Bangladesh can become an important partner in meeting Japan’s growing demand for young and working-age people amid its ageing population, LGRD Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Saturday.

“Japan has a large elderly population, while Bangladesh has a substantial number of young and working-age people. By utilizing this demographic advantage, we can create employment opportunities for Bangladeshi youths in various sectors in Japan,” he said.

He made these remarks while addressing at a seminar titled ‘Japan-Bangladesh Partnership Seminar 2026’ held at the Diploma Engineers Institution auditorium at the Kakrail area in the city according to a PID handout.

He stressed the longstanding friendship between Bangladesh and Japan, saying there were opportunities to take bilateral cooperation to a new level.

He said the partnership was important for both countries, as it could help Bangladesh create employment opportunities for its young people while addressing Japan’s workforce shortages.

The Minister said employment opportunities in Japan would help improve the living standards of Bangladeshi youths, while they could also make significant contributions to Japan’s service sector.

He said Bangladeshi youths needed to improve their language skills to secure employment in Japan, while stressing the need for Japanese language education.

He also said initiatives could be taken to establish specialised institutions for teaching Japanese, if necessary.

Japanese representatives at the seminar said the country lacked a large young workforce like Bangladesh and was facing labour shortages in several sectors, including construction, agriculture, driving and nursing.

They said there were opportunities to recruit skilled and trained workers from Bangladesh to fill these gaps.

The Japanese representatives also stressed the need for Bangladeshi youths interested in working in Japan to acquire proficiency in Japanese and develop relevant professional skills.