The Japanese Embassy in Dhaka has said the opening of the metro rail, the new face of Dhaka with Japanese support, marks a historic moment as the final event of the anniversary year of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Japan. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Read more: PM Hasina buys Dhaka's first metro rail ticket to become its first passenger The MRT was built with Japanese ODA (yen loan), and this time 9 stations from Uttara north station to Agargaon station on Line 6 were inaugurated. The country’s first-ever electric railway will provide safe, rapid, comfortable and punctual mass transit service in Dhaka with various Japanese state-of-the-art technologies. In the future, the MRT Line 6 will be networked with lines 1 and 5, which are scheduled to be completed in 2029. The MRT network is expected to alleviate chronic urban traffic congestion and reduce air pollution and other environmental impacts, said the Embassy on Wednesday. Read more: US Embassy greets Bangladesh for inaugurating the country's first-ever Metro Rail On Wednesday, Bangladesh's first electric track urban railway (MRT) began its operation, bringing a new mass transit system in Dhaka. To celebrate this historic event, a ceremony was held and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Obaidul Quader, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Department, M. A. N. Siddique, Managing Director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, IWAMA Kiminori, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh and ICHIGUCHI Tomohide, Chief Representative of JICA, attended the ceremony. They were the first passengers to be on this MRT train on this historic day.

The Japanese Embassy in Dhaka Wednesday celebrated former principal secretary at Prime Minister's Office and former chief coordinator for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Abul Kalam Azad's receipt of the "The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star" award of Japan. Azad received the honour for his longstanding contribution to Bangladesh-Japan economic ties. "Azad's achievements and contributions to Japan-Bangladesh relations are remarkable. I am particularly pleased that we are able to celebrate Azad's conferment in the year of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh," Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki said. On May 10, 2022, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to Azad in Tokyo. Azad specifically contributed to the Japanese development projects in Bangladesh under the Initiative of BIG-B (The Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt) as a promoter within the government from the conceptual stage and laid the foundations for the strong development partnership between Bangladesh and Japan. Read: Japanese Embassy celebrates 50 years in Dhaka Azad also co-chaired the Japan-Bangladesh Public-Private Economic Dialogue (PPED) with the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan from 2014 to 2019.   His leadership through PPED enhanced public and private investment from Japan to Bangladesh, and Japan acknowledged Bangladesh as an attractive place for investment today.

The Embassy of Japan Thursday celebrated its 50 years in Dhaka. Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen joined the function. Japan recognised Bangladesh as a sovereign state on February 10, 1972, soon after its independence. The country opened its embassy in Dhaka on July 1, 1972. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki conferred commendations of the foreign minister to the Japanese Language and Culture programme of the Institute of Modern Languages and Department of Japanese Studies of the University of Dhaka and Matiur Rahman in recognition of their significant contribution to building the foundations of the current Bangladesh-Japan ties. Ambassador Naoki also presented certificates of ambassador's commendation to NGO Ekmatra, Japanese music group Bajina Beat, and Tanaka Chizuru, owner of Japanese restaurant Nagasaki in Uttara, Dhaka. Ambassador Naoki expressed his sincere appreciation to them for their great contribution to enriching the great friendship between Bangladesh and Japan. The commendations of the ambassador are awarded to individuals and groups to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and their country.