Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has returned home after a four-day official visit to Japan. He landed in the country on Saturday night (May 31) aboard a Singapore Airlines flight. This information was confirmed in a message sent by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing.
The message stated that the Singapore Airlines flight carrying the Chief Adviser touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 12:15 AM on Saturday night.
Earlier, the flight carrying the Chief Adviser departed from Narita International Airport in Tokyo via Singapore for Dhaka at 11:20 AM Japan local time on Saturday.
During his visit to Japan, the Chief Adviser participated in approximately 20 programs in Tokyo, one of which was a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. On the third day of the visit, Friday, Dr. Yunus held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba.
In the meeting, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Bangladesh and Japan within this year, which will further deepen economic and commercial ties between the two friendly nations.
The Japanese Prime Minister pledged a loan of $1.063 billion to Bangladesh for budget support and railway development. Later, on the same day, three Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed.
These include a Development Policy Loan for strengthening economic reforms and climate change resilience ($418 million), a loan for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi Dual Gauge Double Lane Railway Project ($641 million), and a grant for human resource development scholarships ($4.2 million).
On the same day, the Chief Adviser delivered a speech at the 'Bangladesh Business Seminar,' where six MoUs were signed between the two countries concerning economic, investment, and other cooperation.
On Thursday, Bangladesh and Japan signed two MoUs aimed at enhancing the skills of Bangladeshi human resources and facilitating their employment in Japan.
These agreements were signed at a human resources seminar organized by the Bangladesh Embassy in Hirakawacho Chiyoda City, Tokyo, attended by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
During the event, Japanese authorities and business leaders announced plans to recruit at least 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years, which will help address the country's growing labor shortage.
On the same day, Dr. Muhammad Yunus delivered a keynote address at the 30th Nikkei Forum: 'Future of Asia.' Besides the Nikkei Forum, Dr. Yunus met with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and sought support for Bangladesh to gain ASEAN membership.
On Friday, Soka University awarded Dr. Yunus an honorary doctorate degree in recognition of his contributions to social innovation and global development. Dr. Yunus, who received the Nikkei Asia Prize in 2004, arrived in Tokyo on May 28 for his four-day visit.
