Japan refutes reports of recruiting 100,000 Bangladeshi workers

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected reports claiming Tokyo agreed to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers annually.

The clarification came on Thursday at the end of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s four-day official visit to Japan.

Multiple Bangladeshi television channels reported that an agreement or large-scale plan had been finalised to send 100,000 skilled Bangladeshi workers to Japan each year.

The claim gained rapid traction across social media after reports on the summit.

Refuting the assertions, Japan’s MOFA Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura confirmed in a public statement that no such agreement had been reached.

"While recent social media posts have falsely suggested that the Government of Japan agreed to accept 100,000 workers from Bangladesh, no such fact exists," Kitamura wrote.

Diplomatic sources indicated that while Dhaka sought to expand employment opportunities for Bangladeshis under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) and training programmes, Tokyo has made no blanket numerical commitments.

Japan’s recruitment system involves language tests, technical certification and employer demand, rather than an automatic allocation of jobs to individual countries.

Tarique’s trip to Tokyo saw the signing of six bilateral instruments and two major yen loan pledges focused on local governance, industrial investment, and maritime safety.

The joint communique acknowledged mutual interest in expanding workforce mobility, but Japan said no agreement had been reached to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers annually.