Japan
Japan for diversifying industries in Bangladesh
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has said industries in Bangladesh must be diversified as it may need to cope with the emerging new challenges.
"Expansion of Japanese FDIs particularly from the private sector will help Bangladesh address those challenges," he said.
Ambassador Naoki made the remarks while addressing a hybrid seminar on “Bangladesh-Japan Partnership for the Next Development Journey” hosted by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Wednesday.
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It was part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Japan.
Planning Minister MA Mannan spoke as the chief guest at the event.
Kazi Nabil Ahmed, MP, member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Shahabuddin Ahmed, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Japan also joined. “Economic cooperation between Japan and Bangladesh has been remarkable and bilateral trade and investment will expand further," said Ambassador Naoki.
Amputee Football: Japan emerge champions, Indonesia runners-up to qualify for World Cup
Japan qualified for the Amputee Football World Cup 2022 in Turkey from East Asia with an all-win record beating Indonesia by 2-0 goals in their last match at Bir Shereshta Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur on Monday.
Despite the day's maiden defeat, Indonesia also qualified for the Amputee World Cup 2022 as the runners-up team from East Asia Qualifier.
Earlier, Japan earned an emphatic 8-0 goals victory over hosts Bangladesh after beating Malaysia by 7-0 goals while Indonesia beat their neighbor Malaysia by 3-0 after beating hosts Bangladesh by 8-0 goals.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh conceded an 0-2 goals defeat against Malaysia in the last match of the three-day meet at the same venue on Monday to complete their engagements with empty hand losing all the three matches.
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In the day's closing & prize distribution ceremony, BFF members Nurul Islam Nuru and Tipu Sultan, BFF general secretary Abu Nayem Shohag, Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Heru Hartanto Subolo, Asian.Amputee Football Confederation President M Mazino and Team Leader of "Football For All' M Badiuzzaman Al Amin were present
READ: Amputees' Football: Japan beat Bangladesh 8-0; Indonesia beat neighbor Malaysia 3-0
Four National Amputee Football teams from Japan. Indonesia, Malaysia and hosts Bangladesh took part in the meet, organized by "Football For All" under the cooperation of Bangladesh Football Federation.
Amputees' Football: Japan beat Bangladesh 8-0; Indonesia beat neighbor Malaysia 3-0
Japan and Indonesia earned their second consecutive victories to qualify for the Amputee Football World Cup 2022 in Turkey from East Asia outplaying their rivals at the Kamalapur Stadium here on Sunday.
On the 2nd day of three-day meet on Sunday, Japan earned an emphatic 8-0 goals victory over hosts Bangladesh while Indonesia outplayed their neighbor Malaysia by 3-0 goals.
Also read: Amputees' Football: Japan, Indonesia earn big win
Earlier, on the opening day (Saturday), Japan outplayed Malaysia by 7-0 goals while Indonesia crushed hosts Bangladesh by 8-0 goals.
Two all win teams, Japan and Indonesia, will meet each other for the top slot while Bangladesh and Malaysia will play each other for their maiden victory in the meet on Monday, (March 14), the last day of the meet.
Four National Amputee Football teams from Japan. Indonesia, Malaysia and hosts Bangladesh are taking part in the meet, organized by "Football For All" under the cooperation of Bangladesh Football Federation.
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Small Japan border easing stirs hope, worry for foreigners
Japan this week will ease tough coronavirus border controls that have been criticized as xenophobic and damaging to the economy. The new rules, however, provide only a slight improvement: 5,000 new entrants per day, instead of the current 3,500, and nowhere near the estimated 64,000 a day that were entering for long-term visits before the pandemic.
The 5,000 daily arrivals also includes Japanese nationals returning to the country, which means hundreds of thousands of foreigners will still struggle to enter.
An estimated half million foreign students, teachers, workers accredited as technical interns and business travelers have been locked out and waiting to get in for nearly two years. Under the policy that takes effect Tuesday, it would take several more months of patience before everyone can get in.
“It’s still better than nothing,” said Jommy Kwok, who has missed nearly all of her first year of post-graduate classes in atmospheric science at Hokkaido University.
Kwok was the only one in her class who had to take classes and do research online while remaining in Hong Kong. Her 20 classmates returned to the campus when coronavirus infections slowed rapidly late last year, before the more recent omicron wave. “I have been quite left out,” she said in an online interview.
She hopes to arrive in Japan before the new school year starts in April and take more classes to catch up as much as possible before her scheduled graduation next year. She may also continue studies for a doctoral degree in Japan.
But she has competition. About 150,000 foreign students and scholars are waiting to enter.
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Japan has banned nearly all entries of non-resident foreigners since early in the pandemic. The country announced an easing in November but quickly reversed that decision after the omicron variant emerged elsewhere in the world.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan will consider a further relaxation of border controls based on a scientific assessment of the omicron variant, infection levels in and outside Japan, and other countries’ quarantine measures.
The long wait has already hurt many people, both mentally and financially. Some have changed the focus of their studies, their careers and their life plans.
Critics have compared Japan’s strict and prolonged border measures to the “sakoku” locked-country policy of the xenophobic warlords who ruled the country in the 17th to 19th centuries. Some say it hurts Japan’s national interests by locking out skilled foreigners who could bring valuable ideas, business and work to the country.
“I am wishing to contribute to society if I decide to stay” in Japan, Kwok said.
Japanese and foreign business groups have also protested to the government, saying the border closure has delayed investment, business deals, product development and deliveries.
According to a recent survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry of German companies in Japan, 73 of 100 respondents said they saw their project and business volume in danger because of the entry ban, while 23 said they had already lost business worth more than $113 million.
The absence of foreign students meant a loss of tuition for universities and language schools, while farming, construction, nursing and convenience stores that have depended on foreign workers faced serious staffing shortages, according to Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute.
Their return under the daily entry cap of 5,000 could contribute an estimated 1.6 trillion yen ($14 billion) of annual economic gain, or 0.2% of Japan’s GDP, in the short term, Kiuchi said.
Under the restrictions, Japan also might have missed future business partners because foreign companies that consider the border measures a risk factor might avoid business or investment here, he said.
While COVID-19 infections are slowing, daily fatalities surged above 270 last Tuesday, a record since the pandemic began, according to the health ministry. Japan has recorded more than 23,000 deaths, significantly lower than in many countries.
But most of Japan is still under virus-related restrictions as infections continue to burden the medical system, which tends to be overwhelmed easily because COVID-19 treatment is limited to public or major hospitals.
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Experts generally agree that Japan’s quick tightening of its border in late November was good crisis management, but that keeping the doors shut as omicron infections spread within Japan was meaningless.
“At this point, the damage is greater than the benefit,” said Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Akio Mimura, who called for a further easing of the daily entry cap. Mimura, noting widespread public support for tough border measures, urged the government to raise awareness that the policy is harming parts of society.
Business leaders are also calling for a resumption of tourism at some point to revive the badly hurt industry. Foreign tourism fell more than 90% in 2020 from the year before, almost wiping out the pre-pandemic inbound tourism market of about 4 trillion yen ($34 billion).
Education Minister Shinsuke Suematsu said recently that Japan is trying to allow in as many foreign students as possible before the April start of the new academic year, but “it will still take a significant amount of time before everyone can get in.”
The new border measures won’t help Stefano Piras, who is in Italy and hasn’t been able to visit his Japanese fiancée for more than a year.
The couple met in late 2019 in London, just before the pandemic. After about a year, they decided to get married, and Piras returned to Italy to prepare for his move to Japan.
Piras wanted to meet with her parents and get married in Japan, but to do so he has to obtain a tourist visa, which under the current border policy is impossible. Now he thinks getting a marriage certificate and a spouse visa is the only way he can be reunited with her in Japan.
“You’re born, you get married and you have a family. It’s one of the three most important things in your life,” Piras said in an online interview from Sardinia. He laments that he has to burden his fiancée with paperwork in Japan, instead of working together on the marriage.
Having lived in Osaka for two years as a Japanese language student, Piras was aware of Japan’s tendency to be wary of outsiders, but “it was a shock that they are still so closed. ... It’s like saying Japanese are OK but we (foreigners) are not OK. We bring sickness and Japanese are the pure ones.”
Still, Piras hasn’t lost his love of Japanese culture and people. He calls Japan “my second home.”
But first he has to get back in.
US, Japan, South Korea meet in Hawaii to discuss North Korea
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts Saturday in Hawaii to discuss the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea after Pyongyang began the year with a series of missile tests.
Blinken said at a news conference after the meeting that North Korea was “in a phase of provocation” and the three countries condemned the recent missile launches.
“We are absolutely united in our approach, in our determination,” Blinken said after his talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong.
The three released a joint statement calling on North Korea to engage in dialogue and cease its “unlawful activities.” They said they had no hostile intent toward North Korea and were open to meeting Pyongyang without preconditions.
Some experts say North Korea is using the weapon’s tests to put pressure on President Joe Biden’s administration to resume long-stalled nuclear negotiations as the pandemic puts further strain on an economy already battered by decades of mismanagement and crippling U.S.-led sanctions.
Also read: North Korea urges South to stop mediating between North, US
The Biden administration has offered North Korea open-ended talks but has shown no willingness to ease the sanctions without meaningful cuts to the country’s nuclear program.
North Korea has rebuffed U.S. offers to resume diplomacy, saying it won’t return to talks unless Washington drops what it says are hostile polices. The North bristles at both the sanctions and regular military exercises the U.S. holds with South Korea.
The tests also have a technical component, allowing North Korea to hone its weapons arsenal. One of the missiles recently tested — the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile — is capable of reaching the U.S. territory of Guam. It was the longest-distance weapon the North has tested since 2017.
North Korea appears to be pausing its tests during the Winter Olympics in China, its most important ally and economic lifeline. But analysts believe North Korea will dramatically increase its weapons testing after the Olympics.
The recent tests have rattled Pyongyang’s neighbors in South Korea and Japan. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who helped set up the historic talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and former President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019, said last month that the tests were a violation UN Security Council resolutions and urged the North to cease “actions that create tensions and pressure.”
The Security Council initially imposed sanctions on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006. It made them tougher in response to further nuclear tests and the country’s increasingly sophisticated nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
China and Russia, citing the North’s economic difficulties, have called for lifting sanctions like those banning seafood exports and prohibitions on its citizens working overseas and sending home their earnings.
Blinken arrived in Hawaii from Fiji, where he met with Acting Prime Minister Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum and other Pacific leaders to talk about regional issues, especially the existential risk posed by climate change. It was the first visit by a U.S. secretary of state to Fiji since 1985.
He started his Pacific tour in Australia, where he met his counterparts from Australia, India and Japan. The four nations form the “Quad,” a bloc of Indo-Pacific democracies that was created to counter China’s regional influence.
Hayashi and Chung held a separate bilateral meeting Saturday for about 40 minutes before seeing Blinken. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said they reaffirmed the importance of cooperating together and with the United States to respond to North Korea and to achieve regional stability.
The ministry said they also “frankly” exchanged views on ongoing disputes between the two countries, including wartime Korean laborers and sexual abuse of Korean women forced into sexual servitude by Japan’s imperial army.
Blinken also met separately with Chung. He met Hayashi earlier this week in Australia.
50 years of diplomatic ties: Japan hands over commemorative coins to Bangladesh
Japan has delivered commemorative coins to Bangladesh to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
"The coins designed with cherry blossom and water lily symbolise our long-lasting friendship. We hope that the commemorative coins will be seen by many people and contribute to further strengthening our friendly relations," said Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki Thursday.
The envoy met Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir and handed over the commemorative coins.
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Japan recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign nation on February 10,1972.
Under the Japan Mint and Bangladesh Bank cooperation, 13,000 pieces of Tk50 denominated commemorative silver coins were minted and 3,000 coins were delivered to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, Japan celebrate 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in Tokyo
Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Japan on Thursday with due fervor.
The Embassy organized a reception in a local reputed hotel- the New Otani. The venue has a historical connection to the long-standing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Japan.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stayed at this hotel during the historical and first official visit to Japan in 1973.
Bangabandhu had chosen Japan as one of the first few countries to visit after independence. That historic visit laid the foundation of the unwavering friendship between the two countries and its peoples till today, said the Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo.
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019 and successfully elevated the relations to a ‘comprehensive partnership’ level encompassing mutual cooperation at bilateral, regional and global level.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Shahabuddin Ahmed welcomed the guests to the reception where Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Honda Taro was the chief guest.
Ambassador Ahmed expressed gratefulness to Japan and its people for their recognition of newly independent country Bangladesh on 10 February 1972.
50 Years of Ties: Bangladesh, Japanese PMs pledge to strengthen ties
Prime Ministers of Bangladesh and Japan have committed to "strengthen bonds of amity and cooperation" as the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two friendly countries falls on February 10.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have issued separate goodwill video messages on the occasion of the 50the anniversary of bilateral relations.
Both the Prime Ministers congratulated the people of the two friendly countries on this momentous occasion.
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Japan officially recognized Bangladesh as an independent state on February 10, 1972.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, expressed the gratitude of the people of Bangladesh for the precious support and contributions of Japan and its people during Bangladesh’s War of Liberation.
She highlighted the historic visit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan in October 1973, which laid the foundation of a steadfast and lasting friendship between the two countries.
She also expressed her contentment to carry forward Bangabandhu’s legacy and visit Japan in 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and in 2019 to further strengthen the two countries’ relations.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mentioned the solid foundation of bilateral relations between the two countries, poised to be raised from “Comprehensive Partnership” to “Strategic Partnership” in the near future.
She acknowledged the sustained economic cooperation and support of Japan and expressed the hope that last fifty years’ enviable cooperation would remain an inspiration for the coming fifty years for mutually beneficial gains.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in his message, reiterated Japan’s commitment to strengthen bilateral ties with Bangladesh.
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He referred the visit of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan in October 1973 as the solid base in the history of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Highly appreciating the socio-economic progress of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to stand beside Bangladesh for the mutual benefits of the two peoples.
He assured Japan’s continued support to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
At a ceremony jointly organized on this occasion by the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh this afternoon at the Foreign Service Academy, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen; Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Masud Bin Momen and Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Ito Naoki spoke at the celebration event.
Video messages of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Japanse Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were played.
Message of President of the Japan-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship League Taro Aso was also read out.
As the chief guest of the ceremony, Dr Momen recalled with gratitude moral and material support provided to us by the Government and people of Japan to our War of Liberation.
He also paid deep respect to the “Friends of Bangladesh” from Japan, whom Bangladesh has awarded for their invaluable contributions to the independence of Bangladesh.
Foreign Secretary Momen highlighted the historical kinship between the two countries.
He said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s visit to Japan in 1973 sealed the relationship between the two friendly countries for eternity.
Mentioning that Bangladesh is progressing under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to achieve the dream of Bangabandhu’s Sonar Bangla, he stressed on the instrumental role of Japan as a key development partner in this endeavour.
Ambassador of Japan Ito Naoki highlighted the robust multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, trade, investment and people-to-people contacts.
He assured Japan’s continued cooperation for the socio-economic development of Bangladesh as well as repatriation of Rohingya people.
Colorful dance performances at the courtesy of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy were also presented at the ceremony.
Chairmen of BIDA, BEPZA, BEZA and high-level representatives from Japanese business community in Bangladesh, among others, attended the event.
Bangladesh-Japan partnership poised to soar high: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said the “Comprehensive Partnership” between Bangladesh and Japan is now poised to be raised to “Strategic Partnership”.
“I’m happy today to note that our time-tested friendship has evolved in depth and dimension. So much so that our “Comprehensive Partnership” is now poised to be raised to “Strategic Partnership” in the near future,” she said in a video message marking the Golden Jubilee of the diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Japan.
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Hasina also acknowledged the sustained economic cooperation and support of Japan.
“I’m heartened by the increased Japanese investment in various sectors in Bangladesh. I notice with delight that Japanese companies find the investment climate attractive in Bangladesh, and are ready to invest,” she said.
Referring to the logo of the 50th Anniversary celebration that symbolises the mood of “Bangladesh-Japan Friendly Relations”, Hasina said it reflects that the two countries are celebrating this milestone year in a befitting manner with many events, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Here, I must thank the government and the people of Japan for their assistance to face the pandemic.”
She mentioned Bangladesh and Japan, as trusted partners and peace-loving nations, both have always worked in supporting one another in international forums to promote global peace, progress, prosperity, stability and sustainable development.
“Importantly, both share common views on resolving the crisis of forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar’s Rakhine State,” Hasina said.
She also said Bangladesh sought Japan’s support for an early voluntary, safe and sustainable repatriation of these displaced people back to their ancestral homes in Myanmar.
The Prime Minister said the bilateral relations between the two countries have many reasons for enhancement in the coming days.
“Indeed, mutual initiatives are imperative to avail of these opportunities. As Bangladesh strives to be a prosperous, developed country, and our Father of the Nation’s “Sonar Bangla” or “Golden Bangladesh”, our last fifty years of enviable cooperation would remain an inspiration for the coming fifty years. Bangladesh is firm to engage with time tested friend Japan for mutually beneficial gains.”
Hasina mentioned that the two countries have been enjoying excellent relations since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and Japan’s early recognition on 10 February 1972.
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“Our people remember with gratitude the precious support and contributions of Japan and its people, particularly school-children, during our War of Liberation. Japan was among the first few countries to open a resident diplomatic mission in Dhaka.”
In this connection, she said the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Japan are based on mutual trust, respect, friendship and cooperation.
Hasina said the historic visit of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to Japan in October, 1973, set the tone of the bilateral relation. It laid the foundation of a steadfast and lasting friendship.
“For me, it was an honour to carry on my father’s legacy and visit Japan in 1992, 1997, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019 to further strengthen our two countries’ relations.”
Japan pledges USD 2 million for Rohingyas in Bangladesh
Japan will contribute a total of US$ 2 million in emergency grant aid for supporting the displaced Rohingya Muslims living on Bhasan Char.
This contribution includes US$ 1 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and US$ 1 million to World Food Programme (WFP), according to the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka.
This support will allow implementing humanitarian assistance activities for the displaced Rohingyas, who are in need of urgent assistance in Bhasan Char in areas such as food and health, the Embassy said in a press release on Friday.
“Resolving Rohingya issues is of utmost importance for the peace and stability of the region. I appreciate the Bangladesh government’s efforts to protect the Rohingya people and the dedicated work of the international organisations," Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said.
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Japan supports the steady and smooth operations of the international organisations under the MoU signed between the Bangladesh government and the United Nations in October 2021, "which is a basic framework of assistance for Bhasan Char", the Embassy said.
"Japan expects the UN will respond to prevailing and increasing humanitarian and protection needs on the island, and strongly hopes that this assistance will contribute to better service delivery and improve living conditions of people living on Bhasan Char,” said Ambassador Naoki.
"While providing support to Bhasan Char, given the fact that the vast majority of the Rohingya population still live in Cox's Bazar, it is important to continue to support the people in the coastal district, including the host communities."
Japan will continue to cooperate with international organisations and NGOs at both locations along with the government of Bangladesh, the Embassy said in its statement.
"Japan will continue to stand by Bangladesh and work towards the early repatriation of displaced Rohingya to Myanmar."
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Finding durable solutions to this crisis is significant not only to Bangladesh but also to the stability of the entire region, and thereby conducive to the realisation of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, which is a vision to secure peace, stability and prosperity in the region, according to Japanese Embassy.