Bangladesh and Japan are slated to hold the sixth Foreign Office Consultation (FOC) in Tokyo on Thursday, May 15, to bolster bilateral relations and strategic partnership ahead of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s upcoming official visit to Japan on May 28, according to BSS.
Foreign ministry’s secretary (Far East) Dr Md Nazrul Islam will lead the Bangladesh delegation, while Japan will be represented by its Senior deputy foreign minister Akihiro Tsukii.
The consultations are expected to cover a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, including economic and defense cooperation, Japanese investment in Bangladesh, the Indo-Pacific strategy, the Rohingya crisis, developments in Myanmar, and regional security. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi held separate meetings at the Bangladesh foreign ministry with foreign secretary Md Jashim Uddin and secretary (Far East) Dr Nazrul Islam to discuss the upcoming consultations.
The Japanese envoy reiterated his country’s interest in supporting the development of Dhaka’s second and third metro rail lines, underlining Tokyo’s long-standing commitment to Bangladesh’s infrastructure development. Commenting on the proposed humanitarian corridor for Rohingya refugees, ambassador Saida Shinichi said such an initiative would be a positive step if it proves to be both sustainable and effective.
Foreign Ministry officials noted that people-to-people connectivity, regional peace, and future strategic cooperation would also be key topics during the dialogue.