Japan has said it will continue to make concrete efforts, like Terminal 3 of Dhaka airport, that contribute to strengthening connectivity for the sake of "peace, stability and prosperity" of the region and the international community. “Located at the nexus of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, Bangladesh is an important partner in realizing the Free and Open Indo-Pacific,” Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Komura Masahiro, said today (October 07, 2023).  Read: ‘Boycotting election isn’t good for anyone’: Info minister tells Japanese ambassador He was speaking at a soft opening ceremony of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s (HSIA) Terminal 3 with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the chief guest.  State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Md. Mahbub Ali, and other ministers and officials were present at the ceremony.  Japan’s Vice-Minister for International Affairs of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Uehara Atsushi; and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Iwama Kiminori, also attended the ceremony.   At the ceremony, the Japanese Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs said: “I would like to congratulate the soft-opening of HSIA Terminal 3. Japan and Bangladesh have had a very close relationship since the establishment of diplomatic relations, as symbolized by the flags of both countries.” Read: Bangladesh, Japan and NE India urged to form trilateral platform for regional value chain In April this year, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina launched a "Strategic Partnership" when she visited Japan.  "The new bilateral relations are progressing in a variety of areas, including defense equipment cooperation and joint research toward a possible EPA," he said.  In recent years, under the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt Initiative, Japan has been actively engaged in the development of major infrastructure to enhance regional connectivity, including Dhaka Metro Rail, Matarbari Deep Sea Port, and Dhaka Airport’s Terminal 3. Read: Bangladesh needs multiple choices for better bargaining in foreign financial proposals: Japanese expert In September this year, a direct flight connecting Dhaka and Tokyo, which both countries had been longing for, was also launched. "It is expected to further invigorate human traffic and contribute to further expansion of investment by Japanese companies," he said. 

Expressing satisfaction over the discussion between the PMs of Bangladesh and Japan during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent official visit, Japanese Ambassador Iwama Kiminori today said the two countries are focusing on a “very comprehensive and targeted-oriented” partnership. “Our relationship has been elevated to strategic partnership from comprehensive partnership. Strategic partnership does not mean only political and security issues,” he told reporters at a media briefing at the Japanese embassy. The ambassador, who returned from Tokyo on Tuesday, said the two countries should have mutually beneficial cooperation on economic front. He also said the two countries agreed to further enhance the existing defence cooperation. Responding to a question on Bangladesh’s Indo-Pacific Outlook, the ambassador said there are many similarities between that and Japan’s views on the Indo-Pacific region. He said the Japanese side appreciated the idea but it is a “little premature” to evaluate the outlook at the moment. During the summit meeting in Tokyo, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio welcomed the initiation of negotiations concerning the transfer of defence equipment and technology, recognising future potential. They decided to “elevate” the bilateral relationship to a “Strategic Partnership” as a guiding principle to lead the two countries’ journey into the next 50 years and beyond. Also read: Japan can mediate to return the Rohingyas back to Myanmar: PM Hasina Both leaders shared the determination to enhance cooperation specifically in three major areas: cooperation for peace and stability in the region and beyond, deepening economic cooperation for mutual benefit and regional prosperity, and expansion of cultural cooperation and people to people exchanges. At the invitation of the Japanese Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina made an official visit to Japan and had a summit meeting on April 26.