Both Japan and China can help Bangladesh reach its full potential

In the Land of the Rising Sun, Bangladesh looks forward to a new dawn. The hope that comes with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Japan goes beyond the deals signed or the financial support expected. It shows a country that has emerged from authoritarian rule and wants to turn its new political voice into bigger economic chances and freedom of choice.

For a government chosen by the people, foreign policy must answer one question: how does it make life better for the people who gave it power? Bangladesh needs employment, steady energy, strong industries and institutions that people trust. Its diplomacy should help those goals while preserving Bangladesh’s ability to decide its path without getting caught in the fights of larger powers.

Japan plays a role in that effort. It welcomed Bangladesh soon after independence, when a war‑scarred nation had to rebuild. Over time, Japan helped build the roads, ports and other infrastructure that let the economy grow. Dhaka’s metro, the airport’s third terminal and the development of the Matarbari port show a friendship that has endured across governments and generations.

That ongoing partnership is why this visit is so significant. Bangladesh’s return to democracy provides an opportunity to build on the old friendship by being more accountable at home. For Rahman and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the challenge is to turn that trust into tangible outcomes: link roads and ports with factories, match technology with skills and turn that goodwill into companies that can actually compete in the global market.

The joint statement from their October 27 meeting gives this ambition a path. The upgraded Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt project – called “BIG-B for Shared Prosperity” – encompasses connectivity, economic strength and public‑private partnership. It imagines Bangladesh as a hub that connects industry, energy and trade around the Bay of Bengal. The success of that vision depends on how all the parts work together.

Projected Japanese private investment could reach 1 trillion yen (US$6.3 billion) over five years, potentially creating 200,000 jobs. While it is a projection, that number shows the size of the opportunity. Turning these chances into jobs needs ongoing work on customs, licensing, reliable power and clear rules.

Japan can also benefit. A productive Bangladesh offers manufacturing opportunities, market demand and better links between South and Southeast Asia. Japanese companies can bring technology, management know-how and access to established production networks. Bangladesh can offer workers, entrepreneurs and a growing market. A lasting friendship will grow from that exchange and from companies that have reasons to stay after the ceremonial welcome.

This partnership fits into a view of the East that also includes China. Bangladesh’s joint statement in June with Beijing pushes cooperation in industry, trade, green energy and connectivity, including modernising the Mongla port and building an industrial zone in Chittagong. Those promises remain important for Bangladesh’s future. Closer ties with Tokyo will not affect Bangladesh’s ongoing friendship with China.

There is room for them to complement each other. Better transport and energy supply can help manufacturers no matter where their money comes from. Chinese equipment, Japanese industrial expertise and Bangladeshi enterprise can all feed the same growing economy. That cooperation needs contracts, solid standards and good business sense. When competition occurs, Bangladesh should look at cost, reliability, security and the benefits to workers and suppliers.

India continues to shelter former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and allows her to conduct political activities from its territory, which has made Bangladesh more uncomfortable. Lasting friendship must be built with a country’s people, not one leader or party. New Delhi says Dhaka’s extradition request remains under legal examination. Rebuilding trust also needs political sensitivity to Bangladesh’s suffering and its democratic dreams. India’s answer to that will shape the chances for a relationship based on equality, mutual trust and respect.

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Political will and commitment at home are also very important. A government with the people’s mandate must make contracts open to review, strengthen institutions and ensure economic opportunities extend beyond any privileged interest groups. Investors need confidence in the rules; citizens need confidence that those rules protect the public interest. Democratic renewal can help both when accountability becomes a priority and practice.

The priorities are in place. Help domestic firms become suppliers. Link training to employer needs. Use existing infrastructure before you add any new projects whose economic case is still not fully established. Publish the financing commitments and track the actual investment received, actual exports generated and actual jobs sustained. The agriculture co-op framework with Japan has a working group that can take big ideas and turn them into real action.

For the 17 years, Bangladesh’s foreign policy leaned heavily towards India. Democratic renewal offers an opportunity to redefine Bangladesh’s position in the region around the will of the people themselves.

Partnership with Japan can be of immense value in realising those aspirations, as can forging constructive relations with China and the wider region. A new dawn will have meaning when the light of that dawn can be seen in the lives of the people.