Bangladesh and Japan have agreed to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) by the end of 2025 or early 2026 to deepen and expand bilateral trade and investment relations between the two nations.This was revealed on Wednesday at a ceremony to launch the 'EPA Study Report' at the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka, a press release said on Friday.Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, JBCCI, officially launched the EPA Study Report.For signing the EPA, JBCCI has formed a standing committee and assigned a consulting firm named 'Policy Exchange of Bangladesh Limited'. The consulting firm prepared the "EPA Study Report".As the chief guest, Iwama Kiminori, ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, appreciated JBCCI for organizing the launching ceremony and expressed the hope that the inputs and findings of the 'EPA Study Report' will accelerate the process of EPA signing.Md Emran, executive director of JBCCI, said that EPA is a very important vehicle to secure duty-free market access for Bangladesh after its graduation from LDC in 2026.

Manabu Sugawara, president of JBCCI, laid emphasis on EPA for increasing the trade and investment relations between Bangladesh and Japan.

M Masrur Reaz, chairman of Policy Exchange of Bangladesh, presented a keynote paper outlining the benefits and challenges of the EPA, along with insights into how countries could benefit from it. 

Source: BSS