Japan and Bangladesh are time-tested friends and both countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022. As the largest single development partner, Japan has supported Bangladesh in development in various aspects, from infrastructure to human resources. In the year to commemorate 50 years of friendship, MRT Line 6 and Bangladesh SEZ (BSEZ) in Araihazar have incepted the operation for further growth in the economy. For its rapid growth, the number of Japanese companies is more than 300, which is tripled in the last ten years. According to JETRO, 71.6% of Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh are willing to expand their business operation in the next one to two years. In this background, more Japanese companies are focusing on Bangladesh as an appealing business destination. Moreover, due to the planned graduation from LDC status, both governments set up a joint study group for the bilateral Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) last year. For deepening the bilateral relation, business relation is increasingly significant, and more business partnership would be expected. In this session, Japanese government and businesses will discuss the policy, business opportunities and challenges by inviting stakeholders from both countries. The session will be held in partnership with Japan External Trade Organizations (JETRO).
Session Objectives:
• Highlighting the business relation between two countries.
• Discussing focused areas for Japanese investment, business opportunities and challenges.
• Introducing Bangladesh SEZ in Araihazar as international standard for investment.
• Deliberating the next step to upgrade business relation.
• Discussing expected Economic Partnership Agreement as a driving force.
