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Bangladesh can become an important partner in meeting Japan’s demand for young and working-age workers, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan has said.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at the Japan-Bangladesh Partnership Seminar 2026, held at the Diploma Engineers Institution auditorium in Kakrail, Dhaka, on Saturday.
The minister said Japan has a large elderly population, while Bangladesh has a comparatively large young and working-age population. The demographic differences between the two countries could be utilised to create employment opportunities for Bangladeshi youth in various sectors of Japan, he said.
Referring to the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and Japan, Moin Khan said there was scope to take bilateral cooperation to a new level.
Such cooperation would be important from both perspectives — creating employment opportunities for Bangladeshi youth and addressing Japan’s workforce requirements, he said.
The minister said employment opportunities in Japan could improve the living standards of Bangladeshi youth while enabling them to make an important contribution to Japan’s service sector and other areas.
Emphasising the importance of Japanese-language education, Moin Khan said young people seeking employment in Japan needed to improve their language skills.
He said initiatives could be taken to establish specialised institutions for Japanese-language education in Bangladesh, if necessary.
Japanese representatives at the seminar said Japan does not have a large young population like Bangladesh. With an ageing population, the country faces workforce shortages in several sectors, including construction, agriculture, driving and nursing.
They said there was scope to recruit skilled and trained workers from Bangladesh for these sectors.
The Japanese representatives also stressed that Bangladeshi youth interested in working in Japan should acquire proficiency in Japanese as well as the professional skills required for their respective occupations.