Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will make a four-day official visit to Japan from October 26 to 29, during which at least four memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to sign eight MoUs during the visit, with agreements on at least four documents already finalised between Bangladesh and Japan, Siam told journalists at the ministry’s conference room.
The official itinerary states that Rahman will hold a high-level bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on October 27 at the Japanese prime minister’s office. The two leaders will lead their respective delegations at the meeting.
MoUs aimed at expanding commercial and economic cooperation between the two countries are expected to be signed after the bilateral talks.
Prime Minister Takaichi will also host a luncheon in honour of Prime Minister Rahman, according to the announced programme.
Rahman is also expected to hold courtesy meetings with the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League; the chairman of the Japan-Bangladesh Committee for Commercial and Economic Co-operation; the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA; the governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation; the president of the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO; and the chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in an official statement on Tuesday that the visit was expected to further strengthen the existing “strategic partnership” between Dhaka and Tokyo.
“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, will pay an official visit to Japan from October 26 to 29,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
“During their stay in Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of Bangladesh and host a luncheon in his honour,” the statement added.
Japan described Bangladesh as an important regional partner and said both countries shared values and principles including freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry said the visit was expected to strengthen bilateral strategic partnership and enhance coordination in implementing the updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific, or FOIP, strategy.
Rahman will deliver the keynote address at the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum during the visit.
The itinerary also includes visits to an LNG terminal and power plant in Chiba, a nuclear headquarters, and a Toyota factory in Nagoya.