Japan Denies Reports of Talks to Recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi Workers Annually
Tokyo Says No Agreement Was Reached on Worker Recruitment During Tarique Rahman’s Visit
Japan has rejected reports claiming it agreed to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers annually, clarifying that no such agreement or commitment was made during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Tokyo.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the clarification on Thursday after several Bangladeshi television channels reported that the two countries had reached an agreement to send 100,000 skilled workers from Bangladesh to Japan each year. The reports quickly spread across social media, sparking widespread discussion about a potential expansion of employment opportunities for Bangladeshi workers.
However, Japan’s MOFA Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura dismissed the claims in a public statement.
“While recent social media posts have falsely suggested that the Government of Japan agreed to accept 100,000 workers from Bangladesh, no such fact exists,” Kitamura said.
Diplomatic sources said Bangladesh had sought to expand employment opportunities for its citizens through Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) programme and other training initiatives. However, Tokyo made no blanket commitment regarding the number of Bangladeshi workers it would recruit.
Japan’s foreign employment system requires workers to meet language proficiency and technical certification standards. Recruitment is largely determined by employers’ demands rather than fixed job allocations for individual countries.
During Tarique Rahman’s four-day official visit to Japan, the two countries signed six bilateral cooperation instruments and secured two major yen loan commitments covering local governance, industrial investment and maritime safety.
The joint communique issued after the visit also acknowledged the mutual interest in expanding workforce mobility between the two countries.
However, it contained no commitment by Japan to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers annually, contradicting claims circulated by various media outlets and on social media.
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