The bilateral relationship between Japan and Bangladesh transcends diplomatic formalities and is the most extensive economic collaboration in Asia’s history. As Bangladesh prepares to exit from Least Developed Countries (LDC) classification in 2026, Japan, the nation’s primary development partner since 2012, functions as both the architect and guarantor of its economic transition.

The inaugural signing of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between two nations transcends a mere commercial agreement; it represents a strategic alignment that positions Bangladesh within Japan’s regional economic framework in the Indo-Pacific.

The foundation of Japan-Bangladesh friendship lies in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (1946-48), also known as the Tokyo Trials. Justice Radhabinod Pal, a Bengali jurist who previously presided over the Tokyo Trials and served as an ad hoc judge on the International Court of Justice, dissented in an extensive opinion exceeding 1,230 pages. He criticised not only specific charges or defendants but also the legitimacy of the trial itself, contending that “the prosecution’s theories were ex post facto law at its worst” and were based on concepts appropriated from Western nations, representing “victor’s justice” rather than authentic international common law. Despite his dissents failing to overturn convictions, Justice Pal’s sincerity earned him reverence in Japan: The Yasukuni Shrine constructed memorials in his honour, and he is so esteemed that Japanese nationalists celebrate him as a hero who, in death, blesses the populist administration. Amidst this context, the tradition of mutual respect, distinctive to Japan–Bangladesh relations and lacking in several regional relationships marred by historical conflicts, has begun to flourish.

Since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1972, Japan has become a crucial contributor to Bangladesh’s development. Japan has committed approximately $32 billion, including 2.4 trillion Japanese Yen, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In FY 2022, JICA committed 331 billion Japanese Yen to five major projects, with disbursements totalling 261 billion Japanese Yen, marking the second-highest levels of commitment and disbursement for Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) since its inception in 1974. These figures surpass conventional

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