Under the International Training Cooperation Organisation Agreement (ITCOA) the Bangladeshi workers or "trainees" may get an additional two years to serve in these sectors based on their performance.

Japanese agency Japan International Training Cooperation Organisation (JITCO), which is negotiating the deal with Bangladesh, will facilitate the training programme so that the trainees are assigned to appropriate companies, said Japanese foreign ministry officials requesting not to be named.

"Upon their return to Bangladesh, they will have to resume working in the same sectors they belong," Bangladesh Ambassador M Serajul Islam told the Daily Star at his Tokyo office.

"But this is not a manpower agreement. This is rather an agreement to help the Bangladeshi workforce in the SMEs to improve their skills through hands-on experience and technology transfer," Islam added.

Ichiro Aisawa, Senior Vice Minister for the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Japan, also told The Daily Star at his Tokyo office that his country will give special emphasis on human resources development for Bangladesh through various programmes.

"We want to help Bangladesh in improving efficiency of its human resources including those in the private sector. Overseas trainees may work in Japan to acquire the technology and knowledge so that when they return to their country they can implement those," Aisawa said.

Presently some Bangladeshi trainees are working in Japan under a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) programme. But the new agreement will increase this number drastically.

There are around 5000 Bangladeshis legally in Japan, some of them as Permanent Residents, some as teachers, students and service holders. However, there are an estimated 3000 to 7000 more Bangladeshis living and working illegally, according to expatriates and diplomatic sources.

The typical pay in different sectors in Japan ranges between 2.5 million yen a year to 5 million yen (or around US 25,000 dollars to 50,000 dollars), making even a short term job for a Bangladeshi most lucrative, despite Japan's very high cost of living.

Japan now has similar training programmes with different countries allowing about 200,000 people to work. Of them, there are 80,000 Chinese trainees. However, due to diplomatic tensions between China and Japan, this number may decrease in the coming years, diplomatic sources said.

On the other hand, considering Bangladesh's support to Japan in its bid to become a member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) may place Bangladesh in a priority position if it plays the right cards.

Shifting Bangladeshi government decisions and disrespecting a state to state agreement with the change of government has remained a major hurdle for the Japanese government to come forward helping Bangladesh in many areas- especially in investment, diplomatic sources in both Japanese and Bangladesh camps say.

The cancellation by the BNP government of the 75 million dollar Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertiliser factory 2 agreement with Japan, signed at the fag end of the previous Awami League rulehad literally pushed back Japanese cooperation till mid 2003 when the agreement was reinstated.

With its aging population set to increase rapidly in the coming decade and the overall population set to shrink to 10 crore in 2025 from its present 12 crore, Japan holds a prosperous region for Bangladeshi job seekersshort or long term, the sources said.

PADMA BRIDGE
Diplomatic sources requesting anonymity said that the visit of Khaleda Zia may get to see the signing of another agreement on the Padma Bridge.

"However this is not yet final. The construction of the Padma Bridge requires huge investment and Japan is not in a position to fund it alone," said a Japanese foreign ministry official.

Japan has already funded and is now conducting a feasibility study for this bridge. The primary impression given by the Japanese experts suggest that Bangladesh should get more donors in order to implement such an enormous project.

The Bangladeshi prime minister is also expected to participate in the 14th meeting of the Japan Bangladesh Joint Committee for Commercial and Economic Co-operation.