Itinerary of Japan PM’s whirlwind tour

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrives on a whirlwind tour of Bangladesh on Saturday.

According to his itinerary, he will spend less than 22 hours in Dhaka before leaving for Sri Lanka on another short trip.

Officials at the foreign ministry said a large delegation comprising 40 top businessmen and about 50 media persons would accompany him among others.

His wife, Akie Abe, will be accompanying him. She will have her own programmes during the tour, according to the latest itinerary bdnews24.com has received.

PM Abe will arrive at 1pm on Saturday at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by a special flight.

This will be the first visit to Bangladesh by a Japanese prime minister in 14 years.

His counterpart Sheikh Hasina will receive him at the VVIP terminal, where he will be accorded a guard of honour.

He will go to the national martyrs’ memorial at Savar, from where he will come to the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondhi.

Abe will deliver a lecture at a Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum programme at Pan Pacific Sonargoan Hotel, where he will stay.

He will then go to the prime minister’s office for the summit meeting.

Before the official talks, they will have a tete-a-tete.

Japan plans to give some 600 billion yen ($5.71 billion) in official development assistance to Bangladesh over the next four to five years, starting in fiscal 2015.

This fiscal, it has announced aid nearly to the extent of $ 1.2 billion.

Both leaders will sign a joint statement.

From the PM’s office, Abe will call on President Md Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban.

Leader of the opposition Raushon Ershad will meet him at the hotel before the banquet dinner Hasina will host for her counterpart at Pan Pacific Hotel.

On Sunday morning, Abe will visit the Institute of Fine Arts before leaving Dhaka.

He will witness an exhibition there.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will see him off at the airport at about 10.30am.

According to the itinerary, Akie Abe will visit Baptist Mission Integrated School (BMIS) and Dhaka Nursing College on Saturday.

Abe’s visit comes three months apart of Hasina’s visit.

The foreign ministry in a statement said it was an indication of Tokyo’s “very keen” interest in expanding and deepening “comprehensive partnership” in all spheres.

Both sides had embarked on “a new era of relationship” during Hasina’s visit, when Abe confirmed he would come to Dhaka shortly.

Japan established its diplomatic ties in February 1972, soon after Bangladesh’s independence, and quickly became the country’s largest bilateral development partner.

Its assistance comes regularly as grant, aid, technical assistance, and soft loans. The total grants and aid reached $11 billion last year.