The visit, which took place between October 26 and 29, also produced 17 memorandums of understanding signed by private sector entities, according to Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir. The promised investment is expected to create around 200,000 jobs, though the summit statement does not break down the $6.3 billion by company or distinguish new projects from plans already under discussion. Several major agreements were signed before Rahman took office in February, meaning the amount cannot be counted as investment secured by the visit.
Japan has been one of Bangladesh’s main development partners since independence. The two countries launched the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative in 2014 and upgraded ties to a strategic partnership in 2023. In February, just before Rahman became prime minister, the interim government of Chief Interim Adviser Muhammad Yunus signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with Japan and a deal on the transfer of defense equipment and technology. During Rahman’s visit, both sides reaffirmed those deals.
The new loan pledges are smaller than the $1 billion package formalized during Yunus’s visit to Japan in May 2025, which included budget support and railway development. Japan has now pledged $100.8 million for improving the investment environment and $194.7 million for the second phase of the Upazila Governance and Development Project. An earlier Japanese loan of $316.1 million, agreed in 2026 to help Bangladesh cope with economic shocks, was acknowledged by Rahman as separate from the new funding.
The most notable change was the revision of BIG-B to “BIG-B for Shared Prosperity,” which now explicitly includes geopolitical risks, economic security, and cooperation for peace and stability. Security cooperation had featured in the 2023 strategic partnership but is now brought directly into the infrastructure and industrial development framework. The Matarbari and Moheshkhali area on Bangladesh’s southeastern coast is central to this approach, with the two governments agreeing to develop it as a logistics, energy, and industrial hub centered on the deep-sea port.
Japan also agreed to provide around $13.4 million as a grant to the Coast Guard for a patrol vessel and related services. The Japan International Cooperation Agency says it will support responses to maritime crime, accidents, and disasters, contributing to the safety of regional sea lanes. This follows Japan’s handover of five patrol boats to the Bangladesh Navy in July through its Official Security Assistance program. Japan is now helping both the Navy and the Coast Guard patrol Bangladesh’s waters.
Rahman committed to greater transparency and predictability in taxation, customs, licensing, and fund transfers. An agreement on improving the business environment accompanied the new loan pledges. The two leaders also agreed to speed up preparations to bring the third terminal at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport into service under BIG-B. Dhaka is targeting partial operations on December 16 this year, more than three years after the ceremonial opening. However, the proposed deal for a Japanese consortium to run the terminal still needs approval. One draft clause has drawn criticism: it would prevent competing civilian airports within a radius of 100 kilometers of Shahjalal from starting commercial operations for 15 years.