Japan rolled out the red carpet to welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday in a four-day official visit which experts said would be “more significant” than her previous five visits to Tokyo.
It comes at a time when Japan has declared a free and open Indo-Pacific giving importance to the ‘global south’ and showed interest to develop the relations with Bangladesh to “strategic level” from the present “comprehensive partnership”.
Just before the visit, Bangladesh on Monday also revealed its 15-point Indo-Pacific outlook envisioning a “free, open, peaceful, secure, and inclusive” Indo-Pacific as the country is set to be graduated from the LDC.
“For five reasons this visit is more significant than other visits,” Professor of Dhaka University Japan Study Center Dr. Abdullah Al Mamun told Bangladesh Post, as the Prime Minister has previously visited Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019.
“First, with its new free and open Indo-Pacific strategy, Tokyo considers Bangladesh as an important country which is something beyond the “donor recipient” relationship.
“Secondly, Japan is implementing a large infrastructure project in south Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar districts under its 'Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt' (BIG-B) concept. Japan is looking for an alternative to its present production hub in ASEAN and other countries due to rising costs. And Bangladesh’s economic transformation gives the Japanese companies confidence that they can invest here and make products in low-cost and then export to other countries using the deep-sea port in Matarbari which is also being built by Japan,” Prof Mamun said.
“Third, Japan wants to develop relations with Bangladesh into a 'strategic' one, where security and military cooperation will be added.
“Fourth, in the new context of graduation from the LDC, Bangladesh will lose GSP in the Japan market. So, both countries are in talk to negotiate an 'Economic Partnership Agreement'.
“Fifth, Japan is also planning to connect northeast India with the Matarbari deep sea port which will give a new dimension to regional connectivity. This was announced recently during the Japanese Prime Minister’s visit to India.”
“I think this connectivity issue will also come up in the discussion between the two Prime Ministers,” Prof Mamun said.
The prime minister reached Tokyo in a special chartered VVIP flight (BG1403) of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan TAKEI Shunsuke and Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed received her at the Haneda International Airport when the flight landed at 4.45pm.
The Prime Minister was given the static guard of honour at the airport.
A ceremonial motorcade with a 30 minutes ride on the road took her to the Akasaka Palace of Residence, Tokyo where she will stay during her Japan visit.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen earlier said around eight deals would be signed with Tokyo during the visit.
Those include the deals on agriculture, metro rail, industrial upgrade, ship recycling, customs matters, intellectual properties; defence cooperation, ICT and cyber security cooperation.
The Prime Minister will also attend an investment summit during her visit.
Professor of international relations Dr Lailufar Yasmin told Bangladesh Post that the visit is “very significant” as Japan is looking at its relations with Bangladesh in a way that has “geopolitical importance”.
“Through this visit, both the countries reiterated their commitment to each other,” she said, adding that the existing bilateral “comprehensive” partnership needs to be transformed into a “strategic” one.
“With the strategic partnership, the two countries will determine the long-term relationship based on their goals and objectives towards each other,” she said.