An exclusive interview of the vice
finance minister of Japan
| by Swadesh Roy reporting
from Tokyo
(November 6, 2012, Tokyo, Sri
Lanka Guardian) Vice finance minister of Japan, Tsutomu (Tom) Okubo told
that, they always try to do all kind of help to Bangladesh. He added that, “you
can say, we like to help Bangladesh.”
The vice finance minister of Japan has a
clear idea about the market and the man power of Bangladesh. He has visited Bangladesh once
some years ago; so he has no detail memory regarding his visit. When he visited
Bangladesh
then he was not a minister. But he went to many places of Bangladesh and
met many important persons of Bangladesh.
He has already forgotten the name of them but he has a little reminiscence
that, he met with a person of Bangladesh
who got Nobel Prize later. I told him, “His name is Dr. Yunus”. Then he could
recall him and told that he saw his works as he went to Dr. Yunus’s organization.
He has a desire to visit Bangladesh, as
a minister, but the rule of his country does not allow ministers to aboard frequently.
Basically their parliament sessions continues from January to August, at that
time they cannot not go aboard with out any emergency.
I asked him, “Do you have any
plan to expand economical help to Bangladesh?” He took my question seriously
and said with warmth, “Bangladesh
is now an emerging market, Japan
wants to involve more in this market and for involving more in the market Japan will do
all, whatever needed.” He said, “The main asset of Bangladesh is now the manpower,
basically the young work force; that has crossed the twenty.” Here it is to mention
that, in Japan
they have a heritage that, when a boy or girl of Japan crosses twenty then they are
eligible to take responsibility of any work. The city mayor then gives them
reception. So he mentioned that, Bangladesh has a large number of
young work forces who are above twenty. So, he told that, “Japan is very
much interested to set up labor dense industry in Bangladesh that will help Bangladesh to
develop its economy and it will create job opportunity.” He told that, Japan set up Honda
Company in Bangladesh
with join venture and he hopes that, in near future many other Japanese
companies will start to set up their factory in Bangladesh with the collaboration of
Bangladeshis entrepreneurs. Besides that he said, very soon JICA would start
the metro rail project in Bangladesh
and if Bangladesh
wants more investment in railway sector Japan will do it. Tsutomu said very
clearly, “Japan likes to look after Bangladesh and Japan wants more development
of Bangladesh.”
He has also ensured that, if he gets
any opportunity he will visit Bangladesh
because Bangladesh
is now a very suitable place for investment and Japan wants to do more investment
in Bangladesh.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor,
The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and a regular contributor to the Sri
Lanka Guardian
