Japanese companies wary of Bangladesh’s violent political situation last year recorded unprecedented sales, much to the amazement of the Japanese envoy in Dhaka.
Published : 21 May 2014, 02:07 PM
Ambassador Shiro Sadoshima speaking to diplomatic correspondents on Wednesday said the post-elections situation had brought relief for them and Japanese business delegations, shaky last year, feel much reassured.
“We are very relieved on one hand, but we wonder what is behind such record high sales of our companies, despite all those difficult conditions…they are very happy,” he said.
But he had no idea how it happened.
“Perhaps people here worked really hard despite all the trouble, as if nothing happened,” Sadoshima offered a guess.
Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Bangladesh (DCAB) organised the talk ahead of PM Sheikh Hasina's upcoming Tokyo visit with its President Mainul Alam in chair.
Japan is Bangladesh’s largest bilateral development partner.
Last April in a similar talk, the ambassador expressed frustration over the political violence and strikes as street violence was scaring off Japanese companies.
In the run up to the Jan 5 polls, Bangladesh witnessed an eruption of violence with rampant torching of vehicles, setting fire on business establishments and uprooting of rail lines that killed many people.
Japan like many other countries particularly the West expressed concerns over the violence and called for dialogue.
On Wednesday, he, however, said the elections had been held constitutionally and “there was no legal flaw at all”.
“We don’t have any problem in dealing with your government,” he said.
The ambassador said the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit from May 25 following Japanese foreign minister’s visit will take bilateral relations to “a new phase”.
He said wide range of issues including political and security issues, economic cooperation, and strengthening of human exchanges would be discussed during the visit when Hasina would hold talks with her counterpart Shinzo Abe.
He said the visit would further develop the relations through “a comprehensive partnership” that the Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida sought during his visit in March.
Replying to a question, the envoy said he was “worried” about the number of abductions and murder taking place in recent weeks, but he said he understood Bangladesh’s system and that since independence the country has overcome many difficulties.
In the last seven years the number of Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh has nearly tripled --from 61 in 2007 to 176 in 2013.
Japan, which established diplomatic ties with Bangladesh in February 1972, is the largest bilateral development partner of the country.
Its assistance comes regularly as grant, aid, technical assistance and soft loan. The total grants and aid reached $11 billion last year.
Japan has already promised a loan of 120 billion Yen ($1.18 billion) in the next fiscal for five projects, mostly in the energy and city development sectors.
Hasina last visited Japan in 2010 while the last visit of any Japanese prime minister to Bangladesh came in 2000.