Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki on Sunday hoped that the people-to-people exchange between Bangladesh and Japan will increase in parallel to economic partnership.
"I hope to make the most of anniversary years of 2021, 50th anniversary of independence of Bangladesh, as well as 2022, 50th anniversary of Japan-Bangladesh relations, to elevate our partnership to a new height," he said.
He said over the past decade, partnership between Bangladesh and Japan progressed well and added its depth.
"Looking into the next 50 years, my strong wish is to see an increasing number of capable and promising students of Bangladesh apply for the opportunity to study in Japan to be the bridges between our two countries in the future," he said.
The Ambassador made the remarks while addressing a virtual seminar titled "Study in Japan Seminar 2021”.
The Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh and Department of Japanese Studies, University of Dhaka jointly organised the seminar.
The seminar provided information on pursuing higher education in Japan, the Japanese government scholarship (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; MEXT Scholarship), study and life in Japan as well as its advantages.
More than 2,000 people, including students and faculty members of Dhaka University, participated in this online seminar live, said the Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka.
Two speakers who completed their degrees in Japan on this MEXT scholarship programme shared their study experiences and daily lives as foreign students in Japan.
Dr Abdullah-AL-Mamun, Chairman of Department of Japanese Studies said they see continuous growth in FDI flow from Japan to Bangladesh and these people really need skilled human resources.
"Students who have Japanese degrees or those who go to Japan for studying will have great opportunity to work for companies coming to Bangladesh from Japan with investment. This investment will contribute to our overall economic development," he said.
Over five decades, Japan has been providing government scholarships to more than 4,300 Bangladeshis.
In 2020 alone, more than 130 Bangladeshi students newly received this government-funded scholarship and are now studying in Japan in various academic fields.
The scholarship application opens twice a year in mid-April (Embassy recommendation) and October (University recommendation).
