Welcome to the website of the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh. I arrived in Dhaka on July 3, 2015. It is a great pleasure and a badge of honour for me to assume the ambassadorship in Bangladesh.

Japan recognized Bangladesh right after its independence, and has since then supported its nation-building. Japan and Bangladesh have been maintaining a very close relationship in a wide range of areas including development cooperation, trade and investment, and cultural and people exchange. Moreover, Bangladesh is one of the most friendly countries for Japan. The country’s warm support in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake was a testimony to this exceptional amity. 

Located at the crossroads between India and South-East Asian countries, Bangladesh has a history of being a trading centre of goods and ideas, and uniting different peoples and cultures. Endowed with these geographical advantage and cultural diversity, and getting commendable achievements in economic and social developments in recent years, I believe, Bangladesh is a country with tremendous potential.

Last year witnessed historical mutual visits of the two countries’ Prime Ministers. Both sides promised to enhance bilateral relationship by nurturing the “Japan-Bangladesh Comprehensive Partnership”. I will make sincerest efforts to strengthen and develop the time-tested bilateral relations even further. 

The two Prime Ministers’ mutual visits have added impetus to the expansion of bilateral economic activities including investment and trade. To further strengthen this momentum, I intend to work actively with the Government of Bangladesh as well as the country’s private sector with a view to further improving investment climate and further enhancing stability and democracy.

The history of the two countries’ peoples’ exchange is rich both in volume and in quality. These include not only high-level interactions, such as those between political leaders and senior officials, but also between academics, media, youth and sports and cultural personalities. I would like to build on these splendid ties and further enhance people-to-people relations.

Lastly, I would like to reiterate my intention to make an all-out effort to further develop the existing friendship between Japan and Bangladesh. Please feel free to speak to me whenever you see me. I look forward to seeing, listening to and talking with you.

Masato Watanabe

Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh

July 2015

Biography of Ambassador Masato Watanabe

Born in Sendai, Miyagi

1980.  4          Entered Ministry of Foreign Affairs

1999.  8          Director, Central and Eastern Europe Division, European Bureau

2001.  3          Director, Russian Division, European Bureau

2001.  7          Director, Technical Cooperation Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau

2002.  8          Director, Loan Aid Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau

2003.  8          Director, Aid Policy Division, Economic Cooperation Bureau

2004.  8          Minister, Embassy of Japan in Indonesia

2007.11          Deputy Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau

2009.  7          Director General, General Affairs Department, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)

2011.  9          Vice-President, JICA

2013.10          Consul-General of Japan in San Francisco

2015.  7          Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh