A New Era Of Japan-Bangladesh Friendship And Cooperation

Bangladesh and Japan aim to widen their relationship, centred on the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B), under the framework of a Comprehensive Partnership that stresses flows of technology and capital between the countries.


In his first speech during his less than 22-hour tour of Bangladesh, Shinzo Abe sought support of businessmen from both sides for the mutual growth of the two countries like “brothers and sisters”.

Speaking in Japanese, at a Bangladesh-Japan Business Forum event at Pan Pacific Sonargoan Hotel where he is staying, he said he would “promote” trade and investment in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh was “very important” for him for its location between South East Asia and India.

He said the country was also important for implementing his “Abenomics”, a much-talked-about economic policy he has adopted to inflate the decade long deflated Japanese economy.

“I am promoting Abenomics in Japan to lead Japanese economy. To me Bangladesh is very important to enhance trade and investment of Japan because I am leading Abenomic to lead Japanese economic growth."
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Tokyo in May and Abe's return visit followed up on Japan's commitment to invest 600 billion yen ($5.7 billion) over the next four to five years.
Abe praised Bangladesh's progress in developing its Bay of Bengal industrial belt but urged the country to do more to improve infrastructure and transportation. He praised the export growth achieved by the Bangladeshi garment industry.
Japan also provided a $450 million development loan for the construction of a 1,350 megawatt coal-fired power station.
In return, Hasina told Abe that Bangladesh had withdrawn its bid for a non-permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for 2015-16 in favour of Japan. “I appreciate the decision, and it will foster the relationship of the two counties,” Abe said.

On the evening of May 26, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a summit meeting with H.E. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, who was on her official visit to Japan, subsequently held a joint press conference, and hosted a banquet (Mr. Fumio Kishida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, also attended the summit meeting).