Japan plans driving school in Bangladesh to train skilled drivers

Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe has announced plans to establish a driving school in Bangladesh to train skilled drivers for Japan.

Watanabe, founder of the Watami Group, made the announcement during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday evening. He said the school would require a 12,000-square-metre site, preferably on the outskirts of Dhaka, to meet Japan’s growing demand for qualified drivers.

The initiative follows Professor Yunus’s official visit to Japan in May, during which Japanese investors agreed to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next five years. Watanabe has already set up a language training academy in Monorhodi, Narsingdi, to train 3,000 workers, of whom 52 have already gone to Japan for construction and agricultural work.

Professor Yunus emphasized that the training should include Japanese etiquette, culture, and values to better prepare workers before their departure. He also encouraged expanding programs in caregiving, nursing, construction, and farming, noting these skills allow workers to earn higher wages in Japan.

Watanabe praised the Japan Cell under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and expressed interest in opening another training centre near Dhaka for easier access by Japanese companies. The Chief Adviser directed officials to identify a ready facility, such as an unused IT park, that could be quickly converted into a vocational and language training centre.

The meeting also discussed increasing the frequency of Japanese language proficiency tests in Bangladesh to meet growing demand. SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed attended the meeting.

This project is part of a broader effort to expand skill-based employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in Japan while strengthening bilateral cooperation.