Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Past, Present and Future[1]

Delwar Hossain

Abstract

Bangladesh-Japan relations have celebrated fifty years of their diplomatic relations on 10 February 2022. It is an occasion of assessing the past, present and future of this important bilateral relationship. This article investigates five decades of Bangladesh-Japan relations. It focuses on four key questions: How have Bangladesh-Japan relations evolved and developed in the last fifty years? What factors or issues have motivated to develop the bilateral relations? In this case, how far have the compulsions of geopolitics influenced the contours of bilateral relations between the two countries? How can Bangladesh-Japan partnership be strengthened beyond fifty years? This article argues that Bangladesh and Japan maintain warm relations at bilateral, regional and global scales. It is also suggested that in this changing time of world politics, better and improved Bangladesh-Japan relations is not a matter of choice but sheer necessity.

Keywords: Bangladesh-Japan, comprehensive partnership, Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B), Japanese investments in Bangladesh, migration cooperation.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55875/jbga.bd.oct22.003

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References:

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[1] This article is a revised version of working paper, Fifty Years of Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Towards New Prospects and Possibilities, Number 1, 2022, published by CBGA, Dhaka, Bangladesh.