Diplomatic Correspondent

Newly appointed Japanese Ambassador Iwama Kiminori presented his Letter of Credence to the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Md. Abdul Hamid on Monday at a special ceremony organised at Bangabhaban.

Upon his assumption of the Ambassadorship to Bangladesh, Iwama issued the following message;

On December 26, I presented credentials to His Excellency Md. Abdul Hamid, Honorable President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and began assuming my duty as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Bangladesh.

I feel honored to start undertaking my responsibility as Ambassador in the year of 2022, which marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh.

Throughout the year, there must have been moments to look back at progress over the last half century. Before coming to Bangladesh, I have learned that many Japanese have been involved and worked hard for the development of this country for 50 years as true friends of Bangladesh.

I have also learned from a number of Japanese people who have close connections with Bangladesh that Bangladeshi people are not only working hard to develop the country but also possess great respects and affiliations for Japan and its nationals. As Ambassador, I am committed to make my best effort to strengthen our friendly relations, following this wonderful suit.

Most people I spoke to prior to my assignment, especially those in the economic field, expressed their interest in Bangladesh’s development over the past few years and their motivation to further strengthen relations with Bangladesh.

In particular, in recent years, many mega projects contributing to the improvement of economic infrastructure are going on under the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiatives (BIG-B). Given this situation, the importance of Japan, as a major and largest development partner of Bangladesh, has been prospering.

In addition, the Bangladesh’s economy has been steadily growing and the country is to graduate from LDC by 2026. Due to this rapid economic growth, I am feeling that there are increasing expectations from Japanese business circle to shift their interests from aiding to investing. As Ambassador, I would like to contribute to Bangladesh’s further economic growth by listening to and supporting Japanese companies interested in doing business in this country.

Despite the rising number of Japanese companies and Japanese nationals in Bangladesh, the memory of the terrorist attacks in 2016 remains strong. It is one of the most important responsibilities of the Embassy to gather and share information on the security situation in Bangladesh. We are committed to keep providing relevant information in a timely and appropriate manner.

The year 2023 marks the 51st year of diplomatic relations between Japan and Bangladesh. In other words, 2023 is the first year for the next 50 years. The government of Bangladesh aims to become a developed country by 2041.

In order to achieve this goal, Bangladesh is attempting to overcome various challenges such as climate change, health, and education. As a friend of Bangladesh since its inception, we would like to consider possible cooperation and collaboration with all related actors to address challenges that Bangladesh is facing.

Before arriving to Bangladesh, I have come to know that Bangladesh has a rich culture passed on through many centuries with its Bengali language identity. During my tenure, as Ambassador, I am determined to learn the culture and history of Bangladesh and at the same time increase the understanding of Japan in Bangladesh.