Prime Minister Tarique Rahman Returns Home After Four-Day Japan Visit: Six Cooperation Deals and a Patrol Vessel Grant Among the Gains

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has returned home after a four-day visit to Japan. The Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Zubaida Rahman and his entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 2:48am on Thursday night.

The Prime Minister's deputy press secretary, Shahadat Swadhin, confirmed the information. He said the flight had earlier left Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 10:55pm on Thursday, Japan local time.

At the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Tarique Rahman's visit included a high-level bilateral meeting, the signing of cooperation agreements, discussions with Japanese business leaders on investment prospects in Bangladesh, and visits to important industrial and energy installations in Japan.

At the bilateral summit held at the Japanese Prime Minister's office on October 27, Tarique Rahman and Takaichi discussed strengthening the two countries' long-standing partnership. Trade, investment, energy security, infrastructure, technology, space research, and regional and international issues received special importance in the talks.

The two leaders also discussed a proposal for one trillion Japanese yen, or $6.3 billion, in private investment in Bangladesh's energy, infrastructure, and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors. They also discussed sending a Japanese delegation to Bangladesh to accelerate progress on the investment plan.

During the visit, Bangladesh and Japan signed six bilateral cooperation documents. Commitments were also received for two loan projects worth 46.56 billion yen. Among the signed documents is a grant agreement of up to 2.12 billion yen, or $13.44 million, to supply a patrol vessel to strengthen Bangladesh's coastal security capability.

Memoranda of understanding were also signed on improving the business environment, agriculture, employment programmes through skills development, and expanding cooperation in the fisheries and livestock sectors. A letter of intent on climate change cooperation was signed as well. The two loan projects will support improvements to Bangladesh's investment environment and the implementation of the second phase of the Upazila governance and development project.

Alongside the government-level agreements, 17 memoranda of understanding were signed among private-sector institutions at an event organised by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir said.

On October 28, the Prime Minister addressed the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum dialogue at JETRO headquarters in Tokyo. He invited Japanese companies to invest in five priority sectors: automobile manufacturing, energy, technology and space, high-speed rail and logistics, and agro-processing.

During the visit, Tarique Rahman also met Japanese political leaders, development partners and business leaders, including former prime minister Taro Aso, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) president Akihiko Tanaka, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) governor Kazuhiko Amakawa, and JETRO president Susumu Kataoka.

In meetings with representatives of leading Japanese companies including Uniqlo, Mitsui & Co., Sumitomo Corporation and JERA, the Prime Minister discussed expanding investment, setting up factories, creating employment, transferring technology and developing skills.

On October 27, the Prime Minister visited JERA's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and power plant at Futtsu, and the Nitsu logistics hub at Ichikawa, where he observed various aspects of Japan's energy and freight transport management.

On Thursday, Tarique Rahman visited Nagoya, where he toured Toyota Motor Corporation's Motomachi factory and the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology to see Japan's automobile manufacturing capability.

The visit took place amid efforts to expand economic relations after Bangladesh and Japan signed their first-ever Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in February 2026. The agreement created a new framework for strengthening trade relations between the two countries. Japan has long been one of Bangladesh's leading development partners.

Tarique Rahman had travelled to Japan on Monday on the four-day visit at the invitation of the Japanese prime minister. His entourage included Zubaida Rahman, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir, and the chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, among a high-level delegation.