Asia

On February 2, Ms. IKUINA paid a courtesy call on Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
Ms. IKUINA stated that Japan will continue to cooperate for the development and prosperity of Bangladesh under the "Strategic Partnership". Ms. IKUINA also mentioned that the number of Japanese companies in Bangladesh is steadily increasing, and requested cooperation in stabilizing the security situation and ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals in Bangladesh.
In response, Dr. Yunus expressed his appreciation for Japan's support to Bangladesh to date and expressed his intention to further promote friendly relations and concrete cooperation between the two countries.

• Courtesy Call on Dr. Yunus, Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh by Ms. IKUINA, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs (February 2, 2025)

On February 2, Ms. IKUINA held a meeting with H.E. Mr. Md. Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Ms. IKUINA stated that Japan will work to advance bilateral relations in a wide range of areas such as security, economy, and people-to-people exchange, including negotiations on the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Agreement concerning the Transfer of Defence Equipment and Technology, and the steady implementation of Official Security Assistance (OSA), and also affirmed cooperation to realize a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)”.
In response, Mr. Hossain welcomed Ms. IKUINA's visit to Bangladesh and expressed his gratitude for the support that Japan has extended to Bangladesh to date. He also stated that he hopes to continue to cooperate and maintain friendly relations between the two countries.
Ms. IKUINA also raised the issues of economic cooperation, improvement of the investment environment, EPA negotiations, and cooperation for stabilization of the situation and protection of Japanese nationals. In addition, they exchanged views on humanitarian assistance for displaced persons from Rakhine State, Myanmar, and other efforts to resolve this issue.

On February 2, Ms. IKUINA visited Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College & Hospital, where technical cooperation by Japanese experts is being implemented through Japan's ODA, and toured the hospital.
Hospital officials explained that Japan's cooperation has led to the provision of high-quality medical care.

On February 2, Ms. IKUINA met with representatives of Japanese officials from UN agencies and NGOs, as well as Japanese businesspeople, to exchange views on issues currently faced in Bangladesh, the current business situation, and possibilities for cooperation in the future.

On February 3, Ms. IKUINA and Mr. Md. Khayrul Hasan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, witnessed the signing ceremony where H.E. Mr. SAIDA Shinichi, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, and Mr. Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance signed and exchanged Notes on the Japanese Grant aid “the Project for the Improvement of Equipment for Air Pollution Monitoring” up to JPY 835 million.

On February 3, Ms. IKUINA visited MRT Line 6 in Dhaka, which is supported by Japan as a yen loan project.

On February 3, Ms. IKUINA offered flowers to the cenotaph for the victims of the terrorist attack in Dhaka that occurred in July 2016.

On February 3, Ms. IKUINA paid a courtesy call on H.E. A. K. Dissanayake, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
Ms. IKUINA congratulated President Dissanayake on the auspicious occasion of the Independence Day of Sri Lanka and expressed Japan’s intention to further develop bilateral relations under the "Comprehensive Partnership" with President Dissanayake based on the longstanding friendly relations between Japan and Sri Lanka.
Ms. IKUINA also stated that Japan intends to promote cooperation in various fields, and pointed out the importance of the steady implementation of the reforms agreed to with the IMF and the early completion of the debt restructuring, and stated that Japan will continue to support Sri Lanka's efforts to revitalize its economy.
In response, President Dissanayake expressed his gratitude for Japan's long-lasting support to Sri Lanka and also expressed his appreciation for the grant aid “the Economic and Social Development Programme” (Waste Collection and Transportation Vehicles) signed today. President Dissanayake expressed his intention to further strengthen relations in various fields including political, economic, and people-to-people exchange.

• Courtesy Call on H.E. A. K. Dissanayake, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by Ms. IKUINA, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs (February 3, 2025)

On February 4, Ms. IKUINA paid a courtesy call on Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.
Ms. IKUINA expressed Japan's desire to continue cooperation in the areas of economic and people-to-people exchange under the “Comprehensive Partnership” for further development of bilateral relations based on the traditional friendship between the two countries. In response, Prime Minister Amarasuriya expressed her gratitude for Japan’s longstanding support for economic cooperation and debt restructuring, and expressed her interest in people-to-people exchange and the receiving of Sri Lankan human resources in Japan.

On February 3, in the presence of Ms. IKUINA and Mr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, Minister of Labor and Deputy Minister of Economic Development of Sri Lanka, Mr. ISOMATA Akio, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka, and Mr. Siriwardena, Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development of Sri Lanka, signed and exchanged Notes on the Japanese Grant aid “the Economic and Social Development Programme” (Waste Collection and Transportation Vehicles)up to JPY 300 million.

On February 4, Ms. IKUINA visited LNBTI, the first Japanese-affiliated university in Sri Lanka, which was jointly established by IT companies from both countries. Ms. IKUINA observed the training site for advanced IT personnel with knowledge of Japanese language, culture, and business practices, and exchanged opinions in Japanese with its President and students. Ms. IKUINA also visited Sri Jayawardenapura General Hospital, which was established in 1984 with Japanese grant aid.