Japan chamber to submit EPA proposal to govt

The Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JBCCI) will submit its proposal to the government regarding the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan, based on feedback received from its members.

The EPA/FTA Standing Committee of the chamber reached this decision at a meeting held recently in Dhaka, following the sixth round of negotiations on the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Partnership Agreement, which took place from 21 to 26 June this year, as part of the ongoing negotiation process, according to a press release.

Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan (Jun), president of JBCCI; Asif A Chowdhury, chairman of the EPA/FTA standing committee; Matiur Rahman, founding president of JBCCI; Maria Howlader, secretary general; Hiroaki Oura, vice-president; Mohammed Sohel, director; and Tahera Ahsan, executive director, spoke at the meeting.

Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement by the end of 2025 or early 2026, with the aim of deepening and expanding bilateral trade and investment between the two countries.

The agreement holds particular significance in light of Bangladesh's forthcoming graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status to Middle-Income Country status, scheduled for November 2026.

This transition will result in the phasing out of several preferential trade and tariff arrangements currently enjoyed by Bangladesh.

JBCCI has remained actively engaged in the negotiation process from the outset and has made consistent efforts to support the initiative in the interest of both nations.

As part of these efforts, JBCCI commissioned the renowned think-tank "Policy Exchange of Bangladesh Limited" to prepare an EPA Study Report, which was formally launched at a ceremony supported by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh, held at the embassy's Multipurpose Hall on November 13 last year.