Yunus leaves Japan wrapping up four-day tour

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus left Tokyo for home today, wrapping up his four-day official tour to Japan.

The chief adviser departed from Narita International Airport for Dhaka at 11:20am (Tokyo time) on a Singapore Airlines flight, concluding his very "successful" trip, his Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB.

He said Yunus is scheduled to reach Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10:40pm.

Yesterday, Yunus held a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba.

The two leaders pledged to conclude an Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Bangladesh in the coming months, with the aim of deepening economic and trade relations between the two friendly nations.

The Japanese prime minister also announced a commitment of $1.063 billion to Bangladesh for budget support and railway development.

Later, three documents on exchange of notes were signed in the day, respectively on the development policy loan for economic reform and strengthening climate change resilience ($418 million), the loan for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-lane railway project ($641 million) and the grant for the human development scholarship ($4.2 million).

The chief adviser also addressed the 'Bangladesh Business Seminar' on the same day, where the two countries signed six MoUs on economic, investment and other areas of cooperation.

On Thursday, Bangladesh and Japan signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance the skills of Bangladeshi manpower and facilitate their employment in Japan, as the country faces a shortage of workers.

The agreements were signed at a human resources seminar hosted by the Bangladesh Embassy in Japan, held at Hirakwacho Chiyoda City in Tokyo, in the presence of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Earlier, at the programme, Japanese authorities and businesses announced plans to recruit at least 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years to address the country's growing labour shortage.

On the same day, the chief adviser delivered a keynote speech at the 30th Nikkei Forum: Future of Asia.

On the sidelines of the Nikkei Forum, Yunus held a meeting with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and urged him to support Bangladesh in its bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."

Meanwhile, Yunus received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Soka University yesterday in recognition of his contributions to social innovation and global development.

Yunus, a recipient of the Nikkei Asia Prize in 2004, arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday.