Bangladesh Approves Historic Economic Partnership With Japan

The Council of Advisers on Thursday approved a proposal for Bangladesh to sign an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan, granting duty-free access for 7,379 Bangladeshi products to the Japanese market. In return, Japan will receive duty-free access to 1,039 products from Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam called the agreement a historic milestone, saying it will strengthen Bangladesh’s trade position and help negotiate better deals with other countries.

“The EPA will diversify exports and open duty-free access for our RMG products in Japan,” Alam said, noting that this is Bangladesh’s first EPA with the world’s fourth-largest economy.

The agreement is expected to bring significant trade, investment, and employment benefits, marking a new chapter in Bangladesh-Japan economic relations.

Negotiations began in March 2024, following a Joint Study Group report released in December 2023 recommending a comprehensive approach across 17 sectors. The draft EPA was finalized last month.

At the same meeting, the Council also approved key ordinances and policies, including amendments to export processing zones, negotiable instruments, house building finance, gambling prevention, and retirement and welfare boards for educational institutions.

Drafts of the Right to Information Ordinance, 2026, the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Malaysia, and the National Poultry Development Policy, 2026, were also approved, while the Money Laundering (Amendment) Ordinance and Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework Policy were sent back for further review.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus chaired the meeting, attended by senior officials including Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad.