Japanese envoy upbeat on Bangladesh

Japanese companies wary of Bangladesh’s violent political situation last year recorded unprecedented sales, much to the amazement of Japanese envoy in Dhaka. Ambassador Shiro Sadoshima speaking to diplomatic correspondents on Wednesday said Bangladesh’s post-elections situation had brought relief for them and Japanese business delegations, shaky last year, feel much reassured. “We are very relieved on one hand, but we wonder what is behind such record high sales of our companies, despite all those difficult conditions…they are very happy,” he said. But he had no idea how it happened. “Perhaps people here worked really hard despite all the trouble, as if nothing happened,” Sadoshima offered a guess. Diplomatic Correspondents’ Association of Bangladesh (DCAB) organised the talk and invited the Japanese envoy to deliver it ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Tokyo visit. Last April in a similar talk, the ambassador expressed frustration over the political violence and strikes here. In the last seven years the number of Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh has nearly tripled -- from 61 in 2007 to 176 in 2013. Japan, which established diplomatic ties with Bangladesh in February 1972, is the largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh. Its assistance comes regularly as grant, aid, technical assistance and soft loan. The total grants and aid reached $11 billion last year. Japan has already promised a loan of 120 billion Yen ($1.18 billion) in the next fiscal for five projects, mostly in the energy and city development sectors. Sheikh Hasina last visited Japan in 2010 while the last visit of any Japanese prime minister to Bangladesh came in 2000, according to bdnews24.com.