Published : 01 Jun 2025, 04:28 AM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has returned to Bangladesh capping off a four-day official visit to Japan, where he secured a major loan commitment and signed multiple cooperation agreements aimed at deepening bilateral ties.
His office confirmed that he landed at Shahjalal International Airport at 12:15am on Sunday on a Singapore Airlines flight.
Earlier on Saturday, Yunus and his delegation departed Tokyo at 8:20am Bangladesh time.
Citing Chief Advisor’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, the government-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) said the flight departed Narita International Airport at 11:20am local time.
During the visit, Yunus attended around 20 official engagements in Tokyo, including a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
The meeting produced a Japanese commitment of $1.06 billion in financial assistance for Bangladesh, targeted primarily at budget support and railway development.
The two sides also reiterated their intent to sign an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) within the year.
On Friday, he also spoke at the “Bangladesh Business Seminar”, which concluded with the signing of six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between Bangladeshi and Japanese counterparts to boost trade, investment, and infrastructure collaboration.
A day earlier, two separate MoUs were signed to enhance skills training and streamline employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers in Japan.
Japanese officials shared plans to recruit 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years under this cooperation.
Yunus also attended the 30th Nikkei Forum: Future of Asia, where he was a keynote speaker.
Yunus met former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and sought his support for Bangladesh’s aspirations to join Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On Friday, Soka University awarded the Nobel peace laureate an honorary doctorate recognising his contributions to social innovation and global development.