Kazi Zahidul Hasan : Japanese firms operating here on Monday suspended their employee trips from Japan to Bangladesh and grounded local employees in the wake of militants attack on a Spanish café in Dhaka, official sources said.They said the terrorist attack has dampened work prospects for many Japanese firms which have flourished in Bangladesh in recent years. The Friday’s attack by militants killed a total of 28 people, including six attackers. Among the dead seven were Japanese.”We have suspended our employee trips from Japan to Bangladesh and dumped local employees in the wake of the terrorists attack in Dhaka,” a spokeswoman of Fast Retailing Co, which runs the Uniqlo clothing brand, told The New Nation on Monday.She said employees of the Japanese firm are restricted from entering Bangladesh on business trips until the end of July.Fast Retailing Co has 40 employees, including six Japanese, who are overseeing manufacturing of clothing by Bangladeshi factories. The global apparel chain also runs nine shops in Bangladesh, employing 100 people, including four Japanese.All of the employees have been confirmed safe, said the Company spokeswoman.”Bangladesh is an important base for us, both in manufacturing and sales,” she said. “We are not considering making big changes to our business plan, but our priority is the safety of our employees and customers.”The spokeswoman said that although the shops are still open, all workers in charge of production management are being told to stand by at home until the Eid holiday. “Some of the Japanese staff may fly back during the holidays,” she said, adding that each employee can decide whether they want to return to Bangladesh afterward.Some 240 Japanese companies with offices or factories are now operating in Bangladesh.Bangladesh had recently emerged as a “China Plus One” destination – a major factory base to replace or supplement China, where wage levels have surged and manpower has grown scarce, according to Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).”Many companies have set up factories in Bangladesh on the back of cheap manpower, especially in such labor-intensive industries as sewing,” a JETRO official said. “In addition, Bangladesh, with its population of 160 million, is attractive as a consumer market, leading to many consumer companies setting up bases there.”Manufacturer Toshiba Corp., which opened an office in Bangladesh in June last year, has moved to restrict all employees from visiting the country until July 10.”There are only a couple of employees assigned to Bangladesh,” said Toshiba spokesman Yukihito Uchida, adding that at this stage the company had no plan to bring them back to Japan.Marubeni Corp., a leading trading company that has thermal power plant construction projects in Bangladesh, said it was able to confirm the safety of all of its nine employees soon after the weekend attack as its Japanese workers are required to report their plans, both work-related and private, to their supervisors. Under current circumstances, it also provides advice on holiday destinations for its employees, said spokesman Kazuo Hanada.”There are many incidents occurring not only in Bangladesh but worldwide, so we are constantly taking all measures we can think of to ensure the safety of our employees,” Hanada said.”The worst case is not being able to contact them.”Meanwhile, Motherhouse, which sells bags in Tokyo that are mostly produced at a Dhaka factory run entirely by local employees, said it has confirmed the safety of all workers. “We received a call from the factory director that all staff were safe, and that the production line is operating as usual,” Motherhouse spokesman Junki Inaba said.The firm produces 80 to 90 percent of its products in Bangladesh, which it then sells in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Inaba said the company had been warning its employees of terrorist attacks since October last year, when Japanese national Kunio Hoshi was murdered by Islamic militants in northern Bangladesh.In 2015, Japan exported products including steel, cars and machinery, worth $1.37 billion to Bangladesh, up from $1.16 billion the year before.It also imported goods worth $1.08 billion from the country, the majority of which was clothing and footwear.A total of 986 Japanese were living in Bangladesh as of last year, according to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo.Meanwhile, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) may withdraw from Bangladesh after seven Japanese workers were killed in Friday’s terrorist attack in Dhaka, reports The Wall Street Journal.The aid agency is involved in dozens of projects including building bridges, roads and railways and improving water and sanitation systems in Bangladesh.WSJ quoted a JICA spokeswoman as saying that the agency is considering withdrawing from Bangladesh after the most recent killings.The seven Japanese who were confirmed dead included three engineers sent by Oriental Consultants Global Co, and another from Katahira & Engineers International. Both firms are based in Tokyo, said a WSJ report published on Monday.One Japanese person was rescued from the cafe where the attack took place, officials said.”All of the victims had been in Bangladesh and were eager to aid the country,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday. “This is a matter of greatest regret,” he added.JICA president Shinichi Kitaoka reportedly said those dispatched to Bangladesh had been advised to remain extra vigilant after a Japanese citizen was killed in the country’s northern region of the country in October last year.According to JICA’s latest annual report, Japan spent $479 million on aid projects, including grants, in Bangladesh between April 2014 and March 2015.
