now similarly keen to invest in Bangladesh, the press secretary noted.
He said six memorandums of understanding were signed between the two governments. Japan will provide $418 million in budget support, and lend $641 million for the dual-gauge railway line from Joydebpur to Ishwardi.
There will also be allocations for scholarships. The press secretary said about 3,000 students went to Japan in the first semester this year and it is expected that 10,000 students will be sent to Japan this year.
Moreover, Japan has agreed to invest a significant portion of the estimated $29 billion cost of the Moheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development Initiative project. Yunus held fruitful discussions with Japan's prime minister on the matter.
The chief adviser also met with the head of Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro) and leaders of companies including Sumitomo, Marubeni, and Japan's Energy for a New Era (Jera) to invite more investment in Bangladesh.
Japanese firms have expressed interest in recruiting 1 lakh workers from Bangladesh over the next five years – a major opportunity, the Press Secretary said.
The government has formed a task force to prepare skilled manpower for the Japanese market. The task force will study Nepal's example and work on upgrading Bangladesh's strategy for overseas employment.
The press secretary explained that Japanese employers prefer workers proficient in their language at level N4, while most Bangladeshi applicants currently have N5 skills. The government is negotiating for Japan to accept N5-level workers too.
Addressing another question, the Press Secretary confirmed that the Rohingya crisis was discussed with Japanese officials. The Chief Adviser urged Japan to double its humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas.
He clarified that Yunus has never shied away from using the term "Rohingya", unlike the previous government which avoided mentioning them explicitly.
