PM Meets Emperor Akihito

The Prime Minister extended the invitation to His Majesty and the Empress to visit Bangladesh to see for themselves the progress made by the country since his last visit.

Emperor Akihito greeted the Prime Minister on her arrival at the Imperial Palace here.

After exchange of pleasantries, the Prime Minister recalled the visit of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to Japan in 1973 and His Majesty's and Empress's visit to Bangladesh in 1975 when Akihito was the crown prince.

Sheikh Hasina also recalled her previous audience with his Majesty when she visited Japan earlier.

His Majesty enquired about the progress made by Bangladesh.In response, the Premier highlighted various achievements especially in the socioeconomic areas and in the fields of poverty alleviation.

Akihito showed keen interest in the strategies adopted by the government of Sheikh Hasina to deal with poverty.

The Prime Minister elaborated the various strategies adopted for food self-sufficiency and mechanization of agriculture in Bangladesh.

She also mentioned her initiatives to provide land to landless farmers, low-interest loans to the landless and help them with free healthcare facilities and create various opportunities for education as means of empowerment of the poor.

Because of these measures, she said, poverty level has been reduced to 26 percent. She also highlighted the importance of creating job opportunities through rapid industrialization.

Recalling the role of Japan's assistance to development of Bangladesh since its independence, the Prime Minister underscored the need for more Japanese investment in Bangladesh.

Earlier, the Prime Minister was received by the grand master of the ceremony of the Imperial Household Nobutake Odano.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Masud Bin Momen was present on the occasion.

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha