Japan wants to build connectivity between Bangladesh’s Matarbari deep-sea port and India’s seven northeastern states, known as the Seven Sisters. Tokyo’s plan is mainly to expand industry and trade by linking up the Bay of Bengal region.
The Indian newspaper The Hindu reported this. Its report did not include any comment from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry.
According to the report, work is under way to finalise the bilateral agenda ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s expected visit to Japan, and the Matarbari port and related infrastructure projects may feature prominently.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, a senior diplomat at Japan’s foreign ministry said: “Matarbari port has the potential to turn Bangladesh into a regional industrial hub.”
The report said Bangladesh may seek Japanese financial support for various projects from 2026 to 2031.
These include plans to build industrial, port and commercial infrastructure around Matarbari. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited Matarbari last August to review the need for the project.
Once the Japanese-funded deep-sea port now under construction is operating, Bangladesh’s capacity to handle cargo from large ships will grow. At present Bangladesh depends on Singapore, Colombo in Sri Lanka and several Malaysian ports for cargo carried by large vessels.
Under Japan’s plan, an industrial and transport network would be built around Matarbari through which India’s seven northeastern states could connect, via Bangladesh, to the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar could also benefit.
Japan sees the economic corridor built around Bangkok, linking Thailand with Cambodia and Vietnam, as a model.
According to one Japanese diplomat, Bangkok has played an important role in regional economic growth through its port and the Southern Economic Corridor. Japan wants to develop Matarbari as a similar hub for regional development.
Effective cooperation between Bangladesh and India is, however, essential to carry out the plan. Under Sheikh Hasina, relatively good India-Bangladesh relations created room to advance regional connectivity projects. The Maitri Bridge over the Feni river was built in that period, opening the prospect of links between Bangladesh and India’s Tripura. Because of political uncertainty in relations between the two countries, the bridge has not yet opened.
Japanese officials believe Matarbari’s economic importance would grow further if connectivity between Bangladesh, northeast India and neighbouring countries could be improved.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said earlier that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is due to visit Japan for four days at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The visit has not yet been formally announced.
According to The Hindu, the Moheshkhali-Matarbari integrated infrastructure development initiative is also on the agenda.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report