Hope of New Investment from PM's Japan Visit as State Minister Sets Out COP31 Position

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam has expressed firm optimism that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's upcoming Tokyo visit will create opportunities for new Japanese investment in the country. At the same time, she confirmed that the matter of recalling Bangladesh's ambassador posted in Japan is entirely the foreign ministry's own administrative decision.

A national dialogue was held on Saturday at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital, centred on the upcoming COP31 climate conference to be held in Antalya, Türkiye.

She made the remarks while speaking as chief guest at the event, organised for the release of a national position paper prepared jointly by 33 citizen and development organisations of the country.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is travelling to Japan on 26 October on a four-day official visit, aimed at increasing bilateral trade and securing large-scale Japanese investment.

As part of the visit, he is scheduled to take part in a formal high-level bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on 27 October.

Raising the issue of international climate finance, Shama Obaid said the developed world must release the promised funding as grants, without imposing fresh debt burdens on affected countries.

She emphasised a united position at the domestic level to secure the country's rights at the global negotiating table. At the same time, the state minister reiterated the demand for a specific fund from the international community to overcome climate damage.

The state minister said that despite limited resources, Bangladesh remains regularly active in climate adaptation. At the COP31 conference, alongside sustainable energy transition, the vast potential of eco-friendly jute products in the world market will be highlighted.

In addition, Bangladesh will strongly demand transparency in fund allocation and equal allocation for both adaptation and mitigation, she said.

To implement these initiatives, a joint focal team has been formed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in which there is scope to involve young people working on the environment.

In both areas — the Japan visit and COP31 — Bangladesh's expectations are now directed at concrete results. When the Prime Minister's Tokyo visit begins on 26 October, a new picture of investment and bilateral relations is expected to emerge.