Dr SM Ali Reza:
The year 2022 marks the 5oth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and Japan. Japan officially recognized Bangladesh as a sovereign country on 10th February, 1972 within two months of the latter’s independence. To make the event memorable both the countries are hosting different commemorative occasions throughout the year.
Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) had been in the purview of Japan’s attention even before the War of Liberation broke out. In fact, the landslide victory of the Awami League in the 1970 general elections drew further attention of the Japanese media and people. This was the first ever general elections in united Pakistan in which Awami League secured a stunning victory winning 167 seats in the National Assembly out of 313. President Yahya Khan’s sudden postponement of the Constituent Assembly session on March 1, 1971 got prominent coverage in Japanese media. Japan expected that President Yahya Khan and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would reach a negotiation on greater autonomy for East Pakistan.
However, the entire situation changed quickly when Yahya left Dhaka secretly in the evening of March 25, and the Pakistan Military attacked the unarmed and innocent Bengalese at midnight in the name of ‘Operation Search Light’ killing thousands. The Japanese media published the news of the military crackdown in East Pakistan in the form of news, editorials, opinions, analysis with due importance. The widespread support and cooperation from the Japanese people for Bangladesh in its resistance against the Pakistan military was spontaneous and overwhelming during the War of Liberation.
The organization that immensely contributed in generating support for Bangladesh’s War of Liberation among the Japanese people was ‘Japan-Bangladesh Friendship Association’ (JBFA) under the leadership of Professor Tsuyoshi Nara from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The main activities of the JBFA included street campaigns, distributing pamphlets to the people, receiving relief goods and money for the refugees in Calcutta. They also sold car-stickers to the motorists in the streets of Tokyo. The response was overwhelming, and soon people started sending money as well as relief goods to Mr. Nara’s house, the temporary address of the association. Being inspired by the JBFA, Bussho Goenkai, a major Buddhist organization appealed to its members throughout Japan and collected 27,000 blankets.
Students, political activists, MPs, the JBFA could send all the collected relief goods to India free of charge. Japan Red Cross Society (JRCS) also extended its generous hands during our War of Liberation by making arrangements to send the collected money for the refugees. The JRCS also sent 10 million vitamin tables and 60 tons of powder milk to Calcutta. The JBFA later on coordinated with the ‘Bangladesh Solidarity Front’ (BSF) chaired by Professor Setsurei Tsurushima to coordinate and invigorate their efforts collectively. He was aided by Prof. Hajime Katsube, student leader Ken Arimitsu and Mr. Hideo Takano. Their collective efforts made the East Pakistan crisis a major international issue in Japan. They published a periodical named Bangladesh News (in Japanese language) which published series of articles on Bangladesh’s War of Liberation creating lasting impact on the Japanese minds.
Apart from the JBFA and the BSF, a good number of brave and kind hearted Japanese nationals also played very crucial role in favor of Bangladesh’s War of Liberation. We gratefully remember Mr. Tadamasa Fukiura, a representative of International Red Cross Society engaged in relief work, In his highly acclaimed book Blood and Mud- Tragedy of Bangladesh Independence (In Japanese Chi To Doro To- Banguradesu Dokuritsu No Higeki) he revealed many eye-witness stories of the brave struggle of the freedom fighters, as well as his efforts to protect the lives of the freedom fighters and innocent villagers from military oppression and massacre.
We also gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Japanese politicians like Mr. Takashi Hayakawa, MP who is popularly known as “Mr. Bangladesh” for his lifelong commitment to Bangladesh, Mr. Kenichi Nishimura, MP of then Japan Socialist Party (JSP), Mr. Yosho Sakurauchi, MP of LDP, Mr. Takashi Sekiguchi of Bussho Goenkai, Prof. Tomio Mizokami, Lft. Gen. Fujiwara, Miss Tatsuko Ikeda of JSP, Mr. Takamasa Suzuki, Mrs. Take Tanaka, Mrs. Midori Yamanaka, Mr. Shuhei Miyauchi, Mr. Minoru Kiriyu – to name a few- for the cause of Bangladesh.
Japanese press and media also played a very positive role in mobilizing public opinion in favor of the independence of Bangladesh. Among the Japanese newspapers, the Japan Times prominently published hundreds of news items, foreign columns, opinions, and editorials on the liberation war of Bangladesh and the subsequent refugee crisis until the recognition of Bangladesh by Japan on February 10, 1972. Other influential newspapers, such as the Asahi Shimbun, the Asahi Evening News, the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Daily Yomiuri, the Mainichi Shimbun and the Mainichi Daily News published innumerable news items, op-eds, and editorials regarding the war which produced a substantial impact on the Japanese government and people. The Japanese newspapers also paid due attention to the victory of the Bengalis vis-à-vis the defeat of the Pakistan military on December 16, 1971. In fact, the “Fall of Dacca” twisted sigh of relief and happiness in the Japanese minds.
Japan also was sympathetic towards the defecting Bengali diplomats, prominently Syed Muhammad Masood and QAMA Rahim, who left the Pakistani side and had been in Japan under a special permission from the Japanese government. It is important to mention here that Japan does not have any law or regulation concerning foreign political refugees in Japan. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of Japan had been under a dilemma in dealing with this sensitive issue, but allowed the two defecting Bengali diplomats to stay in Japan for a reasonable time. The Japanese United Nations (UN) Mission also played a very positive role in favor of Bangladesh at the UNSC, and came forward to sponsor, or co-sponsor a number of resolutions which had moderating effect in the ultimate realization of the independence of Bangladesh.
Soon after the independence, Japan not only recognized Bangladesh within less than two months on February 10, 1972, it also established its Diplomatic Mission in Dhaka in March 1972. In the same month Japan sent a delegation under the leadership of Mr. Takashi Hayakawa, MP (with a gift of $1 million worth of fertilizer) to convey the “good will” of the Japanese government to the people of Bangladesh. Since the independence of Bangladesh, Japan has been a trusted friend and the largest bilateral donor and development partner of Bangladesh. Over the last fifty years, our bilateral relationship has been grounded on “mutual trust, respect, friendship, and cooperation.” We earnestly hope that fifty years of bilateral relations will elevate it “heart-to-heart” relations, from comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership.
Long live Bangladesh-Japan partnership.
(The writer is Professor of Department of Political Science, University of Dhaka).
