Japan to Set Up Driving School to Hire Skilled Bangladeshis

Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe held a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Saturday evening.

Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe has announced plans to establish a driving school in Bangladesh to recruit 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, according to the Chief Adviser’s Office.

“We are now looking for a 12,000-square-metre area to set up a driving school,” Watanabe said, adding that Japan faces a growing demand for qualified drivers and Bangladesh could be a key source of trained manpower.

The Chief Adviser instructed officials to identify a suitable site for the proposed school, preferably on the outskirts of Dhaka.

The meeting followed up on Professor Yunus’s official visit to Japan in May, during which Japanese entrepreneurs signed an agreement to recruit 100,000 Bangladeshi workers over the next five years.

Watanabe, a long-time admirer of Professor Yunus’s work, said he has already established a language training academy in Monohordi, Narsingdi, which aims to train and send at least 3,000 Bangladeshi workers to Japan.

“Fifty-two workers have already gone to Japan to work in the construction and agriculture sectors,” he said, noting that the academy currently trains 40 students per session and plans to expand nationwide.

Professor Yunus emphasised the importance of teaching Japanese etiquette, decorum, and culture as part of the training, saying it would help workers adapt more easily to life in Japan.

He also encouraged Watanabe to expand training to caregiving, nursing, construction, and farming—fields that offer higher wages for skilled workers in Japan.

Watanabe welcomed the idea and praised the Japan Cell at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, which supports collaboration between Japanese investors and Bangladeshi institutions.

He expressed interest in setting up another training centre near Dhaka to make access easier for visiting Japanese companies.

The Chief Adviser instructed officials to locate a ready facility, such as an unused IT park, that could quickly be converted into a Japanese language and vocational training centre.

Authorities will soon arrange visits for Japanese investors to potential IT park sites around Dhaka.

Professor Yunus also called for holding more Japanese language proficiency tests in Bangladesh, noting that the current twice-a-year schedule is insufficient to meet rising demand.

During the meeting, Watanabe fondly recalled founding a school at Narayankul in Gazipur over a decade ago, inspired by Professor Yunus’s vision of a poverty-free world.

“The school now has 1,500 students—it’s a wonderful institution, and the students are doing very well,” he said.

SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed also attended the meeting.