Tarique Rahman rolled out a full‑scale pitch for Japanese capital in Tokyo on Monday, 27 May, after a high‑profile meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The call, delivered to a packed delegation of investors, banks and corporate leaders, framed Bangladesh’s economic roadmap as a partnership opportunity for Japan’s business community.
The two leaders sealed five memorandums of understanding during the session, covering trade facilitation, technology transfer, and joint ventures in manufacturing. The agreements also earmarked support for the Joydebpur‑Ishwardi Railway Dual Gauge project and the Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit system.
Rahman spent an hour with JICA President Dr Akihiko Tanaka at the Imperial Hotel, outlining a Bangladesh‑Japan Skills Partnership and a proposed Technological Village and Innovation City. The two sides discussed the Matarbari Ultra Super‑Critical Coal‑Fired Power project as a flagship of future energy cooperation.
Earlier this year, Rahman had hosted a delegation led by former Prime Minister Taro Aso, Marubeni Chairman Masumi Kakinoki and JICA officials, signalling a growing diplomatic and commercial dialogue that has now moved into concrete investment talks.
The summit will feed into a series of follow‑up meetings scheduled for July, during which the MoUs will be turned into binding contracts and the first tranche of funding is slated to be discussed. The next phase will see the Ministry of Commerce drafting legal reforms aimed at easing foreign investment procedures.
For local workers, the most immediate impact could be job creation in the construction and manufacturing sectors, as the new projects promise to bring in advanced technology and skilled labor from Japan.