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Bangladesh on Wednesday invited greater Japanese investment, highlighting political stability, business-friendly incentives and a vast domestic consumer market.
The call was made when 30 top Japanese business leaders joined a meeting at the Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo to enhance bilateral trade and investment cooperation between Bangladesh and Japan, said an official handout.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Md. Daud Ali chaired the meeting and briefed the delegation on Bangladesh’s remarkable economic progress, including recent GDP growth.
He said the consolidated democratic progress achieved under the current elected government has created a unique opportunity and a climate of confidence for foreign investors.
“Indeed, now is the golden time to invest in Bangladesh,” the ambassador said.
He also highlighted various incentives introduced by the government, including one-stop service facilities, visa facilitation, 100 percent foreign ownership in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), tax holidays ranging from five to ten years, profit repatriation, infrastructure support and incentives for export diversification.
Describing Bangladesh as a country with a young population, Daud Ali said both nations would benefit if Bangladesh’s skilled workforce were employed in different Japanese industries.
He noted that several Japanese companies are already conducting training programmes in Bangladesh.
Japanese business leaders expressed satisfaction over Bangladesh’s current political stability and investment protection measures, and showed keen interest in investing in the country.
Many of them also expressed their desire to visit Bangladesh soon for first-hand experience.
Referring to Bangladesh as a vast consumer market, the envoy said products manufactured through investment in Bangladesh would not only have export opportunities but could also be sold in the country’s large domestic market.
The business leaders observed that the successful operations of more than 330 Japanese companies in Bangladesh, along with profitable investments in mega projects, serve as strong encouragement for further investment.
The delegation included leading businesspersons and professionals from various sectors in Japan, including Ikuhiko Akabori, Nana Shimura, Hiroaki Ishikawa, Atsuhiro Katsumata and Md. Emdadul Islam.