Deal signing in late 2025 or early 2026

The second round of negotiations for the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) concluded on Thursday, with the target to sign it at the end of 2025 or early 2026.
During the four-day negotiations beginning on November 10, both sides discussed the way forward for, and areas of, future negotiations. The areas include trade in goods, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation in services, and investment and intellectual property.
Both sides also decided to work on scheduling the dates of the third round of negotiations through diplomatic channels.
KOBAYASHI Izuru, deputy director-general at the Economic Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Japanese side, while Ayesha Akther, additional secretary and head of the Foreign Trade Wing of the Ministry of Commerce, headed the Bangladesh representatives from relevant ministries, according to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Meanwhile, the Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) in a press release on Friday said it had formed a standing committee to facilitate the preparation of the EPA.
In this connection, the JBCCI officially launched the EPA study report in a ceremony supported by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
IWAMA Kiminori, the ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, was present as the chief guest there. He hoped that the inputs and findings of the report would accelerate the process of the agreement.
Addressing the ceremony, Md Emran, executive director of the JBCCI, said the EPA was a very important vehicle for Bangladesh to secure duty-free market access after its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026.
Sugawara Manabu, president of JBCCI, stressed the urgency of engagement to move the EPA negotiations forward. KOBAYASHI Izuru expressed his thoughts on the agreement.
Dr M Masrur Reaz, chairman of Policy Exchange of Bangladesh, presented the keynote outlining the benefits and challenges of the EPA and also shared insights into how the two countries could benefit from it. He also highlighted the key features of the agreement, drawing examples from other countries to illustrate the potential advantages.
Syed Md Mahbubur Rahman, managing director and chief executive officer of Mutual Trust Bank; Hassan O Rashid, managing director of Prime Bank; Mahmud Hossain, deputy chief executive officer of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC; and Yuji Ando, country representative of Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Bangladesh; discussed the EPA as panellists.

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