Bangladesh and Japan: Unison in a Strong Friendship through JICA

Bangladesh’s development journey has been strengthened with many friends, Japan is one of them, remaining a strong ally in Asia, proclaimed by Miyazaki Katsura, Executive Senior Vice President of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), adding grievance on the mourning of the lost lives in the July uprising of 2024 as marking its first anniversary.

The Chief Adviser of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Dr. Mohammad Yunus, added the need for Japan’s support in collaboration in humanitarian response for Rohingya, youth development, besides fisheries and investment in different sectors.

One of the most crucial and important issues put in the spotlight is the Matarbari project, which focuses on the large-scale and multi-component infrastructure development and energy in Bangladesh. During the meeting between the heads of the two countries, Bangladesh’s maritime potential was brought into emphasis to transform the alliance into a sea-based economy.

In terms of youth development, our Chief Adviser requested Japan to enhance academic scholarship for Bangladeshi students and expand chances for employment. Especially in terms of language acquisition, which can be solved via distance learning.

When it came to Bangladesh’s judiciary system, public administration and health sector, Japan assured its involvement in the 2026 status of LDC, by also incorporating ICT in human resource training. Moreover, both countries highlighted the importance of female involvement in sports, for which Miyazaki positively responded by providing schooling projects.

In a nutshell, the ODA threshold has been requested to increase from 300 billion to 455 billion JPY for investing into further development projects.