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Japan offers significant employment opportunities for foreign workers amid growing labour shortages, but Bangladesh is struggling to secure a stronger foothold in the country’s lucrative job market, largely due to a shortage of Japanese language skills and qualified language teachers.Despite several bilateral agreements, training programmes and government initiatives over the years, Bangladesh has failed to produce enough workers with the language proficiency and job-specific skills required by Japanese employers.
Labour market experts say even skilled Bangladeshi workers often struggle to pass the initial recruitment stages because of inadequate Japanese language and communication skills. The shortage of competent language instructors and quality training facilities has further widened the gap.
Japan’s rapidly ageing population has created substantial demand for foreign workers in sectors such as information technology, nursing, caregiving, agriculture, engineering and manufacturing. However, Bangladesh has been unable to capitalise on these opportunities, while countries such as Myanmar and Nepal have made comparatively better progress.
The issue has returned to the spotlight following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Japan, during which the two sides discussed expanding employment opportunities for Bangladeshis, improving the quality of Japanese language education, easing internship visa requirements and addressing the shortage of language teachers.
Earlier, the interim government had also announced major initiatives to increase the number of Bangladeshi workers in Japan, but progress remained limited.
Historical records highlight the gap between the two countries’ ambitions and actual recruitment. Bangladesh and Japan signed an agreement in July 2005 to facilitate worker training and employment. However, only 41 Bangladeshis managed to travel to Japan over the following eight years.
In 2015, another agreement was signed with Japanese organisation IM Japan to train 500 workers. A one-year programme covering manufacturing and construction was also introduced in 2017. Neither initiative, however, generated employment on a significant or sustainable scale.
On August 27, 2019, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate recruitment under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) scheme. But inadequate language training, skills assessment and transparency in the recruitment process hindered progress.
According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), 163 Bangladeshis went to Japan in 2018. Although a target of sending 400 workers was set for 2019, only 119 had been sent by July that year.
The BMET arranged training for 40 trainees at each of its 27 centres. In February 2019, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment also decided to involve private recruiting agencies in language training, but progress remained slow.
As of December 2025, a total of 11,756 Bangladeshis were working in Japan under technical intern, specified skilled worker and engineer visa categories, according to Japanese immigration authorities.
Selim Reza, associate professor at the Centre for Migration Studies at North South University, believes the shortage of language education and skills development is a major reason behind Bangladesh’s slow progress in accessing the Japanese labour market.
In a recent opinion article, he wrote that Bangladesh was falling behind because of inadequate skills, Japanese language proficiency and demand-oriented training, preventing the country from turning its large young workforce into sustainable overseas employment.
Japanese language proficiency is essential for understanding workplace instructions, communicating with colleagues and managing everyday life in Japan. Many jobs require at least JLPT N4-level proficiency, while N3 or N2 qualifications can offer applicants a competitive advantage.
Mohammad Absar Kamal, director of the Institute of Modern Languages (IML) at the University of Dhaka, told Sarabangla that language requirements vary depending on the job and employer.
“Workers seeking employment in Japan and other overseas markets need a certain level of language proficiency. For Japanese, N4 or N3 may be required, depending on the employer and the sector,” he said.
He added that training should go beyond general Japanese language lessons and include job-specific vocabulary and conversations. Developing separate training manuals and textbooks for different occupations is therefore necessary.
High training costs, a shortage of qualified teachers and the lack of quality training centres outside Dhaka are major obstacles, particularly for jobseekers from rural areas, he said.
Private institutions charge around Tk 25,000 for JLPT N5 courses, Tk 30,000 for N4 and up to Tk 40,000 for N3. The courses generally last three to six months. The Bangladesh-Japan Alumni Association offers combined N5 and N4 courses for Tk 35,000.
Some government technical training centres, however, provide courses for only Tk 1,000, excluding the costs of books, admission and examinations.
Mohammad Jahangir Alam, chairman of the Department of Japanese Studies at Dhaka University, told Sarabangla that better preparation before departure could help Bangladeshi workers earn more abroad.
Workers with strong language and occupational skills are more likely to secure higher-paying jobs, which could also increase remittance inflows, he said.
Absar Kamal suggested recruiting Japanese-language graduates as primary school teachers to expand language education. He said proposals had been submitted to the government for developing quality textbooks and curricula. Plans are also under way to establish a dedicated cell, allocate a budget and improve coordination among relevant initiatives.
The government has recently taken several steps to strengthen language and vocational training.
At a meeting in Dhaka on August 25, Education and Primary and Mass Education Adviser Mahdi Amin said initiatives were under way to simplify visa and accommodation arrangements for Japanese teachers coming to Bangladesh.
A database is also being developed to connect trained Bangladeshi workers with Japanese employers. A university has been assigned to collect information on candidates who have taken Japanese language examinations, including the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) and the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese (JFT-Basic).
The number of examination centres has been increased, while the National Skills Development Authority has been authorised to provide language and technical training in line with Japanese standards.
The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment has also introduced loan facilities for aspiring migrant workers seeking to learn Japanese.
The government previously paid Japanese language instructors Tk 500 per hour but has now introduced monthly allowances. It is also planning further training for experienced instructors. In October, a trainer from the Japan Foundation visited Bangladesh to provide training to local teachers.
With Japanese assistance, a major project titled ‘Training of 100,000 Potential Migrants in Specified Skills and Japanese Language’ has also been undertaken to prepare a large pool of prospective workers.
Under another initiative, N5 courses are being offered at 36 colleges, while 16 of them also provide N4-level training.
Besides, Japanese language courses are available at around 200 institutions, including Dhaka University’s Institute of Advanced and Asian Studies, Bank University and JUABC.
Labour market experts believe that expanding affordable, quality language training alongside occupation-specific skills development will be crucial if Bangladesh wants to turn Japan’s growing demand for foreign workers into a sustainable employment opportunity.
