Chief Advisor returns home after Japan Visit

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus returned home in the early hours of today, wrapping up his four-day packed official tour to Japan.

“A flight of Singapore Airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 12:15 am (Sunday),” Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told.

Earlier, a flight of Singapore Airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage departed Narita International Airport for Dhaka via Singapore at about 11:10 am (Tokyo time).

Azad said during his visit to Tokyo, the Chief Adviser joined around 20 engagements including a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

About the outcomes of Chief Adviser's Japan tour, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said Bangladesh's relations with Japan have reached a new height through the chief adviser's visit and the bilateral meeting with the Japanese prime minister. On the third day of his tour on Friday, Prof Yunus held a bilateral meeting with Japanese premier Ishiba.

During the meeting, the two leaders pledged to conclude an Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Bangladesh in the coming months, with the aim of deepening economic and trade relations between the two friendly nations.

The Japanese premier also announced a commitment of US$ 1.063 billion to Bangladesh for budget support and railway development.

Later, three documents on exchange of notes were signed in the day, respectively on the Development Policy Loan for Economic Reform and Strengthening Climate Change Resilience (418 million USD), the Loan for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-lane railway project (641 million USD) and the grant for the human development scholarship (4.2 million USD).

The Chief Adviser also addressed the 'Bangladesh Business Seminar' on the same day, where the two countries signed six MoUs on economic, investment, and other areas of cooperation.

Earlier, on Thursday, Bangladesh and Japan signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance the skills of Bangladeshi manpower and facilitate their employment in Japan, as the country faces a shortage of workers.

The agreements were signed at a human resources seminar hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy in Japan, held at Hirakwacho Chiyoda City in Tokyo, in presence of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Earlier, at the programme, Japanese authorities and businesses announced plans to recruit at least 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years to address the country's growing labour shortage. On the same day, the Chief Adviser delivered a keynote speech at the 30th Nikkei Forum: Future of Asia.

On the sidelines of the Nikkei Forum, Prof Yunus held a meeting with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and urged him to support Bangladesh in its bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Meanwhile, Prof Yunus received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Soka University on Friday in recognition of his contributions to social innovation and global development.

Prof Yunus, a recipient of the Nikkei Asia Prize in 2004, arrived in Tokyo on May 28.