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Japan was one of many first nations to supply help within the improvement of the post-independence war-torn Bangladesh. Japan has been Bangladesh’s main associate since then, particularly within the improvement discipline, and traditionally is taken into account an all-weather buddy of Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the connection between Bangladesh and Japan is not confined to the event area; quite it has upgraded to a strategic partnership within the altering political panorama.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mentioned the “complete partnership” between Bangladesh and Japan is now poised to be upgraded to a “strategic partnership.” Each Bangladesh and Japan can multiply the prevailing areas of cooperation to achieve a number of advantages. The rising Japan-Bangladesh partnership was highlighted by Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio as a part of his administration’s “New Plan for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific.’”
On the event of Hasina’s go to to Japan from April 25-28, the 2 nations are ready to advance their bilateral relations to a strategic degree.
Japan’s Rising Safety Quest within the Indian Ocean
For the reason that administration of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Japan’s stance on safety and protection has modified. On condition that Japan imports a big share of its uncooked supplies from overseas, and the Indian Ocean has significantly emerged as a lifeline for Japan, provided that roughly 80 p.c of its maritime commerce is carried via this sea-trade route. Because of this, Japan’s commerce – and, by extension, Japan’s financial system – will certainly discover itself in a difficult state of affairs sooner or later if there may be any unrest on this area.
Due to this, Japan’s overseas coverage technique features a give attention to rising strategic ties with the nations of the Indian Ocean. To counter China’s Belt and Street Initiative within the Indo-Pacific space and preserve uninterrupted entry to sea traces of communication, Japan has already established the Quad, a collaborative safety enterprise with Australia, India, and the USA. Japan has additionally signed a sequence of bilateral and trilateral agreements advancing its safety quest within the Indian Ocean. On October 22, Japan and Australia agreed to a brand new safety accord that creates tight safety collaboration between the 2 nations however stops in need of a mutual protection pact.
Then again, the Sino-Indian battle in South Asia led to a rise in tensions on this area even whereas the COVID-19 pandemic unfold devastation over the globe. Japan has discovered itself in a hazardous state of affairs because of China’s increasing business connections with South Asian nations, significantly Bangladesh.
Japan’s FOIP and Bangladesh’s Strategic Significance
When then-Prime Minister Abe visited Dhaka in September 2014, the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative for joint financial cooperation was unveiled as a part of Japan’s broader technique for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). As Japan and Bangladesh labored towards improved financial and geopolitical ties, this signaled the start of a brand new period of their relations.
Japan has agreed to lend Bangladesh between $4 billion and $5 billion over the course of 4 to 5 years. The first objective of the overseas help included on this plan is for Bangladesh to reinforce its bodily infrastructure, enterprise atmosphere, and connectivity, but it surely has safety and strategic implications.
Bangladesh is seen beneath the BIG-B plan as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia. In Kishida’s March up to date of Japan’s FOIP imaginative and prescient, he mentioned Japan seen “Bangladesh and different areas to the south as a single financial zone,” and pledged to “promote the Bay of Bengal-Northeast India industrial worth chain idea in cooperation with India and Bangladesh to foster the expansion of the whole area.”
Considered from the strategic degree, it is a plan to hyperlink the Pacific and Indian Oceans to strengthen Japan’s financial system inside a bigger geopolitical context. Bangladesh’s geographic location allows it to function each a node and a hub in regional and interregional business actions.
Previously, Japan’s thrust was by no means security-oriented however now the state of affairs of world politics has modified. Japan can be making an attempt to create its sphere of affect within the Indian Ocean area. Japan has been obliged to incorporate South Asia as a key facet of its strategic-diplomatic agenda because of the geostrategic demand for this space rising in recent times. Japan is specializing in the safety and strategic points in its periphery – East Asia and Southeast Asia and increasing into the Bay of Bengal.
Amid these developments, Japan realized Bangladesh’s strategic geographic place inside a triangle of three growing markets: India, China, and Southeast Asia. Japan and Bangladesh share lots of the similar basic values that drive the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” idea, together with democracy, a market financial system, and a rules-based worldwide order. Bangladesh additionally believes in Japan’s imaginative and prescient of FOIP as a bid to make sure peace and stability.
Prospects for Japan’s Safety Cooperation With Bangladesh
With a shared objective to keep up peace and stability within the Indo-Pacific area, protection and safety cooperation has develop into one of many key pillars of the Bangladesh-Japan relationship. One potential new space of collaboration with Bangladesh is the protection trade.
The “Forces Objective 2030” introduced in 2009 by the Hasina authorities with a view towards considerably enlarging and modernizing the Bangladesh Military, Navy, and Air Pressure, spelled out Bangladesh’s protection aspirations. Dhaka is now aiming to extend its collaboration with Japan in a number of sectors to attain these targets.
Japan not too long ago loosened its laws on the switch of navy {hardware}. Since then, Japanese companies began supplying navy gear to a number of Asian nations. As Bangladesh introduced its intention to diversify its sources for buying navy weaponry, it grew to become a possible marketplace for Japan’s protection exports.
Japan’s new construction for offering protection help, often called Official Safety Help (OSA), was established in revisions to the Nationwide Safety Technique in December of final yr. In its price range for the fiscal yr 2023, the federal government put aside almost $2 billion for OSA. Utilizing these funds, Japan will help nations to reinforce their deterrence capabilities via the availability of protection gear and different means. Bangladesh is among the many 4 nations that may obtain the primary tranche of the brand new funding from the federal government.
The Bangladesh Air Pressure has proven a robust want to buy cellular radar gear from Japan. Furthermore, ICT safety and cybersecurity are areas the place Japan and Bangladesh ought to discover the potential for collaboration. Throughout Hasina’s go to, it’s anticipated that Dhaka and Tokyo will signal a “letter of intent” on bilateral protection cooperation, which is able to pave the framework for future offers.
Keep in mind that the principle components of FOIP embody commerce, funding, and infrastructure improvement in addition to protection and safety. Apart from nearer safety cooperation, Japan will help Bangladesh in realizing its financial potential, overcoming obstacles which will come up after Bangladesh not qualifies as a Least Developed Nation (efficient in 2026), and diversifying its diplomatic ties with main nations.
This can be very important to do not forget that Bangladesh is a key element of Japan’s security-diplomatic technique in South Asia. In Japan’s strategic calculations, Bangladesh is important not just for its distinctive location between South Asia and Southeast Asia and its direct entry to the Indian Ocean, but in addition for its rising financial and political significance within the world area. Bangladesh is essential to Japan’s geopolitical stance; therefore Japan considers Bangladesh indispensable for fulfilling its strategic imaginative and prescient within the area. Equally, Bangladesh will profit from having sturdy diplomatic connections with Japan whereas it implements its overseas coverage technique based mostly on non-alignment and independence.
Bangladesh and Japan have to strengthen their safety cooperation given the shifting geopolitical state of affairs. There’s a compelling motive for the 2 governments to cooperate and work collectively, given how the safety atmosphere is evolving and the way tough the present state of affairs is.
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