No give-and-take policy over UNSC candidature: Tokyo

Bangladesh's withdrawal of candidature in the election for a non-permanent seat in UN Security Council in favour of Japan has not come in exchange of any financial package or any give-and-take policy, as the strong ties between the two countries have been behind it. ‘It’s because of long-term relations between Bangladesh and Japan. We’ll always consider Bangladesh as trusted friend even if Dhaka continues to contest the election,’ Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Kuni Sato has said. Sato said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s whilrwind Dhaka tour with the chief executives of top Japanese companies was a signal to developed countries to attract large investment in the country. ‘Bangladesh can show the West that one of the G-7 member countries is coming to Bangladesh with trust in a bigger way,’ said Sato. Tokyo thinks the sudden upswing of relations is natural and purely driven by economic factors. The official also said the visit by the Japanese Prime Minister along with a big business delegation is very timely as the CEOs of top industries in Japan are very much keen to invest in Bangladesh as they found the country a very promising one in the days to come, according to a news agency.