Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday urged Japanese investors to expand their investments in Bangladesh and recruit more Bangladeshi workers for employment in Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy.
He made the call when former Japanese First Lady Akie Abe and a delegation of Japanese entrepreneurs paid a courtesy visit to him at the State Guest House Jamuna in central Dhaka.
Abe praised Professor Yunus’s leadership in restoring peace and stability in Bangladesh and guiding the country’s economic recovery.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed potential cooperation in investment, marine research, and the recruitment of caregivers and nurses for Japan, which is facing rapid population aging.
Abe expressed particular interest in collaborating on efforts to prevent marine pollution.
“We have to prevent garbage from being dumped into the Bay of Bengal. We want to collaborate in these efforts. I hope we can do something in the future,” she said, emphasizing the need for large-scale public awareness campaigns on ocean pollution.
Professor Yunus informed the delegation that he plans to visit Tokyo in the third week of March, after stepping down as head of the Interim Government, to participate in a joint ocean research initiative with the Sasakawa Foundation.
At his invitation, the Sasakawa Foundation is also set to sign an agreement with the newly constituted Maheshkhali–Matarbari Development Authority to establish three model fishing villages along the Chittagong coast.
The chief adviser said his government has intensified efforts to train thousands of nurses and caregivers for employment in Japan and expanded Japanese language training programs to support the initiative.
He noted that Bangladesh has already signed agreements with Japanese investors to send at least 100,000 workers to Japan over the next five years and sought the support of Ms Abe and the Japanese delegation to further increase recruitment.
Mr Mitsuru Izumo, founder of leading biofuel producer Euglena, also spoke at the meeting and expressed interest in supporting initiatives in Bangladesh, including social business ventures.
Professor Yunus said the Interim Government is fully prepared to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections on February 12, after which he will return to his previous work.
He reiterated that he has no intention of joining politics or holding any government or state position in the future, saying he plans instead to focus on expanding quality healthcare, fostering youth entrepreneurship, and promoting his vision of a “three-zero world”—zero unemployment, zero net carbon emissions, and zero net wealth concentration.
SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed was also present at the meeting.
