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Tokyo unhappy over WW II reference
Tasnim Mohsin 09 August, 2026, 00:31
A passage in a joint communiqué issued over prime minister Tarique Rahman’s recent bilateral visit to Beijing has made Tokyo unhappy as Bangladesh has been drawn into an old rivalry between China and Japan.
In the passage, Bangladesh and China agreed to ‘firmly uphold the outcomes of the victory of World War II’ and oppose ‘any attempts for fascistic and militaristic revival’ in the statement issued on June 26, echoing the post-war order set out in the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation.
Although the passage does not directly refer to Japan, Japanese officials, according to diplomats both in Dhaka and Tokyo, believe that the statement targets them in the historic context.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, several officials from foreign ministry confirmed that Japan had expressed their dissatisfaction to the ministry officials in recent time.
References of this kind –invoking the ‘victory’ of the World War II and warning against a ‘militaristic revival’ –belong to a familiar vocabulary that Beijing has long used specifically to needle Tokyo over its wartime past.
The Cairo Declaration most commonly refers to the World War II statement outlining Allied goals against Japan. Its core aim was to demand the unconditional surrender of Japan. And the Potsdam proclamation ultimatum issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan during World War II.
What had unsettled Japanese officials was not the phrase itself, but its appearance in a Bangladeshi document, foreign ministry officials pointed out.
‘Over the years, none of Bangladesh’s joint statements or joint communiqués included this issue. Suddenly, during a high-level visit, it has been brought up,’ a Japanese Embassy official in Dhaka told New Age seeking anonymity.
‘We do not understand why. Nor do we see what tangible benefit it will bring to Bangladesh, especially when it could have been avoided,’ the official mentioned.
A senior Bangladeshi foreign ministry official, speaking anonymously, said Japan had been consulted before the language was finalised, and that talks over the wording alone ran for more than five hours on the sidelines of the visit.
According to that account, it was Tokyo’s own intervention that softened the final text. Japan objected to the words ‘fascism’ and ‘militarism’ outright, arguing that terms ending in ‘ism’ implied a fixed ideology rather than a historical warning.
At Japan’s request, Dhaka persuaded Beijing to adjust the language to ‘fascistic and militaristic’ instead — a distinction that may read as semantic to outsiders, but was evidently significant enough to negotiate over for hours.
Asked directly what Bangladesh had gained from the wording, the same official said, ‘There are no direct benefits for Bangladesh. We could have avoided the issue, but once it was raised, we consulted Japan and tried to keep them informed throughout the process.’
Asked to confirm Japan’s dissatisfaction over the matter, another foreign ministry official said, ‘We have tried to convince them.’
Despite repeated attempts, New Age could not get a formal comment from the foreign ministry spokesperson.
‘China and Japan have a tendency to poke each other whenever they can,’ said M Humayun Kabir, former ambassador and president of the independent think tank Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.
‘During the then prime minister’s visit to Japan in April 2023, Tokyo also included such words in the joint statement that were seen as targeting China,’ he said.
‘This is an old rivalry between China and Japan, and Bangladesh should avoid getting drawn into it. Dhaka needs to be more cautious about the language used in future joint statements,’ Humayun added.
Bangladesh and Japan are due to hold the 7th Foreign Office Consultations at the foreign secretary level on August 12 in Dhaka.
A Bangladesh foreign ministry official said that Tokyo wants prime minister Tarique Rahman to visit Japan soon.
According to the official, Japan is expected to extend a formal invitation during the upcoming FOC. The two sides are also expected to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues during the meeting.
The 6th round of FOC took place in Tokyo on May 15 last year.
Tasnim Mohsin 09 August, 2026, 00:31
A passage in a joint communiqué issued over prime minister Tarique Rahman’s recent bilateral visit to Beijing has made Tokyo unhappy as Bangladesh has been drawn into an old rivalry between China and Japan.
In the passage, Bangladesh and China agreed to ‘firmly uphold the outcomes of the victory of World War II’ and oppose ‘any attempts for fascistic and militaristic revival’ in the statement issued on June 26, echoing the post-war order set out in the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation.
Although the passage does not directly refer to Japan, Japanese officials, according to diplomats both in Dhaka and Tokyo, believe that the statement targets them in the historic context.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, several officials from foreign ministry confirmed that Japan had expressed their dissatisfaction to the ministry officials in recent time.
References of this kind –invoking the ‘victory’ of the World War II and warning against a ‘militaristic revival’ –belong to a familiar vocabulary that Beijing has long used specifically to needle Tokyo over its wartime past.
The Cairo Declaration most commonly refers to the World War II statement outlining Allied goals against Japan. Its core aim was to demand the unconditional surrender of Japan. And the Potsdam proclamation ultimatum issued by the United States, Great Britain, and China demanded the unconditional surrender of Japan during World War II.
What had unsettled Japanese officials was not the phrase itself, but its appearance in a Bangladeshi document, foreign ministry officials pointed out.
‘Over the years, none of Bangladesh’s joint statements or joint communiqués included this issue. Suddenly, during a high-level visit, it has been brought up,’ a Japanese Embassy official in Dhaka told New Age seeking anonymity.
‘We do not understand why. Nor do we see what tangible benefit it will bring to Bangladesh, especially when it could have been avoided,’ the official mentioned.
A senior Bangladeshi foreign ministry official, speaking anonymously, said Japan had been consulted before the language was finalised, and that talks over the wording alone ran for more than five hours on the sidelines of the visit.
According to that account, it was Tokyo’s own intervention that softened the final text. Japan objected to the words ‘fascism’ and ‘militarism’ outright, arguing that terms ending in ‘ism’ implied a fixed ideology rather than a historical warning.
At Japan’s request, Dhaka persuaded Beijing to adjust the language to ‘fascistic and militaristic’ instead — a distinction that may read as semantic to outsiders, but was evidently significant enough to negotiate over for hours.
Asked directly what Bangladesh had gained from the wording, the same official said, ‘There are no direct benefits for Bangladesh. We could have avoided the issue, but once it was raised, we consulted Japan and tried to keep them informed throughout the process.’
Asked to confirm Japan’s dissatisfaction over the matter, another foreign ministry official said, ‘We have tried to convince them.’
Despite repeated attempts, New Age could not get a formal comment from the foreign ministry spokesperson.
‘China and Japan have a tendency to poke each other whenever they can,’ said M Humayun Kabir, former ambassador and president of the independent think tank Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.
‘During the then prime minister’s visit to Japan in April 2023, Tokyo also included such words in the joint statement that were seen as targeting China,’ he said.
‘This is an old rivalry between China and Japan, and Bangladesh should avoid getting drawn into it. Dhaka needs to be more cautious about the language used in future joint statements,’ Humayun added.
Bangladesh and Japan are due to hold the 7th Foreign Office Consultations at the foreign secretary level on August 12 in Dhaka.
A Bangladesh foreign ministry official said that Tokyo wants prime minister Tarique Rahman to visit Japan soon.
According to the official, Japan is expected to extend a formal invitation during the upcoming FOC. The two sides are also expected to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues during the meeting.
The 6th round of FOC took place in Tokyo on May 15 last year.
