2023 is the 1st year for next 50 years of Dhaka-Tokyo relations: Ambassador Iwama

Newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori has said Japan, as a friend of Bangladesh since its inception, wants to consider possible cooperation and collaboration with all related actors to address challenges that Bangladesh is facing.

"The government of Bangladesh aims to become a developed country by 2041. In order to achieve this goal, Bangladesh is attempting to overcome various challenges such as climate change, health, and education," he said in a message.

The Japanese envoy said the year 2023 marks the 51st year of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh. In other words, he said, 2023 is the first year for the next 50 years.

On 26 December, he presented credentials to President Md Abdul Hamid and began his duty as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Bangladesh.

"I feel honoured to start undertaking my responsibility as ambassador in the year of 2022, which marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh," he said.

Throughout the year, there must have been moments to look back at progress over the last half century, said the envoy.

Before coming to Bangladesh, the envoy said, he has learned that many Japanese have been involved and worked hard for the development of this country for 50 years as true friends of Bangladesh.

"I have also learned from a number of Japanese people who have close connections with Bangladesh that Bangladeshi people are not only working hard to develop the country but also possess great respect and affiliations for Japan and its nationals," he said.

Ambassador Kiminori said he is committed to make his best effort to strengthen the friendly relations, following this wonderful suit.

Most people he spoke to prior to his assignment, especially those in the economic field, expressed their interest in Bangladesh's development over the past few years and their motivation to further strengthen relations with Bangladesh.

In particular, he said, in recent years, many mega projects contributing to the improvement of economic infrastructure are going on under the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiatives (BIG-B).

'Given this situation, the importance of Japan, as a major and largest development partner of Bangladesh, has been prospering," said the envoy.

In addition, Bangladesh's economy has been steadily growing and the country is to graduate from LDC by 2026.

Due to this rapid economic growth, the envoy said, there are increasing expectations from Japanese business circles to shift their interests from aiding to investing.

"As Ambassador, I would like to contribute to Bangladesh's further economic growth by listening to and supporting Japanese companies interested in doing business in this country," he said.

Despite the rising number of Japanese companies and Japanese nationals in Bangladesh, the memory of the terrorist attacks in 2016 remains strong, the Ambassador said.

"It is one of the most important responsibilities of the Embassy to gather and share information on the security situation in Bangladesh," he said.

Ambassador Kiminori said they are committed to keep providing relevant information in a timely and appropriate manner.

Before arriving in Bangladesh, the envoy has come to know that Bangladesh has a rich culture passed on through many centuries with its Bengali language identity.

"During my tenure, as Ambassador, I am determined to learn the culture and history of Bangladesh and at the same time increase the understanding of Japan in Bangladesh," he said.