Bangladesh and Japan have signed an agreement on employment skills development, under which Japan will begin recruiting workers from Bangladesh starting April 1, 2027, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment said on October 19. 

The ministry said the agreement, called the ESDP-MOC (Memorandum of Cooperation on Employment Skills Development), was finalised and signed on Oct 17 after nearly a year of efforts by the ministry and the Japanese government.

According to the press release, the ministry’s secretary signed for Bangladesh. Representatives of Japan’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and National Police Agency signed for Japan.

The initial term is five years, and the agreement will extend automatically for another five, making a total of 10 years, the ministry said. During Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s upcoming visit to Japan, the two sides will formally hand over a copy of the document, it said.

Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury said the agreement would ensure maximum protection for workers and strengthen cooperation between the two sides in sending and receiving them, according to the release. He said employment would also help Bangladeshi workers build their skills and that they would have the opportunity for higher pay and long-term residence in Japan.

The minister said workers under the agreement would have legal protection equal to that of Japanese workers, and men and women would have equal opportunities at work, the release said. It said female foreign workers cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly because of pregnancy or childbirth and that the agreement has no provision requiring them to be sent home for those reasons.

The release did not say how many workers Japan plans to recruit, in which sectors, or on what pay and terms.