Will abstain from commenting on elections: Japanese envoy 

The ambassador of Japan in Dhaka, Iwama Kiminori, has said he will abstain from commenting on the upcoming elections in Bangladesh. 

"I said earlier, and I want to reiterate that I will refrain from making any comments about the election," the Japanese ambassador said while answering queries from newsmen after attending a discussion on trilateral cooperation between Bangladesh, India, and Japan.

North South University hosted the event on Wednesday morning.

Asked about the next national elections, the ambassador said, “As diplomats, we are naturally interested in the internal situation of the country where we work. I have worked in Germany before, and I used to stay updated on the internal situation and politics there. My colleague, during his tenure in the United States, used to keep abreast of internal politics as well. It is very normal."

On a question about the bilateral relationship with Bangladesh, the Japanese ambassador noted that his country has been a development partner of Bangladesh for more than 50 years. 

“Bangladesh had many governments throughout the period. Some of them may have had a good relationship (with Japan) and some may not. But I don't know that. Japan has been a partner in the development of Bangladesh before and will continue to be in the future,” he said. 

Earlier on 3 May, the ambassador responded to a query about the national elections, stating his preference to refrain from commenting on the election as it is an internal matter of the host country.