Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's Japan visit from October 26 to 29 is expected to raise Bangladesh-Japan relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, officials said, while Dhaka has kept its own ambassador to Japan at home.
Japan is also expected to push for India's return to its Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative during the talks, foreign ministry officials told The Daily Star. Tokyo sees the plan as part of its broader vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).
The trip would be the first high-level test of ties that, according to foreign ministry officials, came under some strain during the interim government's tenure. It also comes as Bangladesh's relations with India remain difficult.
Tarique Rahman Sanae Takaichi meeting set for October 27
According to the itinerary, Tarique Rahman will hold a bilateral meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on October 27, Prothom Alo reported. The talks are expected to cover trade, investment, infrastructure development and implementation of the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Officials involved with the proceedings told The Daily Star that the two countries are expected to elevate their existing strategic partnership to a comprehensive strategic partnership, or CSP, during the visit.
In Japan's diplomatic framework, a CSP sits above a standard strategic partnership and covers cooperation across almost all sectors. Japan currently has CSPs with ASEAN, the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos, The Daily Star reported.
Japan's foreign ministry said in an announcement on Tuesday that the visit is expected to strengthen bilateral ties and enhance coordination towards realising an updated FOIP.
Whether Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman will travel with the prime minister has not been settled. Asked at a press conference on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said: "If his schedule matches, he will join." Khalilur Rahman previously served as the interim government's high representative for the Rohingya crisis and as national security adviser.
What is BIG-B, the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt?
Japan launched BIG-B in 2014 to promote industrial development and connectivity around the Bay of Bengal. It first focused on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar corridor and rests on three pillars: industry and trade, energy, and transportation.
In 2023, Japan proposed a broader Bay of Bengal–Northeast India Industrial Value Chain Initiative to strengthen economic links between Bangladesh and northeastern India.
India plays a significant role in the vision. As of February 2024, Japan had provided approximately 385 billion yen in development assistance to Northeast India, much of it for infrastructure and connectivity projects, according to the Embassy of Japan in India.
"Japan has invested heavily in Northeast India. India, too, continues to engage with Bangladesh on cross-border connectivity projects aimed at facilitating the movement of goods between its northeastern states and the mainland. Both countries have an interest in connectivity that leads to the Bay of Bengal," a foreign ministry official said.
Bangladesh-India ties entered a rough patch after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024, The Daily Star reported, complicating efforts to advance the initiative. Dhaka and Tokyo have kept the door open for India to join when circumstances become favourable.
"Now that the political situation has changed, Japan wants to revive its strategic vision for the region. BIG-B will feature in the upcoming highest-level talks," the official said.
Tokyo has made the case before. During a 2023 visit to India, then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he hoped Japan would work with Bangladesh and India to harness the potential of the Bay of Bengal. In December 2024, Japan's then ambassador to Bangladesh, Iwama Kiminori, said Bay of Bengal connectivity was essential to FOIP and that the Matarbari deep-sea port was being developed to connect Bangladesh with regional and global supply chains.
The research does not indicate whether India's re-inclusion will be agreed in Tokyo or only discussed.
Strains with Tokyo under the interim government
Japan's ambassador to Bangladesh, Saida Shinichi, sought meetings with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus several times but could not secure an appointment during much of the interim administration's tenure, foreign ministry officials told The Daily Star.
Saida took charge on January 10, 2025 and made a courtesy call on Yunus on January 30.
Why is Bangladesh's ambassador to Japan not in Tokyo?
Bangladesh's Ambassador to Japan, Md Daud Ali, will not be in Tokyo during the visit, and it has been decided to keep him in Dhaka, a high-level government source confirmed to Prothom Alo on Thursday afternoon. No official reason has been given.
Instead, Md Nazrul Islam, Secretary (Bilateral Affairs) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been sent to Tokyo with special responsibilities for diplomatic matters and overall coordination. Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and Tokyo told Prothom Alo he had arrived in Japan a day earlier.
According to Prothom Alo, the foreign ministry issued a letter on October 15 calling Daud Ali to Dhaka for discussions about the visit. He returned from Japan after being instructed to come back within two days.
Several senior foreign ministry officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the newspaper that Daud Ali was not involved in the preparatory activities for the visit despite being summoned for discussions about it.
Former and current diplomats told Prothom Alo there has been no precedent in the past few decades for Bangladesh's ambassador being absent during a prime minister's visit to an important country.
Both Daud Ali and Nazrul Islam are officers of the 15th BCS (Foreign Affairs Cadre) batch. Daud Ali served as ambassador to Romania before his posting to Japan. He is scheduled to go on post-retirement leave on December 7 this year.