Tarique Rahman-Takaichi Summit in Tokyo: Pledge to Turn Bangladesh-Japan Friendship Into a Driver of Shared Prosperity

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has held a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. On Tuesday (27 October), at around 11:30am local time, the prime minister was warmly received when he arrived at the Kantei, the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo, and the two prime ministers then sat down for bilateral talks.

During the guard of honour, the two prime ministers stood side by side. The national anthems of Japan and Bangladesh were played, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inspected the guard. The bilateral summit, led by the two heads of government, was then held at the Kantei.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Tokyo on Monday morning at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. With him at the meeting were Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit, the prime minister's adviser on posts, telecommunications and ICT Rehan Asif Asad, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun (Ashik Chowdhury), and Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostakur Rahman.

The delegation also included Shakirul Islam Khan, special assistant for overseas employment in the Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, and Shahriar Quader Siddiky, secretary of the foreign ministry's economic relations division.

At a joint press conference after the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman expressed his firm resolve to turn the long-standing friendship between Bangladesh and Japan into 'a powerful driving force for economic progress and shared prosperity'. He began his remarks in Japanese with 'Konnichiwa' (good day) and thanked Prime Minister Takaichi and the people of Japan for the warm welcome and sincere hospitality.

The prime minister said he had held fruitful discussions with Prime Minister Takaichi on bilateral, regional and international issues. Reaffirming the long friendship, the two countries agreed to increase cooperation in sectors including energy, information and communication technology (ICT), railways and infrastructure, a deep seaport, and foreign direct investment.

Referring to specific steps to deepen bilateral relations, the prime minister said several agreements and memorandums of understanding had been exchanged during the visit, the results of which would be published in a joint statement.

Addressing Japanese investors, the prime minister said: 'The partnership between Bangladesh and Japan is built on decades of friendship, trust and mutual respect. Today we have the opportunity to take this relationship to a new height.' He called on Japanese investors, businesspeople and financial institutions to take advantage of the investment opportunities available in Bangladesh.

He added: 'We are committed to working with our Japanese partners to realise the potential through productive investment, technology transfer, skilled employment and mutually beneficial business ventures. Our goal is clear—to turn the friendship between our two countries into a strong driving force for economic progress, new opportunities and shared prosperity.'

Recalling the historic relationship with Japan, the prime minister said the peace-loving country was among the first to recognise Bangladesh after its independence in 1971. For more than five decades, he noted, Japan has been one of Bangladesh's most valuable development partners, making important contributions to its socioeconomic and infrastructure development.

At the end of the press conference, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman concluded his remarks in Japanese with 'Arigato gozaimasu' (thank you).