Published : 27 Oct 2026, 10:56 AM
Updated : 27 Oct 2026, 10:56 AM
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has voiced his resolve to turn the Bangladesh-Japan friendship into a “powerful engine of economic progress and shared prosperity”.
He spoke at a joint news conference at the Kantei, the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo, on Tuesday, after a bilateral summit led by the two prime ministers from 11:45am local time.
Opening with the Japanese greeting “Konnichiwa”, he thanked Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Japanese people on behalf of Bangladeshis for the warm welcome and hospitality.
“Japan holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh,” Tarique said. “Our friendship rests on mutual respect, trust and the shared goals of peace, prosperity and stability.”
Japan, a peace-loving country, was among the first to recognise Bangladesh after independence in 1971, he said. It has been one of Bangladesh’s most valued development partners for over five decades, contributing to socioeconomic progress and infrastructure.
“We are deeply grateful for this enduring friendship.”
Describing the talks, Tarique said he and Takaichi had held fruitful discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues.
The two sides reaffirmed their friendship and pledged to deepen the partnership through greater cooperation in energy, information and communication technology (ICT), railways and infrastructure, deep seaports and foreign direct investment.
He said concrete steps had been taken to deepen ties during the visit, with several agreements and memorandums of understanding exchanged in key areas.
The outcomes and shared priorities will be set out in a joint statement.
Calling on Japanese investors, Tarique said the partnership was built on decades of friendship, trust and mutual respect, and a chance had now come to take it to new heights.
“I sincerely invite Japanese investors, businesspeople and financial institutions to explore the investment opportunities in Bangladesh and be part of our next phase of growth.
“We are committed to working with Japanese partners to harness this potential through productive investment, technology transfer, skilled employment and mutually beneficial business ventures. Together, we can build a more resilient and prosperous future for our two great countries.”
He said, “Let us build a partnership that serves our people today and leaves a lasting legacy for future generations."
He ended the news conference in Japanese with “Arigato Gozaimasu”, meaning “thank you”.
