Bilateral Economic Relations with Japan
The diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and Japan was established on February 10th, 1972. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman came to Japan on an official visit in 1973 which laid the foundation of bilateral relations between the two countries. This relationship evolved during the last five decades and recently it became stronger than ever. Especially during the official visit of Japan by Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Sheikh Hasina in 2014, a summit meeting was held with Japanese Prime Minster H.E. Mr. Shinzo Abe. They took the bilateral relationship to new level by upgrading it to ‘Comprehensive Partnership’. Since then, the economic cooperation between the two countries has been reaching new heights and Japan has become the single largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh. Japanese assistance to Bangladesh encompasses a wide range of cooperation in power and energy, transportation, telecommunication, agriculture, infrastructure, water and sanitation, environment, health, education, human resource development and in other sectors of economy in the form of loan, grant, technical assistance and dispatching of volunteers and experts. Japanese loans are concessional in nature carrying one of the lowest interest rates and repayment period of thirty years including a ten-year grace period.
Japanese development assistance to Bangladesh
The JICA Bangladesh office was established in 1973, same year as the visit of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Japan, and the first Japanese ODA loan to the Bangladesh was also made that year. In the global context, the story of Bangladesh’s growth and development is quite remarkable. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh reached lower-middle income status in 2015. It is on track to graduate from the UN's Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 2026. In order to accelerate economic growth, the Government of Bangladesh has adopted vision 2041 to become a high-income developed country. The Government of Japan has been extending continuous support to the development endeavors of Bangladesh in different important sectors including communication infrastructure, power, energy, telecommunication, health care, education, human resource development, urban and rural development etc.
General information:
Official Development Assistance (ODA) Loan Projects:
There are 33 (thirty three) on-going Loan projects including Dhaka-Mass Rapid Transit Development project, Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power project, Matarbari Port Development project, Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridge Construction project (II), Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction project, Foreign Direct Investment project, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion project, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Project, Health Services Strengthening project etc.
Grants Aided Projects:
11 (eleven) Grant assisted projects including Human Resource Development (JDS Fellowship program), Improvement of Solid Waste Management Equipment, Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP IV), Economic and Social Development programme, Improvement of Meteorological RADAR Systems, Saline Water Treatment Plant, Ground Water Investigation and Development of Deep Ground Water Source in Urban and Rural Areas, Project for the Densification of Global Navigation Satellite System, Improvement of Rescue Capacities in the Coastal and Inland Waters etc.
Technical Assistance Projects:
There are 35 (thirty five) on-going Technical Assistance projects including Skill Development of ICT Engineers Targeting Japanese Market, Dhaka Integrated Traffic Management, Security Improvement of International Airports, Strengthening of Solid Waste Management in Dhaka North City, Dhaka South City and Chittagong City, Capacity Enhancement of Bangladesh Police, Promoting Building Safety for Disaster Risk Reduction, Capacity Building of Nursing Services, Strengthening Health Systems through Organizing Communities, National Integrity Strategy (NIS), Capacity Development of City Corporations, Strengthening Public Investment Management System (Phase 2) etc.
List of ODA Loan Projects as a result of ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ since 2014
Name of the Projects |
Total Loan Amount |
|
US$ (eqv) |
JP |
|
35th ODA Loan Package (2014) |
1.184 billion |
120.986 billion |
1. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (I) |
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2. Natural Gas Efficiency Project |
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3. Inclusive City Governance Project |
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4. Haor Flood Management and Livelihood Improvement Project |
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5. Small and Marginal Sized Farmers Agricultural Projectivity Improvement and Diversification Financing Project
|
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36th ODA Loan Package (2015) |
1.076 billion |
133.265 billion |
1. Foreign Direct Investment Promotion Project |
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2. Dhaka-Chittagong Main Power Grid Strengthening Project |
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3. Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project |
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4. Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) and Health System Improvement Project |
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5. Urban Building Safety Project |
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6.Upazila Governance and Development Project
|
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37th ODA Loan Package (2016) |
1.549 billion |
173.538 billion |
1. Cross-Border Road Network Improvement Project (Bangladesh) |
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2. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (II) |
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3. The Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project (E/S) |
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4. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-fired Power Project (II) |
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5. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing Project |
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6. Disaster Risk Management Enhancement Project
|
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38th ODA Loan Package (2017) |
1.5484 billion |
178.223 billion |
1. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 1) (E/S) |
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2. The Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project (II) |
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3. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (III) |
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4. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Project (I) |
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5. Dhaka Underground Substation Construction Project |
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6. Small Scale Water Resources Development Project (Phase 2)
|
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39th ODA Loan Package (2018) |
1.831 billion |
200.371 billion |
1. Matarbari Port Development Project (E/S) |
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2. Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project (I) |
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3. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 5) (E/S) |
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4. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line-6) (III) |
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5. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (IV) |
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6. Health Services Strengthening Project
|
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40th ODA Loan Package (2019) |
2.5 billion |
275.786 billion |
1. Matarbari Port Development Project (I) |
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2. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-Fired Power Project (v) |
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3. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 1) (I) |
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4. Foreign Direct Investment Project (II) |
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5. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Promotion Financing Project (Phase 2)
|
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41st ODA Loan Package (2020) |
3.2 billion |
338.247 billion |
1. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (IV) |
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2. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (Line 5) |
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3. Jamuna Railway Bridge Construction Project |
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4. Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Project (II) |
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5. Food Value Chain Improvement Project |
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6. City Governance and Urban Development Project |
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7. Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway Improvement Project (E/S)
|
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42nd ODA Loan Package (2021) |
2.823 billion |
310.285 billion |
1. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, Line 1 (Tranche II) |
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2. Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal Fired Power Project, Phase 1 (Tranche VI) |
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3. COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan Phase 2 |
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4. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, Line 6 (Tranche V) |
The main objective of the project is to provide opportunities for Bangladesh Civil Service Cadre and Bangladesh Bank officials to study Master’s and Ph.D degree courses in Japan which is helping human resource development in Bangladesh. Under Japan Human Resources Development Program, a total of 447 JDS fellows have been dispatched to Japan to study Master’s course since 2001. So far 388 officials returned after successful completion of their courses. At present, 59 officers are studying Master degree in nine reputed universities in Japan. In addition, JDS program introduced PhD program since 2018 for three slots each year, and so far, 12 officials have been enrolled for PhD program in Japan.
Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV)
Japan dispatched 1,285 Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers to work in different sectors for the skill development of their Bangladeshi counterparts. JOCVs have been a component of Japan’s development assistance program in Bangladesh. All Japanese volunteers were withdrawn followed by the killing of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi at Rangpur in October 2015. The Embassy is in continuous persuasion with the Japanese government for resuming the JOCV program.