Newsletter No. 168
January 23, 2006

 

JAPAN PARTICIPATES IN BANGLADESHI OIL AND IT SECTORS

Two stories related to Japan-Bangladesh economic relations have been reported in the Bangladeshi press.

First of all, the New Nation reports that Japanese Ambassador Matsushiro Horiguchi and President of the Japan Energy Development Company Ltd. (JEDCL) Masahiro Nakamura paid a visit to Mineral Resources Advisor Mahmudur Rahman in Dhaka on the 21st. They expressed their interest in exploring for oil fields in the Bay of Bengal and perhaps to build an oil refinery in Bangladesh. Rahman encouraged them to take up this issue in direct negotiations with PetroBangla.

The second story appeared in the Financial Express and concerned the “Japan-Bangladesh IT Expo 2006,” which will be held in the Sheraton Hotel in Dhaka from April 13th to 15th. About twenty Japanese companies are expected to participate in the Expo, including Fujitsu, Casio, NEC, Itochu, and others. The aim, of course, is to expand IT in Bangladesh in order to modernize the economy and to help relieve the problems of unemployment in the country.

It will be recalled that the Shingetsu Newsletter carried some stories about Japan-Bangladesh relations in connection with the visit to Japan of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in July 2005. It was noted at that time that the two countries pledged to expand their economic cooperation. The IT Expo was announced by Japan-Bangladesh Group Chairman Salim Prodhan. This same individual was mentioned in Shingetsu Newsletter No. 45 as making efforts to increase Japanese investment in his country.