Special Correspondent: Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi paid a courtesy call on President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at Bangabhaban on Tuesday, with the two sides discussing ways to further deepen the longstanding bilateral relationship and expand cooperation across a wide range of sectors.

During the meeting, the President and the Japanese envoy discussed infrastructure, trade and investment, human resource development, agriculture, energy and employment, President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam told media.

The meeting comes as Bangladesh-Japan ties continue to evolve beyond traditional development assistance towards broader economic and strategic cooperation. Japan remains a major development partner of Bangladesh, with its support covering major infrastructure projects, human resource development and economic resilience. Japan’s development cooperation commitments for fiscal 2026 include a ¥50 billion emergency loan aimed at strengthening economic resilience and stabilising energy supplies, as well as a grant for human resource development.

A key moment of the meeting was the ambassador’s presentation of a congratulatory message from Japanese Emperor Naruhito to President Mirza Fakhrul Islam on his assumption of office.

In the message, the Emperor conveyed his heartfelt congratulations and good wishes to the President and expressed his hope for the happiness and success of the people of Bangladesh.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam expressed appreciation for Japan’s longstanding friendship and development partnership with Bangladesh, particularly its contribution to major infrastructure projects.

He highlighted Japanese cooperation in projects including Dhaka Metro Rail and the Meghna Bridge and expressed hope that the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport would be opened soon, with Japanese cooperation in its operation and management.

The ambassador assured the President that the work would be completed soon.

Japan has long been a major partner in Bangladesh’s infrastructure development, with Japanese-supported projects also including Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s Terminal 3, the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit system and the Matarbari development initiative.

The President also called for greater Japanese investment across Bangladesh, particularly in the northern region, in areas such as fruit and crop production and agricultural product processing.

The ambassador expressed interest in the proposal and reiterated Japan’s desire to expand economic cooperation with Bangladesh.

Employment and human resource development also featured prominently in the discussion.

The President thanked Japan for providing employment opportunities to Bangladeshi workers and urged Tokyo to consider establishing vocational training institutions in Bangladesh so that workers could acquire skills suited to the Japanese labour market.

He also called for increased scholarship opportunities for Bangladeshi students.

Human resource development remains an established area of Japanese cooperation with Bangladesh. Japan’s 2026 development assistance includes a grant for a human-resource development scholarship programme.

Energy security was another important issue discussed during the meeting.

The ambassador expressed Japan’s interest in supporting Bangladesh in ensuring energy security and dealing with volatility in international energy markets.

The President, meanwhile, appreciated Japan’s humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas and sought continued Japanese support for their safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar.

Japan has provided assistance to displaced people from Myanmar and host communities in Bangladesh since 2017, according to its Foreign Ministry.

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam thanked Ambassador Saida Shinichi for his role in strengthening Bangladesh-Japan relations and reiterated his commitment to elevating the longstanding friendship between the two countries to a strategic partnership.

Recalling the visits of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to Japan in 1978 and 1980 and then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s official visit in 2005, he said those exchanges had contributed significantly to the development of bilateral relations.

The ambassador expressed satisfaction with Bangladesh’s recent progress and political transition and conveyed Japan’s interest in continuing cooperation with the current government.

Bangladesh and Japan have in recent years broadened their relationship through economic, infrastructure, human-resource and other forms of cooperation. Japan’s Foreign Ministry records the conclusion of an agreement in principle on a bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement in December 2025, followed by its signing in February 2026.

The meeting therefore underscored a shared interest in expanding the relationship from major development projects to investment, skills development, agriculture, energy security, employment and wider economic cooperation.

The President’s Military Secretary, Secretary, Press Secretary and an Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present at the meeting.