Hasina urges Japan to relocate industries to Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked new Japanese envoy in Dhaka Masato Watanabe to visit Bangladesh's special economic zones and take initiatives to relocate their industries here.

"We're setting up special economic zones for investors… you can see those and relocate your industries," she told the Japanese ambassador when he met her in her office.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

The prime minister congratulated the new envoy and welcomed him expressing the hope that the relations between Bangladesh and Japan in the areas of economy, culture, education, agriculture and infrastructure development would be strengthened further in the days to come.

Japan has been one of the major development partners of Bangladesh since the latter's independence, said Hasina.

She also sought more Japanese support in the fishery sector, particularly for harvesting and processing of Tuna fish.

Masato Watanabe said many investors of his country were keen to invest in Bangladesh. He hoped that Bangladesh in the coming days will get more direct investment from Japan.

The Japanese envoy said he had already met the agriculture minister of Bangladesh and discussed ways to strengthen the longstanding collaboration in this sector.

Watanabe also referred to the mourning month of August in Bangladesh noting that this month was a month of mourning for the people of both the countries.