Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders sat down with the Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori on Sunday.

The meeting began at the BNP Chairperson's political office in Gulshan after 10am, where the BNP delegation was led by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

BNP International Relations Committee Chairman and National Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and member of the party's international relations committee Shyama Obaid also attended the meeting.

Miss Igai, the First Political Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, accompanied the Japanese ambassador.

After the meeting, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that Japan as an old friend of Bangladesh favours neutral and acceptable elections in the country.

"They show genuine concern about the overall aspects of our country as they need a suitable environment for investment here. Therefore, it is normal for them to have an interest in the upcoming national elections.

"Like other countries in the world, Japan is also trying to understand the direction in which Bangladesh is heading," he added.

Amir Khosru noted that among many topics the Japanese envoy discussed the continuation of friendly ties with Bangladesh in case of a change in power. 

"The ambassador is relatively new here as he joined the office a few days ago. Thus, he is trying to understand the current political scenario in Bangladesh as Japan has a huge investment here in the public and private sector," he said.

Turning down the request to reveal what BNP has told the ambassador, Khosru said, "There is a sense of fear and apprehension among everyone due to the situation Bangladesh is going through. Hence, Japan can seek to understand the ground reality here."