Prominent Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe, founder of the Watami Group, has announced plans to establish a driving school in Bangladesh to recruit thousands of skilled drivers for employment in Japan.
He made the announcement during a meeting with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus at State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday evening, according to a press statement by the Chief Adviser’s Office.
“We are looking for a 12,000-square-metre area to set up a driving school,” Watanabe told the chief adviser, saying there is high demand for qualified drivers in Japan and that Bangladesh could become a key source of such manpower.
The chief adviser directed officials to identify suitable land for the proposed facility, preferably on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The meeting followed up on Professor Yunus’s official visit to Japan in May, when Japanese entrepreneurs signed an agreement with Bangladeshi authorities to recruit 100,000 workers over the next five years.
Watanabe, a long-time admirer of Professor Yunus’s work, said he had already established a language training academy in Bangladesh to train and recruit at least 3,000 workers.
“Fifty-two workers have already gone to Japan to work in the construction and agriculture sectors,” Watanabe said.
He said the academy trains 40 students per session and will gradually expand facilities and networks across the country to increase the scale of recruitment.
Professor Yunus emphasised that training must include teaching Japanese etiquette, decorum and cultural values.
“Teaching etiquette and culture should be an integral part of the academy’s training,” Professor Yunus said.
“It will help Bangladeshis understand Japan deeply and prepare them better before they arrive in the country,” he added.
The chief adviser encouraged the Japanese entrepreneur to expand training programmes in caregiving, nursing, construction and farming, noting that skilled workers in these fields can earn significantly higher wages in Japan.
“We would like to do these as well,” replied Watanabe.
Watanabe praised the newly established Japan Cell in the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, saying it is playing an effective role in facilitating cooperation between Japanese investors and Bangladeshi institutions.
He expressed interest in setting up another training centre in or near Dhaka to make it easier for Japanese companies to visit without travelling long distances to Monohardi.
The chief adviser instructed officials to locate a ready facility, such as an unused IT park, that could be quickly transformed into a Japanese language and vocational training centre with minimal investment.
“We will work together,” Professor Yunus said. “We’ll find land for the driving school and a ready facility for the new training centre.”
Personal Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shazeeb Khairul Islam said that authorities would soon organise visits for Japanese investors to potential IT park sites around Dhaka.
Professor Yunus called for increasing the number of Japanese language proficiency tests held in Bangladesh, noting that Japan requires overseas recruits to demonstrate adequate skills, and that currently tests are held only twice a year, which he said is insufficient for growing demand.
Watanabe fondly recalled establishing a school in Narayankul, Gazipur, more than a decade ago inspired by Professor Yunus’s vision for a poverty-free world.
“The school now has 1,500 students,” Watanabe said. “It’s a wonderful institution. The students are amazing and doing very well,” he added.
SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed also attended the meeting.
