PM Tarique off to Japan on four-day state visit

A Biman Bangladesh Airlines commercial flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and other members of the entourage departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12:15am, said Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.

The flight is scheduled to reach Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 9:25am local time, he said.

“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is going to Japan on a state visit. He is travelling on a commercial flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines,” Rumon said.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister’s Political Adviser and BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani saw the Prime Minister and his wife off at the VIP lounge of the airport.

The Prime Minister is leading a 15-member high-level delegation during the visit.

The delegation includes Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad, Invest Bangladesh Authority Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Bangladesh Bank Governor Md Mostaqur Rahman, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Employment in the Asia-Pacific Region Shakirul Islam Khan, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, Secretary Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Economic Relations Division Secretary Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Rumon, Hefazat-e-Islam Joint Secretary General and acting Secretary General of the Nezam-e-Islam Party Md Azizul Hoque Islamabadi and Am Janatar Dal Member Secretary Tarek Rahman.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are scheduled to hold a high-level formal meeting on the morning of October 27.

A joint declaration will be issued after the meeting.

Later, the Prime Minister and members of his delegation will attend a luncheon hosted by the Japanese Prime Minister.

During the visit, Tarique Rahman will hold talks with Japanese government officials, development institutions and business leaders, visit industrial and energy facilities, and deliver the keynote address at the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Forum.

The visit is expected to deepen the existing strategic partnership, attract fresh Japanese investment, expand trade and accelerate ongoing development projects, said Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam while speaking at a curtain-raiser media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 20.

Discussions will focus on the effective implementation of the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), signed in February 2026, expanding access for Bangladeshi products to the Japanese market and strengthening business engagement.

The two sides will also explore wider cooperation in renewable energy, agriculture, science and technology, digital transformation, skills development and human resource development.

The Prime Minister’s tentative programmes include engagements with the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League and the chairman of the Japan-Bangladesh Committee for Commercial and Economic Cooperation.

Meetings are also being planned with the president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the president of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

The proposed itinerary includes visits to an LNG terminal and power plant in Futtsu City, Chiba, the headquarters of UNIQLO and a Toyota factory in Nagoya.

The foreign secretary said the two sides are discussing draft memoranda of understanding (MoU) and cooperation agreements covering agriculture, fisheries, human resource development, skills enhancement, civil aviation, trade, environmental conservation and local government modernisation.

"We hope that many of these MoUs will be signed during the visit," he said.

Around eight MoUs are under discussion, of which three to four could be signed during the visit. Separate agreements are also being pursued in education and human resource development.

Detailed discussions are planned on Japanese support for establishing factories in Bangladesh, generating employment and developing human resources in line with the Prime Minister's priorities.

The two sides are also expected to discuss regional and international peace and stability, a sustainable and peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis, stronger cooperation in addressing the energy crisis and efforts to end international conflicts.

The visit follows the Prime Minister's participation in an online meeting in April at the invitation of the Japanese Prime Minister, during which Bangladesh welcomed a Japan-led initiative to address energy challenges across Asia, reports UNB.