Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman next week will pay a four-day official visit to Japan, the first since his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formed a government early this year, to further boost economic and human development relations with the East Asian nation.

“Economic and investment cooperation between the two nations will be a key focus of this upcoming visit. Discussions are underway regarding approximately eight memoranda of understanding, with Dhaka expecting at least three to four of them to be signed,” Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam told reporters about the visit at the invitation of Rahman’s Japanese counterpart, set to start on Monday.

The visit will also identify new areas of cooperation, including renewable energy, agricultural technology, and human resource development, he added, saying that the “visit will provide an opportunity to further deepen and modernize the existing relationship between Bangladesh and Japan.”The visit will include a meeting with Sanae Takaichi, the nation’s prime minister, as well as talks with top companies and an address at the Japan-Bangladesh Economic Forum.

Resolution of the crisis around millions of Muslim Rohingya refugees and regional security may also be discussed, said the ministry.

Japan is Bangladesh's single largest bilateral development partner and major export destination. Trade between the two countries now stands at around $4 billion.

Last weekend, the two countries signed an agreement to begin recruiting Bangladeshi workers starting next April, presenting a new opportunity for Bangladeshi workers in Japan with legal protections.