Tarique Rahman Japan visit opens with trade and investment talks

The Tarique Rahman Japan visit began on Monday, 26 October, when the Bangladesh prime minister landed at Narita airport. Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nakasone Yasutaka, received him.

The four-day trip runs until 29 October. The main event is a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at her office in Tokyo on Tuesday. She will host a luncheon afterwards.

What the Tarique Rahman Japan visit aims to achieve

Dhaka wants more Japanese investment and better trade access. It also wants lower costs and interest rates on ongoing infrastructure projects, including metro rail. The Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement was signed in February 2026. Officials want it implemented fully.

Draft memoranda of understanding are under discussion. They cover agriculture, fisheries, skills development, domestic aviation, trade, environmental conservation and local government modernisation. The prime minister’s office has not yet announced which will be signed.

Regional issues are also on the agenda. These include the Rohingya crisis, energy security and peace in the wider region. Japan’s updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework will come up as well.

The prime minister will deliver a keynote speech at the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum. He will also meet the heads of JICA, JBIC and JETRO, and business leaders. Site visits include an LNG terminal and power plant in Chiba, the Uniqlo headquarters and a Toyota plant in Nagoya.

UNB reported that Japanese companies are preparing to announce new investments or offices in Bangladesh. No details have been given. Readers should treat that as a hope until a company confirms it.

The delegation includes Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir. The schedule was described as preliminary, so details may shift.

Domestic questions will follow him home. Voters want jobs and stable power. Foreign investment helps only if projects are delivered on time. Our earlier report on vacant teaching posts shows how much unfinished work remains at home.

The outcome of Tuesday’s talks should be clear within days.

UNB has the official programme in full.

Fact basis: UNB (20 October 2026) on the programme, delegation and draft MoUs; The Tribune/ANI (26 October 2026) on arrival and schedule. The schedule is preliminary.