Prime Minister (PM) and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina said Wednesday bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Japan reached a comprehensive partnership level through her official visit to Tokyo, reports BSS.
"It is hoped that this "comprehensive partnership" will widen and accelerate Japan's participation in Bangladesh's economic advancement," she said.
The PM said this in reply to a tabled question from treasury bench member Md Israfil Alam during her question answer session in the House.
In the overall view, she said, the area of effective participation of Japan in Bangladesh's economic journey will be increased to a great extent apart from strengthening the ties of mutual understanding and trust between the two countries.
The Leader of the House paid a four-day official visit to Japan from May 24 at the invitation of her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
"During the visit, I held bilateral summit meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister and discussed different issues of bilateral relations. And after the meeting we signed a 21-point joint communique," she said.
The PM said the significant side of her Japan visit is that Tokyo has announced to provide a loan assistance of 600 billion Japanese yen (approximate $6.0 billion) to Bangladesh's different priority projects including infrastructure development.
To this end, a Japanese team would visit Bangladesh very soon and carryout a feasibility study for preparing and implementation of the priority projects, she said.
The Leader of the House said the priority projects identified by the government are the Ganges Barrage Project, a rail bridge parallel to the Bangabandhu Bridge, a multipurpose tunnel under the Jamuna River, Dhaka Eastern Bypass and reclamation of four rivers around Dhaka.
Sheikh Hasina said after the official talks, Bangladesh and Japanese foreign ministers inked the exchange of notes of the 35th ODA Loan Package in the presence of the two premiers.
Under the package, she said, the Japanese government would give 120 billion Japanese yen ($ 1.20 billion) easy term loan to Bangladesh.
"The credit would be utilised for construction of the coal-fired Matarbari Power Plant in Cox's Bazar," she said.
The Prime Minister said, apart from this, Japan would provide loan assistance to four more projects.
The projects, she said, are the Inclusive City Governance Project, the Haor Flood Management and Livelihood Improvement Project, the Natural Gas Efficiency Project and the Small and Marginal Sized Farmers Agriculture Productivity Improvement and Diversification Financing Project.
Sheikh Hasina said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for preserving 40 plots and two industry buildings for Japanese investors and businessmen in five export processing zones in Bangladesh.
Besides, she said, an elaborate discussion on the proposal for setting up a special economic zone for the Japanese investors took place during her visit.
